DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Bethune-Cookman Softball travels to Tallahassee, Florida this weekend as the Wildcats face in-state foe Florida A&M in a three-game Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) series taking place at University Softball Complex. The Wildcats enter the weekend with a record of 4-19 overall and a 2-1 mark in conference play.
 
Bethune-Cookman enters the weekend on the heels of a series win over Alabama A&M in SWAC play last weekend at Sunnyland Park in Daytona Beach. The Wildcats took the opener and rubber game of the series from the Bulldogs with shutout victories in both contests, respectfully.
 
Florida A&M comes into the weekend having opened SWEAC play last weekend with a series sweep of Jackson State at home.
 

Friday, March 17
5 p.m. – at Florida A&M | Live Stats
 
Saturday, March 18
3 p.m. – at Florida A&M | Live Stats
 
Sunday, March 19
1 p.m. – at Florida A&M | Live Stats
 

• Bethune-Cookman has won six of the last nine meetings against Florida A&M, including two games last season in a SWAC series between the two Sunshine State schools at Sunnyland Park in Daytona Beach.
• Last season, BCU took two-of-three from the Rattlers in Tallahassee.
• The Wildcats swept the Rattlers in three games the last times the two sides met in Tallahassee back in 2018. BCU defeated the Rattlers twice in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Softball Tournament that season as well, including the title game.
• Earlier this week, sophomore Halyne Gonzalez was named SWAC Pitcher of the Week for the second consecutive week.
• Haley Parks leads the Wildcats in batting with a .292 average, as well as owning both triples across the season for the Maroon and Gold – one coming last weekend at home to Alabama A&M.
• Gonzalez pitched 14 innings last weekend against Alabama A&M, scattering four hits and two walks against 17 strikeouts and zero (0) runs allowed.
• Carrington Robinson finished the AAMU series batting .556 with five hits, and a slugging percentage of .556 for the weekend.
• BCU has won three of its last five games coming into the weekend against the Rattlers.

 
GONZALEZ NAMES SWAC PITCHER OF THE WEEK
For the second time in as many weeks, it was announced Wednesday, March 15, that Bethune-Cookman's Halyne Gonzalez has been named Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Softball Pitcher of the Week for the period of March 15-21, announced by the league office from its headquarters in Birmingham, Alabama. The La Mirada High alum was instrumental in Bethune-Cookman's SWAC-opening series win from Alabama A&M, working 11 innings total against the Bulldogs in recording two victories. In the opening game of the series, the Norwalk, California native pitched five scoreless innings with just a single hit allowed and amassing five strikeouts. In the rubber game of the series, she tossed six shutout innings with two hits scattered and just one walk allowed against seven strikeouts. In total against the Bulldogs, Gonzalez worked 14 scoreless innings, scattering four hits and striking out 17 batters.
 

Sophomore pitcher Halyne Gonzalez registered her second shutout of the series, as Bethune-Cookman picked up a 9-0 series-clinching win from Alabama A&M in the rubber game of a SWAC series at Sunnyland Park. Bethune-Cookman countered with a run in the bottom of the frame. With two runners in scoring position, catcher Kallie Earlington collected a sacrifice fly to deep right that allowed Kayla Traylor to score from third, putting the Cats up 1-0. The Maroon and Gold widened the lead in the bottom of the second with five runs to give the Wildcats a 6-0. BCU loaded the bases with nobody out, setting the stage for Essence Gibbs to deliver a two-run single past the glove of AAMU first baseman Venice Sanders to bring around Katelynn Perez and Carrington Robinson for the first two runs of the frame. Second baseman Desirae Martinez followed with an RBI ground out to second, scoring Haley Parks for the 4-0 score. Two batters later, Samantha Kelley plated two runs with a double to the wall in center field. For the Wildcats, the run-rule came into play during the bottom of the sixth with a Shania Owens two-run double back up the middle to bring in Earlington and pinch runner Joslynn Davis for the 8-0 final score. The win was taken by Gonzalez as she ran her record to 3-9 overall and a 2-0 mark in the SWAC. She worked all six innings in the circle for the Maroon and Gold, picking up her second shutout of the weekend on two hits scattered, one walk and striking out seven batters.
                                                                                                                                   

"Any time you play Florida A&M, you have to be at your absolute best. You have to pitch well. You have to bat well. You have to field the ball well. And you MUST be focused every second; every minute; every play. One mistake in this series, and it's over before you know it."
 
"This rivalry was one of the most electric and heated in the MEAC, and I think now the SWAC sees why. There's just so much history between the two programs, especially in softball, with – I don't even know off the top of my head – so many conference regular season and tournament championships combined between the two schools. There's just so much history whenever the Wildcats and Rattlers meet up."
 
"This weekend, we have to come with the exact same energy, discipline and focus that we had in the beginning and end of the Alabama A&M series last weekend. We had a long talk as a team, and I think they know what they have to do now, and what they can expect, for the most part, from the league and getting everyone's best shot."
 

SCOUTING FLORIDA A&M (9-10, 3-0 SWAC)
Rankings: USA Today/NFCA Coaches – NR | ESPN.com/USA Softball – NR
Head Coach: Camise Patterson
2023 Batting Average: .265; Runs Per Game: 3.4; Hits Per Game: 6.6; Slugging Percentage: .361
2023 ERA: 4.56; K/BB Ratio: 0.88; Opp. Batting Avg: .257
 
FLORIDA A&M NOTES & STATS

• Florida A&M swept Jackson State last weekend as the Rattlers opened SWAC play at home to the Tigers.
• The Rattlers have won seven of their last eight games, including wins over Southern (La.) and Alabama A&M in nonconference affairs, as well as South Carolina State.
• Four Rattlers are batting over .300 on the season, including Destiny Cuevas (.327) and Jane'a Mobley (.327) at the top of the list.
• Nyah Morgan and Cuevas own both home runs on the season for FAMU.
• Melkayla Irvis is a perfect 5-for-5 in stolen bases for the Rattlers, while teammate Kiauna Watson is 4-for-4 in that department.
• Cris'Deona Beasley leads the pitching staff for FAMU with a record of 5-2 in the circle, and an earned run average of 3.36 for the year. She also owns 36 strikeouts.
• Nadia Zenteno is 3-3 in the circle for the Rattlers with a 3.87 ERA and 20 strikeouts.

 

Bethune-Cookman hosts Florida Atlantic at Sunnyland Park on March 21, at 1 p.m. The contest will serve as a doubleheader affair, before BCU streps back into SWAC play hosting Jackson State on March 24-26.
 

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