By T. Scott Boatright
For the first time since 2010, Grambling State University is in the College Baseball Championship’s field of 64 teams.
The Tigers are headed to the Texas A&M Regional, where they will begin play at noon Friday against the host Aggies.
Texas and Louisiana-Lafayette round out the Texas A&M Regional teams.
“The main thing is that we’re just thrilled to be back in the tournament for the first time in so long,” said GSU coach Davin Pierre, who watched the NCAA Selection Show online this morning with his team while traveling via bus on the way home from Atlanta, where GSU defeated Jackson State on Sunday to earn the Southwestern Athletic Conference championship.
“What all of this means to this program is unbelievable,” Pierre said. “It’s a great opportunity to show our brand on a national stage. It’s a great opportunity for HBCU baseball. We didn’t care where we were going and who we were going to play, but we’re thrilled with the way it all turned out.”
Pierre said the facilities at Texas A&M are top notch.
“It’s a wonderful place to play baseball,” Pierre said. “They have wonderful facilities and I have no doubt it is going to be a great experience.
“But maybe the best thing about Texas A&M is the fact that it’s a very drivable distance from Grambling,” Pierre said. “We’re trying to build this program and grow our fanbase to the level that our football program has.
“This gives our loyal fanbase a Regional they can easily get to. Grambling has a strong fan base in Texas, so hopefully those fans will come out and show us some support. Texas and Grambling have a great history playing each other in regionals. We know all about Louisiana-Lafayette, who we played earlier this season (ULL won 12-4). So, this is an exciting field of teams for us.”
Grambling heads into the Regional with a record of 26-26 on the season and will be looking for its first ever regional win in only the fourth time the Tigers have earned a berth in one.
The 2024 Texas A&M Regional is paired with the Santa Barbara Regional, which features UCSB, San Diego, Oregon and Fresno State. The winners of those two Regionals will meet the second weekend in June for a best-of-three Super Regional to battle for a berth in the 2024 Men’s College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska.
