TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - The Bethune-Cookman Wildcats (15-17, 7-5 MEAC) wrap up their five-game road swing returning to Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) play with the rematch against cross-state rival, the Florida A&M Rattlers (2-29, 2-10 MEAC). The last time these teams met, the Wildcats swept the Rattlers in Daytona Beach, with wins of two, seven, and one-run margins.
Though the Wildcats are riding high after a win on the road over Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) foe Miami, they are working to keep momentum going as each game can cause a shift in the conference standings at this crucial juncture of the season. The Wildcats are especially vigilant, with the last trip to Moore-Kittles field in mind, as the Rattlers took 2-of-3 to open the conference season a year ago.
Pitching Matchups
Saturday Game One
B-CU: RHP Scott Garner (2-4, 6.24 ERA, 43.1 IP, 30 K)
FAMU: RHP David Duncan (0-6, 4.71 ERA, 42 IP, 26 K)
Saturday Game Two
B-CU: RHP Byron Ferguson (1-2, 5.40 ERA, 15 IP, 11 K)
FAMU: RHP Heath Blackburn (1-6, 5.91 ERA, 35 IP, 24 K)
Sunday
B-CU: LHP Ali Simpson (2-4, 6.81 ERA, 36.2 IP, 26 K)
FAMU: RHP William Carrasco (0-4, 7.02 ERA, 33.1 IP, 15 K)
Notes About the Florida A&M Rattlers (2-29, 2-10 MEAC)
The Rattlers have had a tough first half to the 2013 campaign, trying to find a balance between scoring and defense. The Rattlers bat just .223 as a team, with two batters over the .300 mark. Despite logging seven hits per game, FAMU has only been putting up an average of three runs, while allowing an average of six runs on defense. So far FAMU has collected just two wins on the season, both in MEAC play, but that weakness can also make a team dangerous, as a squad hungry for wins, at home, in a conference rivalry series.
At the plate, left fielder Marlon Gibbs leads the Rattlers with a .382 average on 29 hits, with seven RBI and a team-best .460 on-base percentage. Gibbs batted 5-for-8 with two runs scored in the first series at B-CU. Joining him at the top of the hitting chart, first baseman Bennie Robinson bats .330 with a team-high 34 hits, leading the team in RBI (9), runs scored (12) and co-leading in stolen bases (7-of-10). Robinson went 1-for-11 in the first go-around.
Allowing 75 unearned runs on the season, the Rattlers have been plagued by errors at times, with a .940 fielding percentage on 65 errors, an average of 2.1 per game.
Notes About the Wildcats (15-17, 7-5 MEAC)
The Wildcats average five runs per outing and feature five batters with RBI numbers above FAMU's team-best count, led by third baseman Matt Noble with 23. Noble bats .239 with a conference second-best 11 doubles. Leading the Wildcats at the plate is the consistent .339 hitting of designated hitter Josh Johnson, who has 15 runs, 12 RBI and a .381 on-base percentage.
Also among the team leaders at the plate, left fielder Eros Modena bats .300 with seven doubles and 19 RBI, scoring a team-high 24 runs. Batting in the nine-spot, shortstop Shaun McCarty has been coming on lately, logging four doubles in the last seven games, and now batting .260 with 16 runs scored.
Live Stats
FAMU Sports Information will broadcast live statistics, which will post through the B-CU Athletics site at this link. In addition, the official B-CU Athletics and Baseball twitter accounts will be providing continual updates throughout the game at @BCUathletics/@CookmanBaseball.
Game Day Hashtags
For our followers on twitter, the official hashtags for the game will be...
#HailWildcats
#BeatFAMU
#MEACBaseball
For all the latest information on the Bethune-Cookman Wildcats, follow the official Twitter feeds at @BCUathletics,@CookmanBaseball, or "Like Us" on Facebook at Bethune-Cookman Athletics.
-B-CUathletics.com-
