DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Head Coach Laura Watten officially announced the 2019 Bethune-Cookman Softball scheduled on Thursday afternoon. The Wildcats will play a total of 51 games during the regular season.
 
Entering the season as defending Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) champions, the Wildcats will play in five regular season tournaments throughout the campaign, as well as hosting eight teams to Sunnyland Park in Daytona Beach.
 
"Our schedule is always tough," said Watten, a 2012 BCU Athletics Hall of Fame inductee. "We want our team to play against the nation's best because that's the only way you get better. Playing against the best prepares you for the postseason and becoming a better program overall. And we always want to get better."
 
Bethune-Cookman opens the season with three consecutive weekend tournaments, beginning with the Florida Atlantic Kickoff Classic (Feb. 8-10) in Boca Raton. Opponents down south include Indiana, Virginia, Georgia, St. John's and the host FAU Owls.
 
The following weekend, BCU participates in the Disney Diamond 9 Citrus Blossom Invite (Feb. 15-17) in Lake Buena Vista. Those opponents for the Maroon and Gold include LIU-Brooklyn, Providence, St. Joseph's, Kansas and Villanova.
 
Once again, the #CaliCats return to their "home away from home" with a west coast swing in the annual Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic taking place February 21-23 in Cathedral City, California.
 
"It's always an honor to play in the Mary Nutter [Collegiate Classic]," said Watten. "Obviously, we have so many student-athletes from California. And we are always the smallest school in the tournament that has so many traditional powers and top 25 programs. We take it as an honor to not only play in the tournament, but to represent Bethune-Cookman University, the MEAC and HBCUs collectively."
 
In this year's Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic, BCU takes on the likes of Oregon, Kentucky, Colorado State, Cal State Fullerton and Arizona State.
 
The final two regular season tournaments of the season include the Under Armour Showcase presented by USF (March 1-3) in Clearwater, in addition to the Stetson Invitational (March 8-10) in nearby DeLand.
 
The first home game of the year for the Wildcats will feature North Florida arriving to Sunnyland Park on Wednesday, Feb. 27 for a single game at 3 p.m.
 
In all, the Cats will play 17 games at home in the friendly confines of Sunnyland Park, including visits from Mount St. Mary's (March 5), Ball State (March 6), Western Illinois (March 13) and UConn (March 19).
 
The MEAC season begins with a visit from in-state opponent Florida A&M (March 23-24), starting with a doubleheader on Saturday, March 23 at 1 p.m. A single game concludes the series the following day at noon.
 
BCU will host league foes South Carolina State (April 6-7), and North Carolina A&T (April 19-20) top close out its home stint for the season.
 
Once again, Bethune-Cookman hosts the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Tournament in Ormond Beach, Florida, with the annual event taking place May 8-11, at the Ormond Beach Sports Complex. More information for the event can be accessed by visiting the MEAC website at MEACsports.com.
 
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