DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Bethune-Cookman Baseball is set to open its 53-game regular season schedule this weekend when the Wildcats travel to Macon, Georgia to face the Mercer Bears in a three-game set at OrthoGeorgia Park. The series begins Friday, Feb. 16, at 6 p.m.
 
For the first time since 2015, the Wildcats will open the season in Georgia. That year, BCU faced off against Georgia Southern in Statesboro.
 
The two-time defending Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) champion Wildcats, runners up in last season's NCAA Gainesville [Fla.] Regional, are set to embark upon a season in which Barrett Shaft takes the reigns as acting head coach after the departure of six-year head coach Jason Beverlin this past fall. Shaft, a Georgia native and graduate of Western Carolina, has spent the previous six seasons as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator for the Wildcats under Beverlin. This is his first year as a collegiate head coach.
 
Bethune-Cookman returns 23 letterwinners from last season's league title run, including seven starting position players. The only losses were designated hitter Austin Garcia and shortstop Demetrius Sims – with Sims being taken in the 2017 MLB Draft by the Miami Marlins organization.
 
On the mound, the Wildcats return All-MEAC starting pitchers Anthony Maldonado and Tyler Norris, as well as top relievers Joseph Calamita and Ivan Coutinho. Also back on the mound is junior right-hander Tyler Krull, a mainstay in the pitching rotation for the Cats since his freshman season.
 
Additional "new" faces to the BCU coaching staff include Keith Zuniga, recently promoted to the role of assistant coach from director of operations. And José Carballo, a 2016 graduate of Bethune-Cookman and four-year letterwinner for the Maroon and Gold from 2012-16, also returns in the role of volunteer assistant coach.
 
AT A GLANCE
Records: Bethune-Cookman 0-0 (0-0 MEAC) | Mercer 0-0 (0-0 A-Sun)
Rankings: Bethune-Cookman is unranked. Mercer is unranked.
On The Web: BCUathletics.com • Twitter: @BCUDiamondCats, @BarrettShaft
 
ON THE AIR
Live Stats: Live stats for each game will be available through MercerBears.com.
Game One – Live Stats
Game Two – Live Stats
Game Three – Live Stats
 
BETHUNE-COOKMAN VS. MERCER PROBABLE STARTERS
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 16 (6 p.m.)
Bethune-Cookman
RHP Tyler Norris (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
Mercer
LHP Austin Cox (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
 
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 17 (2 p.m.)
Bethune-Cookman
RHP Anthony Maldonado (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
Mercer                 
RHP Chase Burks (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
 
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 18 (1 p.m.)
Bethune-Cookman
RHP Jeremy Adams (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
Mercer
RHP Kevin Coulter (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
 
Bethune-Cookman-Mercer Series History
• Mercer leads the all-time series against Bethune-Cookman, 10-6
• The Wildcats and Bears last met back in 2015, with the Bears taking all three games of a weekend set at Jackie Robinson Ballpark in Daytona Beach.
• The Bears of Mercer have won the last six in the series.
• Mercer claimed the first meeting between the two teams back in 2006, using a 4-2 score line against the Wildcats.
 
Shaft at the Helm
Now in his seventh season overall with the Bethune-Cookman Baseball program, Barrett Shaft is emerging into a new role as acting head coach for the Wildcats during the 2018 campaign. Shaft has served as recruiting coordinator for the Wildcats the last six seasons, as well as hitting instructor and outfielders coach.
 
Time to #Conquer
Every Bethune-Cookman team has a word associated with the program in 2017-18, with the BCU Baseball team's word being "Conquer". The Wildcats have conquered so much in their past, but there is much left to do with the team having tasted its first-ever NCAA Regional final a season ago.
 
Preseason All-MEAC Selections for the Cats
Anthony Maldonado was selected as Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Preseason Pitcher of the Year, while junior first baseman Danny Rodriguez was named MEAC Preseason Player of the Year.
 
Anthony Maldonado, a 6-4, sophomore from West Palm Beach, Florida, was a First Team All-MEAC selection as a freshman last season, going 8-4 on the mound with a 3.02 ERA. Opponents hit just .222 off Maldonado in 2017, and he struck out 61 batters in 86.1 innings of work on the mound. A Collegiate Baseball News Freshman All-America performer in 2017, Maldonado ranked third in the conference in wins, opponents' batting average and innings pitched, fourth in ERA and tied for fourth in strikeouts. He was also named to the MEAC All-Tournament Team, while helping BCU collect its first ever win over eventual national champion Florida in the runner-up finish at the Gainesville [Fla.] Regional.
 
Danny Rodriguez, a 6-3, junior from Pembroke Pines, Florida, was the Most Outstanding Player of the 2017 MEAC Baseball Championship and a First Team All-MEAC selection at first base. He led the MEAC in slugging percentage at .555, home runs with 11 and total bases with 126, while his 75 hits were second-most in the conference and his 46 RBIs ranked third. Rodriguez was also second in the MEAC last season in doubles with 18, and his .988 fielding percentage ranked eighth in the league.
 
Wildcats Predicted to Win MEAC Southern Division
Bethune-Cookman was picked to finish the 2018 season atop the MEAC Southern Division. Bethune-Cookman gathered 13 first-place votes and 84 points. The Wildcats won the MEAC title last season, their 19th overall, before becoming the first MEAC team ever to advance to an NCAA regional final – where they faced eventual national champion Florida.
 
Notes from Mercer
A total of 17 newcomers will play for Mercer for the first time this weekend, many of which are expected to make an immediate impact. Despite returning four position starters, including the entire outfield, Mercer will have fresh faces in across the infield this spring. Junior college transfers Sean McDermott and Brandon Michie will start at first base and second base, respectively, while freshman RJ Yeager will get the nod at shortstop. Alex Crotty, who earned 21 starts as a freshman in 2017, will take the reins at third base while JT Thomas assumes the full-time role as catcher.
 
Up Next for B-CU
Bethune-Cookman will play its 2018 home opener against in-state foe Jacksonville on Tuesday, Feb. 20, at 6 p.m., inside the friendly confines of Radiology Associates Field at Jackie Robinson Ballpark. For ticket information, please call the BCU Box Office or all Ticket Master locations online.
 
Follow Bethune-Cookman Baseball on Twitter (@BCUDiamondCats) for all of the latest news and updates. For all Bethune-Cookman Athletics news, follow us on Twitter (@BCUathletics), Instagram (@BCUathletics), Snapchat (@BCUathletics) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/BCUathletics).
 

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