Jackson State baseball defeated Mississippi Valley State 12-1 on Sunday afternoon. The win completes a perfect season of SWAC play with a record of 24 wins and no loses.
Based on record books from 1980, it’s the best conference finish since 1990, when the Tigers went 22-1 in conference play.
“Really proud of this group,” said JSU head coach Omar Johnson. “We’ve all gone through a lot this past year with the COVID-19 pandemic, and we’ve adjusted and made the necessary changes. The regular season is only part of the season and everyone is 0-0 when SWAC tournament play begins.”
The Tigers received a standout performance for junior Nikelle Galatas (9-2). The Los Angeles, California product tossed seven innings, scattered five hits and allowed one run and struck out 12 batters to tie a career high.
Senior Wesley Reyes went out in style and delivered a three-run home run to left field in the bottom of the seventh and the game was called due to the seven-inning, 10-run mercy rule.
Reyes finished 2-for-3 with three RBI and walked once.
Jatavious Melton and Chandler Dillard each batted 2-for-4 with a pair of RBI. Omar Gomez finished 2-for-3 with an RBI.
CJ Newsome, Ty Hill, Jaelen Williams, and Jefrey Rodriguez each collected a hit.
Now Jackson State baseball turns its attention the SWAC tournament that’s slated to begin May 19 in Madison, Alabama at Toyota Field.