Grambling State Stays Alive In SWAC Tourney After Two Dominant Wins On Friday

Saturday's winner will have an opportunity to meet the No. 1-seed Bethune-Cookman Wildcats.

Taylor Dooley Bamboozles The Rattlers | Credit: GSU Athletics

Grambling State played two impressive games to stay in contention for repeating as the conference tournament champions in Friday's SWAC Baseball Tournament against Southern and Florida A&M.

The Tigers opened the slate of matches with a dominant victory over its in-state rival from Baton Rouge, winning 16-2 at Rickwood Field.

Hours later, the G-Men avoided elimination from the No. 2 seeded Rattlers with a commanding 13-0 victory that was called in the seventh inning. The Tigers pitcher Taylor Dooley got the win, and Jay Campbell recorded the loss for the Rattlers. Dooley pitched 7 innings with 7 strikeouts, five hits allowed, and zero runs scored.

A SHOT AT THE ‘SHIP@GramSt_Bsb advances and will play against Florida A&M in a win or go home game tomorrow at 1:30PM. The winner will advance to the 2025 SWAC Baseball Championship! #SWACBSB pic.twitter.com/i2f0gkCbzJ

— Southwestern Athletic Conference (@theswac) May 24, 2025

Trey Bridges blasted a homerun for Grambling State, while Chenar Brown led the team with two hits.

The win sets up a rematch on Saturday between GSU and FAMU, with the winner advancing to face No. 1 Bethune-Cookman. The Wildcats survived a relentless Alabama State squad that sent the game into a tenth inning before BCU pulled out an 8-7 victory. They await the winners of the FAMU-GSU contest at the SWAC Baseball Tournament Championship Game on Sunday, May 26, 2025.

During this year's tournament, the Tigers have produced 46 runs (13+4+16+13), clearly outpacing the field. Tomorrow's elimination game will be the third time Grambling State and Florida A&M have met in the 2025 SWAC Tourney.

Taylor Dooley shuts the door and locks it behind him 🔐@GramSt_Bsb blanks Florida A&M 13-0 in must-win game‼️#SWACBSB pic.twitter.com/tK0mADvM4G

— Southwestern Athletic Conference (@theswac) May 24, 2025

The Rattlers beat GSU 14-4 on Thursday afternoon after scoring two runs in the first inning, two in the fourth, five in the eighth, and three in the 9th. Ever since being dominated by FAMU, Coach Davin Pierre has the Tigers rolling with solid pitching, fielding, and, most importantly, hitting.

Grambling notched 10 hits, scoring 16 runs versus Southern. Against FAMU, the Tigers pounded the pitchers with 14 hits, resulting in 13 runs.

Both teams will live and play another day with everything on the line in Saturday's showdown.

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SWAC Baseball Player of the Year: Cardell Thibodeaux, Southern | SWAC

2025 HONORS

• SWAC Baseball Player of the Year: Cardell Thibodeaux, Southern
• SWAC Coach of the Year: Jonathan Hernandez, Bethune-Cookman
• SWAC Co-Hitter of the Year: Andry Martinex, Bethune-Cookman
• SWAC Co-Hitter of the Year: Juan Cruz, Alabama State
• SWAC Pitcher of the Year: Eric Elliott, Jackson State
• SWAC Relief Pitcher of the Year: Jean Carlos Zambrano, Bethune-Cookman
• SWAC Freshman of the Year: Garrett Workman, Florida A&M
• SWAC Newcomer of the Year: Cardell Thibodeaux, Southern

SWAC Coach of the Year: Jonathan Hernandez, Bethune-Cookman | SWAC

1️⃣5️⃣0️⃣ 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗘𝗹 𝗝𝗲𝗳𝗲!

With win number 150 at the helm of Bethune-Cookman Baseball, Coach Hernandez is the 3️⃣𝙧𝙙 𝙒𝙞𝙣𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙃𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝘾𝙤𝙖𝙘𝙝 𝙞𝙣 𝘽-𝘾𝙐 𝘽𝙖𝙨𝙚𝙗𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙃𝙄𝙎𝙏𝙊𝙍𝙔!#𝙃𝙖𝙞𝙡𝙒𝙞𝙡𝙙𝙘𝙖𝙩𝙨 | #𝙋𝙧𝙚𝙮𝙏𝙤𝙜𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 pic.twitter.com/Fe3nG4EtvL

— ⚾️Bethune-Cookman Baseball (@BCUDiamondCats) May 23, 2025

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More SWAC coverage...

Eddie Kelley, SWAC Coordinator Of Football Officials Passes

SWAC Coordinator of Football Officials - Eddie Kelley | Credit: SWAC

The Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) has announced the passing of Eddie Kelley, who served as the Coordinator of Football Officials.

"The Southwestern Athletic Conference would like to send thoughts, prayers, and sincere condolences to the family and friends of SWAC Coordinator of Football Officials Eddie Kelley. Kelley was a valued member of the SWAC Staff, and the impact he had on the conference as an official and administrator, along with the countless number of lives he touched, will forever be remembered."

Kelley was a head referee for ten years before being promoted to the SWAC Football Coordinator of Officials on Feb. 15, 2019.  According to the conference, he "also served as an official with the Southland (2012) and the PAC-12 (2017)."  

Upon officially joining the SWAC staff, Kelley said, "It is truly an honor to get opportunity to work with the Southwestern Athletic Conference as the Football Coordinator of Officials. The legacies and great traditions of this conference as it relates to competition in the sport of football is remarkable. I look forward to serving the league with honor and integrity while putting an exemplary product of officials on the field each date of competition."

Notable Assignments and Posts

Kelley officiated the following contests:

• SWAC Championship Games
• Bayou Classics
• 2016 6A Texas High School State Championship

He also served as the President of the SWAC Football Officiating Association.

Commissioner Dr. Charles McClelland and the Southwestern Athletic Conference headquarters will provide additional details about Eddie Kelley's life. His family has our deepest condolences and prayers.

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