BIRMINGHAM, AL --Senior Elijah Finney was named to the 2020 Preseason All-Conference First Team, by the SWAC on Tuesday afternoon and Southern University was picked to repeat as the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Western Division champion on a vote of the league's coaches and sports information directors.

Southern, who finished as the SWAC Western Division Champion, SWAC Regular Season and Tournament Champion a season ago, was picked to win the West with 75 total votes and was followed closely by Grambling State with 68 points. The two were followed by Texas Southern, Prairie View and Arkansas-Pine Bluff. 

Finney, a pitcher from Okeechobee, Florida, was 6-2 with a 4.45 earned run average and 49 strikeouts in 64 2/3 innings with 23 walks. He won two games in the SWAC tournament, including 8 1/3 shutout innings in the championship game when he allowed three Alabama State hits with two walks and six strikeouts. One of his most notable games was the 7-2 win vs #8 LSU who had a no-hitter through six innings, allowed only one earned run and one hit while striking out seven Tiger hitters.

The Southern Jaguars Baseball team will open the 2020 campaign at the Andre Dawson Classic in New Orleans, Louisiana from February 14-16 inside Wesley Barrow Stadium. The Jaguars will open up the season on Friday February 14 when the face University of New Orleans at Maestri Field at 6:30 pm.

2020 Preseason All-SWAC Baseball Teams
 
Preseason Player of the Year
Santiago Garcia, Alabama State

Preseason Pitcher of the Year
Nikelle Galatas, Jackson State

Preseason First Team
C – Santiago Garcia, Alabama State
1B – Nick Kreutzer, Arkansas-Pine Bluff
2B – Alex Martinez, Prairie View A&M
3B – Jaylyn Williams, Jackson State
SS – Wesley Reyes, Jackson State
DH - Chris Prentiss, Jackson State
OF – Equon Smith, Jackson State
OF – Brandon Rembert, Alcorn State
OF – Tyson Thompson, Texas Southern
SP – Elijah Finney, Southern
SP – Bryan Delgado, Grambling State
RP – Aaron Barkley, Mississippi Valley State

Preseason Second Team
C – Tyler Gordon, Prairie View A&M
1B – Oscar Ponce, Texas Southern
2B – Tristin Garcia, Alcorn State
3B – Nic Garza, Texas Southern
SS – Christopher DeGuzman, Alabama State
DH – Angel Jimenez, Alabama State
OF – Jahmoi Percival, Grambling State
OF – Xavier Jefferson, Prairie View A&M
OF – Ian Bailey, Grambling State
SP – Nikelle Galatas, Jackson State
SP – Jeremy Rivera, Alabama State 
RP – Mario Lopez, Jackson State
 
Eastern Division Predicted Order of Finish
Alabama State, 77 points
Jackson State, 70 points
Alabama A&M, 48 points
Alcorn State, 43 points
Mississippi Valley State, 35 points
 
Western Division Predicted Order of Finish
Southern, 75 points
Grambling State, 68 points
Texas Southern, 47 points
Prairie View A&M, 28 points
Arkansas-Pine Bluff, 22 points

About the SWAC
The Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) is considered one of the premier HBCU conferences in the country and currently ranks among the elite in the nation in terms of HBCU alumni playing with professional sports teams. 

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