°Õ³ó±ðÌýSouthern baseball team isn’t satisfied.
Coach Chris Crenshaw’s team entered the season with the expectation to compete for a Southwestern Athletic Conference title. After a nonconference loss Wednesday at Northwestern State, Southern (11-20, 5-7 SWAC) sits in a three-way tie for seventh place in the SWAC and has the same conference record it did last year at the same point.
Doing better on the mound is the simplest way for the Jaguars to improve their SWAC standing starting against Grambling (11-20, 8-4) at 6 p.m. Friday at R.W.E. Jones Park.
“We show flashes,†Crenshaw said of his pitching. “We just got to be more consistent with doing it on the mound. I think once we do it more consistently on the mound, it'll ease the stress on the hitters to go out and try to put something up every time.â€
Before Wednesday’s game, Southern has allowed the second-most home runs (34) and fifth-most walks (199) in the conference. Other than senior Bobby Spencer, Southern has had a hard time finding pitchers to deliver quality innings and take advantage of a strong defense. The Jaguars are first in fielding percentage (.966) and have the fewest errors (34) in the SWAC.
Of the Jaguars’ first four SWAC series, two have been against some of the SWAC's stronger teams: Texas Southern and reigning conference champion Bethune-Cookman, who are tied for first in the conference. Most recently, Southern lost two of three games to a Bethune-Cookman team that knocked off ÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½ 10-7 on Tuesday at Alex Box Stadium.
Southern's head baseball coach Chris Crenshaw talks to the umpire before the match up against Prairie View held at Lee-Hines Stadium on Friday, March 27, 2026.
PHOTO BY APRIL BUFFINGTON
“We played a really tough schedule, and the teams we played against are doing good,†Crenshaw said. “They're rolling, and like I said, we just had to regroup and get our confidence so we can get going.â€
Southern also has had to deal with injuries, including senior infielder Jaylon Lucky (knee), redshirt freshman outfielder Omari Johnson (wrist), redshirt freshman infielder Tyrin Kirklin (hamstring), sophomore pitcher Caiden Stewart (arm) and others who’ve been playing at less than full strength, Crenshaw said.
In its last series against Bethune-Cookman, sophomore infielder Brant Stewart, who leads the team with a .405 batting average, injured his wrist and may be unavailable against Grambling this weekend.
“We’re talking about some frontline guys not being available or playing at 50 to 70 percent,†Crenshaw said. “When you don't have your guys, and you got to use the guys that was supposed to watch and learn … have to step in and play, you take the good with the bad.â€
The lumps have hurt more since the power hitting Southern enjoyed last season has faded. While the Jaguars are fifth in batting average (.273) and fourth in doubles (50) in the SWAC, they are second-to-last in home runs (10).
Crenshaw still has faith in the group because of the recent uptick in performance. Southern had a 6-1 advantage after the top of the third inning against ÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½ before losing 16-6. Sophomore catcher Xavier Bradley has a .309 batting average and has been a steady presence behind the plate.
Crenshaw said Florida International transfer Ryan Hunter, a junior outfielder, also has been rounding into form after a slow start.
“We're talking about a guy that was hitting .180 four weeks ago. He's back to .287,†Crenshaw said of Hunter. “I think with him being able to play every day, he's made some mature jumps in what he could do offensively and defensively.â€
Hunter’s 21 RBIs are tied for the most on the team along with senior outfielder Kameron Byrd, senior infielder K.J. White and Lucky.
Southern still can flip the script on the season with 18 SWAC games left before the postseason.
“We haven't caught many breaks, I can say that,†Crenshaw said. “In this game, when you don't catch many breaks, you can get buried. But when you catch breaks, and you have luck, it comes from the preparation that you put in and understanding that you put in the work to put yourself in a situation to have some luck.â€