The Southwestern Athletic Conference has announced a new site for the upcoming 2021 SWAC Baseball Tournament. The event is now scheduled to be held in Madison, Ala. at the newly constructed Toyota Field, home of the Trash Pandas.
The relocation is a result of enhanced COVID-19 protocols. The tournament is scheduled to be played from Wednesday, May 19 through Sunday, May 23.
The conference previously had a hosting agreement with the City of Jackson, Mississippi, and KSG-Overtime Sports that was to begin with the 2020 SWAC Baseball Tournament and run through the 2021-22 baseball seasons.
Toyota Field is the home of the Rocket City Trash Pandas, a AA baseball team. Toyota Field is scheduled for its first-ever opening day with the Trash Pandas on May 11. Minor league baseball was shut down in 2020 due to the pandemic. The stadium will be operating at its full capacity of 7,000 seats with masks required and social distancing in place.
In addition to seating 7,000 the venue has indoor and outdoor suite seating, a play area for children, and a self described state-of-the-art concession stands.
Jackson leads the way late in the season
Currently, the team to beat in SWAC baseball are the Jackson State Tigers. JSU is 18-0 in conference play and 24-8 overall. The Tigers will face the hottest team in the SWAC next weekend when they travel to Alabama A&M. The Bulldogs have won seven games in a row, and are in second place in the SWAC East. AAMU is 9-7 in conference and 9-12 overall.
Jackson State is the only team in the SWAC that has an above .500 overall record.