27 Apr

beyond the numbers

Alcorn State’s team statistics are generally underwhelming. The Braves — yes, they’re still nicknamed the Braves — are seventh in the Southwestern Athletic Conference in hitting. They’ve got an unsightly staff ERA of 5.81, fifth in the 10-team league. Their defense is among the weakest in the league, with 81 errors in 29 games. But there they are, atop the SWAC East with a 16-4 mark. In 2010, his first season in Lorman, coach Barret Rey led the Braves to the championship game of the SWAC Tournament and a 27-26 finish. Alcorn may be better this year, those mediocre numbers notwithstanding. Rey has cast a wide net in recruiting; the Alcorn roster includes players from four different countries (plus Puerto Rico) and 10 different states. A pair of pitchers from an Illinois junior college (Oakton) have bolstered the Braves’ staff. Steve Easter is 6-2 with a 2.92 ERA, and Troy Williams is 5-3, 3.73. Harrison Gary, from Georgia (the state, not the country), has a 3.58 ERA with a win and three saves. That might be enough arms to get through the SWAC tourney, which starts May 18. The Braves have more, however. Kilby Perdomo, a native of the Dominican Republic, is No. 3 in the league in hitting at .389 and has six homers. Alvin Jackson, a Mississippi kid from Hollandale, is ninth in the league at .351. Floridian Eduardo Gonzalez leads the club in RBIs with 32. And these Braves make things happen on the bases. As a team, they top the league with 95 steals. Brandon Hollins, from Yazoo City, is the SWAC’s No. 1 individual base stealer with 29. Kenny Rowan, from Jackson by way of Hinds Community College, has 13 steals and Jann Butler (Moss Point, Gulf Coast CC) 11. This looks like a club that could nab the league’s NCAA bid — if the defense doesn’t let it down, as it did in 2010. That’s a big if. But a little pitching and a lot of speed might be the right combination in the SWAC.

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