Defending SWAC champion Jaguars ready to defend title

Last year’s Southwestern Athletic Conference Coach of the Year, Roger Cador is facing the sobering challenge of heading a Southern University Jaguar baseball squad that has lost six starters.
Refreshing is the fact that he has a young squad that is ready for the challenge of keeping the Southwestern Athletic Conference Championships at Southern University.
The Jaguars ended last season as the 2001 SWAC Champions with 43 wins and 12 losses.
What is needed to continue the Jaguars winning trends are players who can maintain the same talent and success as the team last season.
They will have some work to do, especially with the void left by gifted players such as second baseman Michael Woods. Woods possessed a phenomenal .453 batting average, with 14 home runs before being drafted by the Detroit Tigers.
“We have so many young players that really need to learn the game…our challenge is getting them to perform to the best of their abilities, so that they can be successful and win…” said Cador
Cador normally is not a coach who singles individual players, but does note a few “prime-time performers” that the Jaguar Nation should look for.
The 2002 team will be led by sophomore Rickie Weeks, who batted an impressive .422 batting average last season as an outfielder, will return as a shortstop for the Jags. Moving from short stop to second base is senior Fernando Puebla who earned All-SWAC honors.
Kevin Vitar is penciled in at first base, starting pitcher Eric Thomas who has eight wins with only one loss, and closer Carl Primus who ended the season with an ERA of 2.35.
The winner of 10 SWAC Championships in 17 years, including a sweep from 1996-1999, the Jaguars will begin its title defense in its season opener against Southeastern Louisiana, at Lee-Hines Field, on the SU campus on Saturday, February 9.