DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Bethune-Cookman Softball plays host to Jackson State for a three-game Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) series at Sunnyland Park beginning Friday, March 24, at 3 p.m. The series is part of an eight-game homestand for the Wildcats over the course of the next two weekends.
 
THE SCHEDULE
Friday, March 24
3 p.m. – vs. Jackson State | Live Stats
 
Saturday, March 25
1 p.m. – vs. Jackson State | Live Stats
 
Sunday, March 26
Noon – vs. Jackson State | Live Stats
 
BETHUNE-COOKMAN STATS & NOTES

• Bethune-Cookman enters the weekend having won its last two SWAC weekend series against Alabama A&M and Florida A&M, respectfully.
• The Wildcats split two series against Jackson State last season, including a sweep of the Tigers in Daytona Beach. The Tigers took two-of-three from the Wildcats in Mississippi.
• BCU has only lost two SWAC series since joining the league – Jackson State and Mississippi Valley State last season away from home.
• The Cats have won five of their last 10 entering the weekend series against JSU.
• Haley Parks continues to lead the team in batting average (.293), followed by Desirae Martinez (.280) and Samantha Kelley (.260).
• Martinez has two home runs for the Wildcats, while teammates Kallie Earlington and Ciera Clark have one home run each.
• As a team, BCU has 44 stolen bases across the campaign.
• Halyne Gonzalez has an ERA of 3.04 on the season, followed by Alyssa Lopez with a 3.82 earned run average.
• Lopez pitched the second game of a doubleheader midweek against Florida Atlantic, but is still seeking her first win of the year.

 
LAST TIME OUT FOR BETHUNE-COOKMAN
Bethune-Cookman Softball dropped both games of a midweek doubleheader against Florida Atlantic, as the Wildcats fell on scores of 7-0 and 6-0, respectively, at Sunnyland Park. Florida Atlantic scored two runs in the top of the first with leadoff hitter Cammeo Presutti scoring on a wild pitch, followed later in the at-bat by Becca Jones' sacrifice fly to left that brought around Abby Ota for the score. FAU made it 4-0 in the top of the second inning when Ota and Riley Ennis both scored on an error charged to the Bethune-Cookman infield. The Owls added a run in the top of the fourth off the end of a Presutti sacrifice fly to left, allowing pinch runner Kaitlyn Cunningham to score on the play. An Ennis two-run home run to left center for the Owls in the sixth produced the final 7-0 score. Bethune-Cookman threatened in the bottom of the third and sixth innings, respectively, as the Wildcats worked a runner on base, but were ultimately kept off the scoreboard in the end.
 
Florida Atlantic put three runs on the board in the first inning. Cammeo Presutti scored first when she came home via an error charged to the Bethune-Cookman infield. Becca Jones and Abby Ota scored two plays later when the BCU infield was charged with its second error of the inning. Bethune-Cookman looked to answer in the home-half of the first inning when Kayla Traylor reached on an Owls error, but was ultimately left stranded at first. The Owls scored a run in the second inning when shortstop Sommer Baker rushed in from third on a wild pitch, pushing the visitor's lead up to 3-0. A pair of FAU runs in the top of the fourth made it 6-0. Becca Jones sent a fly ball to deep right, plating pinch runner Kaitlyn Cunningham from third for the 5-0 lead. Holley Peluso followed two plays later with a sacrifice fly to left, allowing Presutti to come in from third. For BCU, it was Haley Parks and Shania Owens each registering a hit in the game.
                                                                                                                                   
QUOTES FROM COACH WATTEN
"This is always a very good series against a really good team. And they're coming in hot too after a win over Southern this week. I know we're going to have to play better than we did midweek, and we're going to have to be locked in right from the very first pitch of the first game."
 
"We know how tough this league is, and we have to play like we want to win…every game. There's no letting up, or you'll be looking at a loss before you know it."
 
"All six games against [Jackson State] were competitive last season, including the sweep here at home. They do a lot of the little things well, and they're well-coached. But being at home, we need to make sure we use our crowd and knowledge of our park to our advantage. This is going to be yet another really tough series."
 
SCOUTING JACKSON STATE (14-15, 3-3 SWAC)
Rankings: USA Today/NFCA Coaches – NR | ESPN.com/USA Softball – NR
Head Coach: Kevin Montgomery (Fifth season)
2023 Batting Average: .276; Runs Per Game: 4.9; Hits Per Game: 6.9; Slugging Percentage: .376
2023 ERA: 4.40; K/BB Ratio: 4.63; Opp. Batting Avg: .286
 
JACKSON STATE NOTES & STATS

• Jackson State has won five of its last 10 games entering into the weekend.
• In SWAC play, the Tigers swept Mississippi Valley State at home last weekend, but fell in all three games away to Florida A&M two weeks ago.
• Marissa Medina leads JSU with a .455 batting average, as well as owning a team-best .727 slugging percentage.
• Jace Jackson has started 25 games for the Tigers, while registering a .347 batting average with nine RBIs.
• Hermaruya Stephens is a perfect 11-for-11 in stolen bases, while teammate Samiyyah Huckabee has 12 stolen bases in 13 attempts.
• Takiya Hill is the team leader in ERA (3.64), followed closely by Victoria Salazar (4.02).
• Salazar is 4-5 in the circle, while Hill has three wins and Macie Kuppenbender and Marissa Medina each have two wins.

 
LAST TIME AGAINST JACKSON STATE
Senior Day was a memorable sweep for Bethune-Cookman as the Wildcats downed Jackson State 4-3 and 3-1 to conclude the SWAC regular season Saturday at Sunnyland Park. The lone senior, Briana Paysinger registered a walk-off RBI single to help the Wildcats recovered from a 3-0 deficit to win the opener that also gave Head Coach Laura Watten her 750th career coaching victory. Halyne Gonzalez registered both victories in the circle as BCU won for the 20th time in 29 games. Paysinger's one-out single to right scored Carrington Robinson as B-CU rallied to take game one. Jackson State scored one in the second and two in the fourth before B-CU got on the board in the fourth when Shania Owens' single brought home Paysinger. In the fifth, Desirae Martinez two-run single scored Robinson and Haley Parks to tie the game. Gonzalez worked two and a third innings of shutout relief to earn the victory. Robinson went 4-4, while Joslynn Davis and Paysinger each had two hits. Paysinger and Julissa Gomez each had a double. Gonzalez scattered six hits as the Wildcats did all their scoring in the third inning. Martinez doubled home Parks and scored along with Joslynn Davis on Kayla Traylor's single. Gonzalez walked one and struck out seven. Traylor went 3-3 with two RBI, while Martinez was 2-3.
 
UP NEXT
The Wildcats continue an eight-game homestand at Sunnyland Park when welcoming Alabama State to Daytona Beach for a three-game SWAC series beginning Friday, March 31, at 3 p.m.
 
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