DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Continuing its current 12-game homestand, Bethune-Cookman welcomes the University of South Florida to Jackie Robinson Ballpark on Tuesday, March 28, as the Wildcats play the first of two final midweek home games on the 2023 season.
 
The Wildcats enter the week having won five consecutive games – the longest winning streak under current head coach Jonathan Hernandez, and the longest since 2017 when the Wildcats won six games in a row on two (2) separate occasions. That same year, BCU advanced to the NCAA Gainesville [Fla.] Regional.
 
The Wildcats and Bulls are scheduled to meet once again this season in Tampa on Tuesday, April 11.
 
AT A GLANCE
Records: Bethune-Cookman 14-10 (5-1 SWAC) | South Florida 9-16 (0-0 AAC)
Rankings: Bethune-Cookman is unranked. South Florida is unranked.
On The Web: BCUathletics.com • Twitter: @BCUDiamondCats | @JDHerns30
 
What: Game Twenty-Five
Who: Bethune-Cookman vs. South Florida
When: Tuesday, March 28, 2023, at 6 p.m.
Where: Daytona Beach, Fla. – Jackie Robinson Ballpark (4,200)
 
Watch: CatEye Network
Attend: Online Ticket Sales
Stats: Click Here
 
SOCIAL MEDIA
Keep up with everything Bethune-Cookman Baseball this year by following the Wildcats social media platforms. You can follow @BCUBaseball on Instagram and @BCUDiamondCats on Twitter.
 
PROBABLE STARTERS
Bethune-Cookman
LHP Alec Mendez (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
South Florida
RHP Lawson Gailey (0-2, 4.50 ERA)
 
Bethune-Cookman – South Florida Series History

• USF leads the all-time series against Bethune-Cookman by a sizeable 63-17 advantage, including a 23-7 record against the Wildcats in Daytona Beach.
• Bethune-Cookman has dropped the previous five games to the Bulls, including a 13-2 decision last season in Tampa.
• BCU defeated USF stave off elimination in the 2017 NCAA Gainesville [Fla.] Regional, using a 6-4 score line to eliminate the Bulls from the Regional.
• The last victory at home for the Cats against USF was courtesy a 10-3 effort on March 1, 2016.
• The Cats took two games from the Bulls during the 2012 season, while USF claimed a pair of wins that same year to even the series at 2-2.

 
Bethune-Cookman Weekend Recap
Bethune-Cookman came from behind not once, but twice against visiting Mississippi Valley State to sweep the Delta Devils in a three-game Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) series at Jackie Robinson Ballpark last weekend. The Wildcats scored eight runs in the bottom of the eighth inning in order to complete the comeback and sweep in 12-8 fashion. BCU did the same Saturday evening, scoring five runs in the home-half of the seventh inning to erase what was a 4-0 deficit to the Delta Devils, and lay claim to a 6-4 series-clinching win.
 
USF Weekend Recap
USF dropped a series at home to VCU – with the Rams taking the opener and rubber game of the series. USF dropped the opener 18-3, before taking the second game om the strength of a 9-0 decision. The Bulls dropped the rubber game on a 25-15 score.
 
Last Time vs. USF
Things looked promising for the Wildcats right out of the gate. Jeremy Garcia opened the evening with a single, Kyle Wilkinson walked, and Boris Peña singled to load the bases with only one out in the first. Lake Fisher got the Wildcats on the board with a bases-loaded walk to make it 1-0.
 
From there, things went south for the Wildcats. A double-play ball ended the first inning, and USF proceeded to tag Gabriel White for four runs in the first.
 
The Wildcats strung together a single, walk, and bunt single in the second to load the bases with only one out, but back-to-back strikeouts left the Wildcats with five stranded runners through two innings.
 
A solo home run in the bottom of the third made it 5-1, USF. A two-run shot two batters later made it 7-1. A few innings later, the Bulls tacked on two unearned runs in the fifth, as well as a sacrifice fly and three-run homer in the sixth to make it 13-1.
 
Gaylen Rutledge scored Lake Fisher with a sacrifice fly to make it 13-2 in the eighth, but that was all for B-CU.
 
Gabriel White took the loss, he allowed four runs – all earned – on one hit and four walks, recording only one out.
 
Amir Asghar took over for White in the first. He threw 2.2 innings, allowing three runs on a pair of homers with two strikeouts and two walks.
 
Yoansell Diaz made his 2022 debut on the mound after being used as a pinch runner to this point in the season. He worked a clean fourth inning with a strikeout.
 
Derrius York pitched 1.2 innings and Bryan Piña finished the game for B-CU, allowing no runs, hits or walks in 2.1 innings.
 
Up Next
Bethune-Cookman welcomes Florida A&M to Jackie Robinson Ballpark for a three-game SWAC series beginning Friday, March 31. First pitch is scheduled for 7 p.m.
 
Follow Bethune-Cookman Baseball on Twitter (@BCUDiamondCats) and Instagram (@BCUBaseball) for all of the latest news and updates. For all Bethune-Cookman Athletics news, follow us on Twitter (@BCUAthletics), Instagram (@BCU_Athletics) and BCUathletics.com.