Bufford Named SWAC Baseball Preseason Player of the Year

Bufford Named SWAC Baseball Preseason Player of the Year, GSU Places Five on All-SWAC Teams

Article written by Curtis Ford for the GSU Tigers – 2/8/ 24

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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. |Cameron Bufford was named the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Preseason Baseball Player of the Year, announced by the conference on Thursday afternoon.

Bufford, a senior from South Holland, Ill., has proven to be one of the most dominant hitters in GSU and SWAC history. Bufford’s 2023 campaign saw him belt 12 home runs, the third most in the SWAC. He also contributed a .321 batting average to go along with 13 doubles and five triples. He also stole six bases during regular season competition.

Bufford was also named to the first team, alongside four of his GSU teammates who earned preseason All-SWAC recognition.

Making the first team Bufford was outfielder Trevor Hatton. Landing on the second team was second baseman Kyle Walker, outfielder Tiger Borom and pitcher Ethan Bates.

Hatton boasted one of the most powerful bats in the conference, smashing 12 home runs and leading the SWAC in RBIs with 71. He also batted .305 with 12 home runs, 11 doubles and five triples with 51 runs scored during the regular season. He’s also stole 27 bases.

Walker had a sensational breakout season from the Tigers, batting .357 with 25 RBI, six doubles, two triples and two home runs. He also scored 46 runs and went 21-of-22 on stolen base attempts. Walker’s 21 steals ranked him among the best on the SWAC, placing him ninth in the conference during the regular season.

Borom wrapped up the 2023 campaign with a .283 batting average with 47 hits, 32 RBI, 13 doubles, six home runs and one triple. He was also one of the best in the SWAC at stealing bases, going 22-of-26 on stolen base attempts.

Bates was solid in a relief role for the Tigers last season. He appeared in 24 games sporting an ERA of 4.47. Against SWAC opponents, his ERA stood at 2.78. He worked 44.1 innings with 37 strikeouts. He led GSU with five saves.

Grambling State, who won the SWAC West Division last season, was projected to repeat as division champions again.

Predicted Order of Finish

SWAC West