BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Southwestern Athletic Conference announced its 2014 baseball predicted order of finish and preseason honors with Alabama State (Eastern) and Southern (Western) selected to capture its respective division.
Jackson State's Charles Tillery was voted Preseason Player of the Year along with Alabama State's T.J. Renda (Preseason Pitcher of the Year) and Emmanuel Marrero (Preseason Player of the Year) closing out the preseason accolades accolades.
The first and second preseason all-conference squads were voted by the league’s 10 head coaches and sports information directors. Head coaches and sports information directors were not allowed to vote for players from their respective teams.
For the Eastern Division, Alabama State led the group with 80 points including eight first-place votes. Jackson State followed with 78 points and 10 first-place votes with Alcorn State standing third with 58 points. Mississippi Valley State received 39 points and two first-place votes and Alabama A&M rounded out the prediction with 35 points.
Defending Western Division regular season champions Southern was predicted to repeat with 74 points including seven first-place votes. Prairie View A&M was tagged second with 72 points and eight first-place votes. Arkansas-Pine Bluff garnered 57 points for third along with five votes for first. Texas Southern (55) and Grambling State (32) closed out the division's preseason predicition.
Reigning SWAC Baseball Tournament and Eastern Division champions, JSU, posted a league-high seven players earning preseason honors with three selected to the first team. ASU was second with six selections, followed by PVAMU (3), UAPB (2), SU (2) and GSU (2). TSU and AAMU each had one player selected. Eight of the 10 SWAC schools were represented with at least one preseason selection.
Tillery (OF, 6-0, 195, Sr., Starkville, Miss.) helped lead JSU to the 2013 SWAC title and the automatic bid in the NCAA Baseball Tournament Regionals last year. He closed out his first season in the league with a .352 batting average which ranked second in the conference. He also led the league in on-base-percentage (.475). Along with his batting average, Tillery led JSU in runs scored (52), hits (68), walks (33), runs scored (50), and stolen bases (26). He was named SWAC Newcomer of the Year and voted to the conference second team in the postseason. He was also tagged with ABCA Regional honors.
Renda (6-0, 200, Jr., Orlando, Fla.) earned ABCA First Team honors after receiving SWAC Pitcher of the Year and league first team accolades. He recorded a 9-1 record with a 2.19 ERA. He was a two-time SWAC Player of the Week and a Collegebaseballinsider.com Louisville Slugger National Player of the Week. Last year's weekly awards followed Renda's season-opening no-hitter against Chicago State when he recorded a career-high 15 strikeouts. Renda led the SWAC in strikeouts, wins and ERA.
Marrero (INF, 6-0, Jr., Caugas, Puerto Rico) finished last season with a .953 fielding percentage to complement 63 putouts. He led ASU with 118 assists and was second on the team in fielding double plays with 14.
The 2014 season opens for all 10 league teams on Friday, Feb. 14. This season’s SWAC Baseball Championship will take place at LaGrave Field in Fort Worth, Texas, from May 14-18 and will include the top four teams from each division.
2014 SWAC PRESEASON PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Charles Tillery, Jackson State
2014 SWAC PRESEASON PITCHER OF THE YEAR
T.J. Renda, Alabama State
2014 SWAC PRESEASON DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Emmanuel Marrero, Alabama State
2014 PRESEASON ALL-SWAC TEAMS
FIRST TEAM
1B Dominic Harris Prairie View A&M
2B Isias Alcantar Arkansas-Pine Bluff
3B Aneko Knowles Jackson State
SS Juan Bueno Grambling State
OF Charles Tillery Jackson State
OF Waldyvan Estrada Alabama State
OF Dillon Cooper Alabama State
C Richard Gonzalez Alabama State
P T.J. Renda Alabama State
P Alexander Juday Jackson State
RP Andre Rodriguez Jackson State
DH Jerry Ford II Texas Southern
SECOND TEAM
1B Austin Husley Alabama A&M
2B Stephen Curtis Jackson State
3B Brenden Castro Alabama State
SS Emmanuel Marrero Alabama State
OF Tyler Kirksey Southern
OF Bryce Taylor Jackson State
OF Sean Washington Southern
C Jose Cruz Jackson State
P Jonathan Mata Prairie View A&M
P Brock Baker Grambling State
RP Jim Ploeger Arkansas-Pine Bluff
DH Greg Salcido Prairie View A&M
2014 SWAC PRESEASON BASEBALL PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH
EAST
TEAM POINTS (FIRST PLACE VOTES)
1. Alabama State 80 (8)
2. Jackson State 78 (10)
3. Alcorn State 58
4. Mississippi Valley State 39 (2)
5. Alabama A&M 35
WEST
TEAM POINTS (FIRST PLACE VOTES)
1. Southern 74 (7)
2. Prairie View A&M 72 (8)
3. Arkansas-Pine Bluff 57 (5)
4. Texas Southern 55
5. Grambling State 32
