Talladega repeats as HBCUAC Baseball Postseason Champions
LITTLE ROCK, ARK. - May 4, 2025 - The Talladega College baseball team took the lead in the third inning and didn't look back as it won the Historically Black Colleges and Universities Athletic Conference (HBCUAC) 2025 Hope Credit Union Baseball Championship 8-3 over No. 6 seed Southern University at New Orleans for its second straight tournament title Sunday at CHI St. Vincent Field at Dickey-Stephens Park.
The Tornadoes (42-12) win their eighth title as a member of the conference. Their previous six wins were from 2012-17. With one out in the third, Victor Rivera singled and Miguel Oropeza was hit by a pitch. An attempted pick off throw got past the first baseman which allowed Rivera to score with two outs. Armando Jackson singled with one out in the fourth. Jederik Velasquez followed with a walk. With two outs, Joshua Catala brought both runners with a single through the right side and took second on the throw. Rivera increased the lead to four with a single to left.
The Knights (24-25) got on the board in the fifth. Darcy Franklin and Avery Spriggs led off with base hits. A single by Kyler Shepherd brought home Franklin. Talladega answered in the sixth. Catala laid down a squeeze bunt which scored Jeriel Lamboy. Jackson hit a double down the left field line to increase the lead to six. SUNO got two runs in the ninth on a single by Enrique Herazo Jr. and Shepherd being hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. Sebastian Pizzaro caught the final out in right field and the celebration was on.
Rivera went 3-for-5 with a run and RBI. Jackson went 3-for-4 with two RBI. Catala drove in three runs with one hit. Daniel Jose went the distance and struck out six batters. He was named the 2025 HBCUAC Baseball Championship Most Valuable Player. Rivera and Nomar Callabaro who started Talladega's game against Wilberforce joined Jose on the All-Tournament Team. Spriggs led SUNO with three hits with four at-bats, earning a spot on the All-Tournament Team with teammates Bowens, Edmondson, Christopher Nunez and Herazo.
Talladega advanced to the championship with a 9-7 victory over SUNO in the winner's bracket final on Saturday. It broke the game open with six runs in the fifth. Isaac Guzman hit a two-RBI single. Darlin Fernandez hit a two-run double to left-center field. The Knights rallied in the final two innings. RBI doubles by Kerrigan Edmondson and Miles Bowens and RBI singles by Franklin and Shepherd cut the margin to two.
The Knights bounced back and dominated Stillman College 27-0. The Tigers were coming off a 13-inning 13-9 victory over No. 2 seed Wiley University which lasted four hours and 40 minutes. They only had a 30-minute break. Edmondson went 4-for-5 with 5 runs and four RBI. Dylan Jimenez went 4-for-7 with six RBI and a run Brandon Watson went 3-for-4 with four runs and two RBI. Nunez threw a no-hitter the first in conference history since baseball returned as a conference sport in 2023.
Talladega and Southern University at New Orleans will represent the HBCUAC in the 2025 National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Baseball National Championship Opening Round. They will find out their site and opponents during the Selection Show at 4 p.m. on Wednesday on the NAIA Network.
HBCUAC 2025 Hope Credit Union Baseball Championship All-Tournament Team
MVP: Daniel Jose, Talladega
Daniel Jose, Talladega
Victor Rivera, Talladega
Nomar Callabaro, Talladega
Miles Bowens, SUNO
Kerrigan Edmondson, SUNO
Enrique Herazo Jr., SUNO
Christian Nunez, SUNO
Avery Spriggs, SUNO
Davion Wilkins, Stillman
Troy Davis, Stillman
Amir Mason, Wiley
Angel Polanco, Dillard
SATURDAY'S GAMES
No. 1 Talladega College 9, No. 6 SUNO 7, Boxscore
No. 3 Stillman College 13, No. 2 Wiley University 9, 13 innings, Boxscore
No. 6 SUNO 27, No. 3 Stillman College 0, 7 innings, Boxscore
FRIDAY's GAMES
No. 6 SUNO 9, No. 2 Wiley University 3, Boxscore
No. 3 Stillman College 14, No. 4 Dillard University 8, Boxscore
No. 2 Wiley University 13, No. 8 Wilberforce University 3, Final 7 innings, Boxscore
-HBCUAC-
About HBCU Athletic Conference
The HBCU Athletic Conference (HBCUAC) is the only HBCU conference in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). The HBCUAC membership includes Dillard University (LA), Fisk University (TN), Oakwood University (AL), Philander Smith University (AR), Rust College (MS), Southern University at New Orleans (LA), Stillman College (AL), Talladega College (AL), Tougaloo College (MS), University of the Virgin Islands (St. Thomas), Voorhees University (SC), Wilberforce University (OH), and Wiley University (TX). HBCUAC sponsors championships in men's and women's basketball, men's and women's cross country, men's and women's track and field, women's volleyball, softball, and baseball. In 2022, the HBCUAC secured the largest media rights deal in conference and NAIA history, signing a multimillion-dollar deal with Urban Edge Network. On July 1, 2024, the conference rebranded from the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference (GCAC) to the HBCU Athletic Conference, marking a new era for the conference that embodies the makeup of its membership. For more information, visit hbcuac.org.