DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – For the first time in 2023, Bethune-Cookman Softball will play a home game at the friendly confines of Sunnyland Park when the Wildcats open Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) play this weekend in Daytona Beach, Florida. BCU welcomes Alabama A&M for a three-game series beginning Friday, March 10, at 1 p.m.
 
The Wildcats have never lost a series at home to Alabama A&M, dating back to the Wildcats' days as members of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC).
 
Bethune-Cookman played the first 20 games of this season's schedule either as a true road game or a neutral site competition away from Daytona Beach. The Wildcats have not played at Sunnyland Park since April 30, 2022, when putting the finishing touches on a weekend sweep of Jackson State in SWAC play.
 

Friday, March 10
1 p.m. – Alabama A&M | Live Stats
 
Saturday, March 11
1 p.m. – Alabama A&M | Live Stats
 
Sunday, March 12
1 p.m. – Alabama A&M | Live Stats
 

• Bethune-Cookman enters the weekend having lost a single-game midweek affair at North Florida by a 3-1 count on Wednesday, March 8, in Jacksonville, Florida.
• The Wildcats are 2-18 on the season, having faced three (3) top 30 schools.
• The Wildcats swept Alabama A&M in a three-game set in Huntsville, Alabama a season ago.
• BCU collected the series sweep on the heels of a 4-2 win in the opening game of a doubleheader, followed by a 2-1 victory in the nightcap. The Cats came back the following day and turned in a 12-2 victory over the Bulldogs.
• Haley Parks enters the series on a two-game hitting streak, while teammate Samantha Kelley has hit safely in three consecutive games for the Maroon and Gold.
• Desirae Martinez and Haley Parks each have a team-high four (4) multi-hit games this season.
• Alyssa Lopez has seen considerably more action in the pitcher's circle of late, as she now has thrown 22.1 innings and uses a .439 ERA to go along with just an 0-2 record in two starts.
• Victoria Guzman collected a win for the Cats in her last outing, upping her record to 1-6 for the season with 20 strikeouts, as she helped BCU to a win over Southern Indiana at THE Spring Games in Madeira Beach, Florida.

 
GONZALEZ NAMES SWAC PITCHER OF THE WEEK
Bethune-Cookman pitcher Halyne Gonzalez was selected SWAC Pitcher of the Week (March 7-13), announced Thursday, March 9, from the SWAC Office in Birmingham, Alabama. Gonzalez, a sophomore right-hander from Norwalk, California, is earning her first SWAC Pitcher of the Week honors of 2023, after appearing in two games last weekend for Bethune-Cookman at THE Spring Games in Madeira Beach, Florida. The product of La Mirada High worked six innings in THE Spring Games opener for the Wildcats against Hofstra, striking out six batters against just one walk. She gave up two runs on four hits during the contest against The Pride. A day later, she returned to the pitcher's circle in a relief effort for BCU versus Creighton, collecting four strikeouts with five hits scattered and two unearned runs surrendered.
                                                                                                                                   

"We had a long talk after the game [at UNF] on Wednesday. We talked. Right there on the field. And we laid out the expectations moving forward. We'll find out this weekend if the message was understood."
 
"The SWAC is tough. The MEAC was tough. HBCU Softball is tough. You can't just roll out of bed and expect to win. You do that, and you're going to get embarrassed fast. There are some really good coaches, really good players and really good teams in this league…and every single game matters. You have to focus on that game right in front of you, and then take it step by step, game by game from there."
 
"We must forget about the record now and concentrate on what's most important – winning the SWAC Championship. That is the focus. Everything else is behind us now. We played a tough schedule, as we always do, but now is where it gets serious – with conference play opening."
 

ALABAMA A&M (9-7, 0-0 SWAC)
Rankings: USA Today/NFCA Coaches – NR | ESPN.com/USA Softball – NR
Head Coach: Jeff Conrad (First Season)
2023 Batting Average: .338; Runs Per Game: 7.5; Hits Per Game: 9.8; Slugging Percentage: .563
2023 ERA: 4.90; K/BB Ratio: 1.64; Opp. Batting Avg: .304
 
ALABAMA A&M NOTES & STATS

• Alabama A&M enters the weekend with a 9-7 overall mark, and similarly to BCU, opens SWAC play on the weekend against the Wildcats.
• The Bulldogs have won seven of their last eight games – including a pair of victories over SWAC opponent Southern (La.) in nonconference matchups.
• The Bulldogs are charged by Venice Sanders, as she owns a .540 batting average to go along with six home runs and a 1.120 slugging percentage – all numbers leading the categories for the squad.
• AAMU last competed at the Defend the Bluff Tournament hosted by Southern (La.), in which the Bulldogs defeated Louisiana Christian twice and the host Southern Jaguars once.
• Six (6) different Bulldog players own a .300 or better average at the plate, with Sanders (.540), Faith Cross (.431) and Brooklyn Wallace (.429) hitting at a .400 clip or better.
• Paige Scott leads the Bulldogs in the pitcher's circle, owning a 4-2 record across the campaign in nine appearances (six starts) and adding 41 strikeouts against just nine (9) walks.
• Krista Sikes is 3-1 in the circle for the Bulldogs

 

Bethune-Cookman continues SWAC play as the Wildcats travel to Tallahassee, Florida to take on in-state opponent Florida A&M in a three-game league series at FAMU Softball Complex beginning Friday, March 17. A start time for the series-opener is yet to be announced.
 

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