After winning program's first division title, FAMU baseball aims to defend SWAC championship

That’s a wrap for Florida A&M baseball’s regular season.

And before the postseason begins, one could already refer to the Rattlers as champions.

FAMU clinched its first-ever Southwestern Athletic Conference regular season title on Friday after beating Mississippi Valley State 13-3. The Rattlers fell to the Delta Devils 7-3 on the backend of Friday’s doubleheader but won the series 2-1 to conclude the regular season on Moore-Kittles Field.

Furthermore, the Rattlers (27-25) secured their first overall winning regular season record since 2017, when they finished 26-24.

“It’ll be a proud moment for us for what we accomplished during the season,” FAMU head baseball coach Jamey Shouppe said. “Right now, we still got work to do. There’s no championship ring or NCAA Regional that comes with that.

“That's the work we got to look forward to doing.”

Friday also culminated 16 FAMU baseball players’ careers with the program as they were celebrated with their families for Senior Day.

And what better way for what Shouppe calls his best senior class to go out with a history-making SWAC East title for FAMU baseball?

“It’s a blessing. Coach Shouppe drilled into our heads that that’s the first goal of the season,” said senior FAMU leadoff hitter and centerfielder Ty Jackson. “We’re trying to soak in these last moments as teammates.”

Now, FAMU focuses on the SWAC Tournament, where it will defend its conference title. The SWAC Tournament begins on May 22 at Georgia Tech’s Russ Chandler Stadium in Atlanta.

And with the Rattlers having the top record in the conference, they hold the advantage of being the one seed in the eight-team double elimination SWAC Tournament bracket.

The SWAC Tournament’s winner gets an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament’s Regional round.

“Take them to the deep end to see if they can swim,” said senior leadoff hitter and centerfielder Ty Jackson, quoting FAMU assistant coach Brett Richardson.

“One game at a time and try to take it all the way.”

FAMU will practice twice before the SWAC Tournament and travel to Atlanta on Monday.

On Wednesday, the Rattlers will match up against the No. 4 seed out of the SWAC West division in their first-round matchup.

“Looking forward to getting to Atlanta, SWAC Championship baseball, and trying to repeat as SWAC Champions,” Shouppe said.

Gerald Thomas, III covers Florida A&M University Athletics for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at gdthomas@tallahassee.com or on the app formerly known as Twitter @3peatgee.

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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FAMU Baseball: Rattlers react to SWAC East title, looming SWAC tournament