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Alabama State Hornets baseball

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Alabama State Hornets
2024 Alabama State Hornets baseball team
Founded1926 (1926)
Conference historySouthern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (1926–1982)
Southwestern Athletic Conference (1983-present)
UniversityAlabama State University
Athletic directorDr. Jason Cable
Head coachJosé Vázquez (8th season)
ConferenceSouthwestern Athletic Conference
East Division
LocationMontgomery, Alabama
Home stadiumWheeler–Watkins Baseball Complex
(Capacity: 500)
NicknameHornets
ColorsBlack and old gold
   
NCAA Tournament appearances
2016, 2022
Conference tournament champions
2016, 2022
Regular season conference champions
2016, 2022

The Alabama State Hornets baseball team is the varsity intercollegiate baseball program of Alabama State University in Montgomery, Alabama, United States. The program's first season was in 1926, and it has been a member of the NCAA Division I Southwestern Athletic Conference since the start of the 1983 season. Its home venue is the Wheeler–Watkins Baseball Complex, located on Alabama State's campus. José Vázquez is the team's head coach starting in the 2017 season. The program has appeared in 2 NCAA Tournaments. It has won two conference tournament championships and 1 regular season conference title. As of the start of the 2018 Major League Baseball season, 1 former Hornet has appeared in Major League Baseball.

History

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Early history

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The program's first season of play was 1926.

The Hornets won their first ever SWAC title in 2016 and made their first appearance in the NCAA Division I baseball tournament, falling to #16 Florida State and South Alabama in the Tallahassee Regional. The Hornets won a second SWAC title in 2022 before bowing out to #1 Tennessee and Georgia Tech in the Knoxville Regional.

Alabama State in the NCAA Tournament

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Year Record Pct Notes
2016 0–2 .000 Tallahassee Regional
2022 0–2 .000 Knoxville Regional
TOTALS
0–4 .000

Conference affiliations

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Wheeler–Watkins Baseball Complex

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The venue is named for two former Alabama State baseball coaches, Herbert Wheeler and Larry Watkins. Opened in March 2011, the facility has a capacity of 500 spectators.[1][2]

Head coaches

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Alabama State's longest tenured head coach was Larry Watkins, who has coached the team from 1982 to 2011.

Records

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Season Coach Years Record Pct.
1957–1981 Herbert Wheeler* 25 174–200–2 .465
1982–2011 Larry Watkins 30 482–729–6 .399
2012–2016 Mervyl Melendez 5 253–471 .349
2017–present José Vázquez 6 160–121 .569
Totals 4 coaches 43 seasons 1,069–1,511–8 .415

*Wheeler's record only shows 17 seasons, he has 8 years with unknown records.

Notable former players

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Below is a list of notable former Hornets and the seasons in which they played for Alabama State.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Wheeler-Watkins Baseball Complex". BamaStateSports.com. Archived from the original on 17 March 2012. Retrieved 28 May 2012.
  2. ^ "2012 Alabama State Baseball Media Guide". Issuu.com. Archived from the original on 20 February 2012. Retrieved 28 May 2012.
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