One thing that the Clark Atlanta University Panthers baseball team learned from qualifying for last year's Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Baseball Championships is that they not only deserved to be there, but they really had a chance to win.

"Last year we were kind of going in just happy to be there," said CAU baseball coach Kentaus "K.C." Carter.  "And then once we got in there, we had a little success, won the first game, went to the last out of the second game, but kind of ran out of gas from there. 

"That showed us that we weren't satisfied with just being there," he said. "We felt like we had a chance at winning it all, especially if we had won the second-round, winner's bracket game.  Going in this year, we're going in with the idea that we have just as good as a chance as anybody to win it all."

This year, the Panthers head to Albany, Ga., for the 2019 SIAC Championships seeded fifth and open the tournament against No. 4 seed Kentucky State at noon on Thursday. 
The victor advances to take on the winner of the Albany State-Morehouse on May 3 while the team coming up short falls to the losers bracket.

Carter feels good about where the Panthers are at this point in the season.  His squad secured the No. 5 seed after winning three-of-four at Tuskegee last weekend. In fact, the Panthers won five of their last six games to close the regular season.

"Coming off of this past weekend, we pitched well very well and we played good defense," Carter said.  "And we got timely hitting.  That's what I've been preaching all year.  So, going into this weekend, we are having some success with pitching well."

Lovell Oatis and Jordan Johnson combined for the win and save in in CAU's win to open the series, while Anthony Nettles added a three-hit, shut out with five strikeouts in the second game.  Cedon Langguth threw a complete-game, nine-hitter to get the final win against Tuskegee.

On offense, Jason Howell had five hits and two RBIs on two doubles and a homer during the Tuskegee series, while Ayrton Gijsbertha also homered among his three hits and three RBIs. 

But Carter said it will take a complete team effort for the Panthers to achieve their goal of winning a championship in what is only the second time the program has qualified for the SIAC Championship series.

"It's going to take everybody – everybody being prepared to play, being ready when their name is called, being a team guy and not being selfish, taking the walk, getting down the sacrifice bunt," he said.  "Everybody is going to be key this weekend.

"I'm pretty optimistic," Carter said.  "I feel like we have just as good a chance as anybody to win this thing."