SU Swings Nine SWAC Pre-season All-Stars

Maybe it was not enough for the Southern University baseball team to covet most of the 2002 postseason honors that were selected by the Southwestern Athletic Conference.
Maybe it was not enough that Jaguars junior second baseman Rickie Weeks and senior third baseman Antoin Gray were named to the Baseball America 2003 Preseason All-American Team.
So would it be fair to say that enough was enough when head coach Roger Cador’s squad had nine-that’s right-nine, players named to the SWAC’s All-Conference Preseason Team?
Southern had six players named to the first team. In addition to Weeks and Gray were senior outfielder Theo Dumas, junior pitcher Damien Ursula, sophomore catcher/designated hitter Brandon Mason and senior pitcher Dewon Day.
“This is really an honor, especially when this is something I love to do,” said Gray.
On the second team, Southern was represented by junior shortstop Fernando Puebla, senior first baseman Kevin Vital and junior pitcher Cory Poret.
Southern was predicted to end the season as the champions of the western division in the conference. Weeks, who has hit three already this season, was predicted to retain his seat on the conference’s throne as SWAC Player of the Year. Weeks had a NCAA record-breaking .495 batting average last year with 20 home runs. Day was chosen to end the season as SWAC Pitcher of the Year.
The Jaguars are off to a good start and although pitching woes continue to plague the squad, they are still predicted to dominate the SWAC.
Conference play begins on March 1, when the Jaguars go to Houston to face the Tigers of Texas Southern University.