The sweet smell of revenge.
Florida A&M softball knocked off the team that defeated it for the Southwestern Athletic Conference Championship a year ago.
On Saturday, March 7, the Rattlers claimed a 2-1 road series win over the Jackson State Tigers in the SWAC opener for the 2026 season in Mississippi.
FAMU (11-12, 2-1 in SWAC) and Jackson State (9-10, 1-2 in SWAC) split the Friday, March 6 matchups with the Rattlers winning the opener 10-3 and the Tigers getting a 3-1 victory in the backend of the doubleheader.
FAMU beat Jackson State 4-3 on Saturday.
For the weekend, FAMU outhit Jackson State 21-15. Amari Brown and Aniya Canty both had homeruns for the Rattlers.
On the mound, pitcher Zoryana Hughes earned Friday and Saturday’s wins for the Rattlers. Samantha Smith was credited for FAMU’s Friday loss.
As for FAMU baseball, it also won its series against a non-conference opponent, the Villanova Wildcats, at Moore-Kittles Field.
The Rattlers (5-10) won Friday 4-1 and Saturday 6-5. Villanova (4-8) got its lone win over FAMU, 4-1, on Sunday, March 8.
The Rattlers’ bats were hot, getting 30 hits against the Wildcats’ 24. It included a homerun from FAMU star Jay Campbell on Saturday.
A year removed from season-ending elbow surgery, pitcher Caleb Granger earned the Rattlers’ Friday win after striking out eight Villanova batters. Saturday’s win was awarded to Tanner Walker.
Cody Williams was credited with a save for both those days.
Next for FAMU softball is hosting Mississippi Valley State (1-11, 0-3 in SWAC) on campus at Veronica Wiggins Field.
Baseball will also be in Tallahassee, starting its SWAC schedule versus the Southern Jaguars (4-11).
Gerald Thomas, III is a multi-time national award-winning reporter for his coverage of the Florida A&M Rattlers at the Tallahassee Democrat.
Follow his award-winning coverage on RattlerNews.com and contact him via email at GDThomas@Tallahassee.com or on the app formerly known as Twitter @3peatgee.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FAMU softball claims series win vs Jackson State in SWAC title rematch
Reporting by Gerald Thomas III, Tallahassee Democrat / Tallahassee Democrat
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