ITTA BENA, Miss. – Bethune-Cookman Softball opens Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) play this weekend away to Mississippi Valley State at MVSU Softball Field as the Wildcats prepare for a three-game series against the Delta Devilettes beginning with a doubleheader Sunday, March 10, at 2 p.m. ET.
 
The series was originally scheduled to begin March 8, but was moved to a Sunday-Monday series with an agreement from both institutions.
 
THE SCHEDULE
Sunday, March 10
2 p.m. – at Mississippi Valley State
4 p.m. – at Mississippi Valley State
 
Monday, March 11
2 p.m. – at Mississippi Valley State
 
SOCIAL MEDIA
Keep up with everything Bethune-Cookman Softball this season by following the Wildcats social media platforms. You can follow @BCUSoftball on Instagram and @BCUSoftball on Twitter.
 
STATS & NOTES
▪ Head Coach Laura Watten needs just four wins to earn her 500th win at Bethune-Cookman, and 24 for her 800th career victory.
▪ The Wildcats have yet to hit a home run this season, while opponents have amassed eight against them thus far.
▪ Four different Wildcats have double-digit hits – Thais Uyema (11), Jessica Alaan (11), Brooklyn Scott (10) and Joyce Bloome (10). Meanwhile, Alaan leads the team with three (3) doubles.
▪ Off the bench as a pinch hitter, freshman Hannah Battles from Lake Wales, Florida has produced two hits in three-at-bats with an RBI to boot.
▪ Bloome, a junior from Downingtown, Pennsylvania, leads the team in walks, having drawn seven in 45 official at-bats across the campaign.
▪ Junior outfielder Essence Gibbs leads the Maroon and Gold in runs scored with five, followed closely by Briana Velazquez, Uyema and Alaan with four each.
▪ For Bethune-Cookman, this weekend's series will be the Wildcats' 18th, 19th, and 20th games away from home on the year. However, 13 games have occurred within the state of Florida in Tampa, Orlando and DeLand, respectively.
 
QUOTES FROM COACH WATTEN
"It's the business end of the schedule now. The preparation. The games we've played against stiff competition. It's all boiled down to this. It's SWAC play. It's grueling. It's pressure. Everything counts now."
 
"We've been on the road all season so far. So, opening up on the road isn't really a big deal. We're used to it, and actually, it probably suits us because our mentality and schedule has been road games. So, this is nothing new right now. We're locked in for how to play away from home."
 
"Mississippi Valley State battled us tough last year in Itta Bena. They could have won two, and in fact, did win the second game of the series in Monday's doubleheader. The series had to get moved because of weather, but that's no excuse. [Mississippi] Valley was tough, focused and they really took it us. So, that shows us this team can and will beat us if we don't bring it 100 percent this weekend. We have to be ready for a great series."
 
SCOUTING MISSISSIPPI VALLEY STATE (2-11, 0-0 SWAC)
Rankings: USA Today/NFCA Coaches – NR | ESPN.com/USA Softball – NR
Head Coach: Jimmy Buckner (3rd season)
2024 Batting Average: .210; Runs Per Game: 2.5; Hits Per Game: 5.0; Slugging Percentage: .256
2024 ERA: 5.41; K/BB Ratio: 1.0; Opp. Batting Avg: .316
 
BCU VS. MVSU SERIES
▪ It has been a short series between the two sides, but Bethune-Cookman leads it, 6-3.
▪ Mississippi Valley State took the opening game 2-0 back in 2002, adding a win in the series finale in eight innings with a 1-0 decision.
▪ BCU has won five of the last six in the series, picking up a 6-0 shutout of the Delta Devilettes in the series finale last year in Itta Bena.
▪ In the series, six of the nine games played thus far have occurred in the state of Mississippi.
 
MVSU NOTES & STATS
▪ Mississippi Valley State has branched out recruiting, with just six players on the roster coming from the "Magnolia State". The recruiting now includes Idaho, Texas, California, Arkansas, Tennessee and Indiana.
▪ The Delta Devilettes have won picked up wins against Lafayette College and Arkansas-Pine Bluff (nonconference) this season. Their last scheduled matchup against Samford was canceled.
▪ As a team, MVSU hit .210, while opponents are batting .316 against them, respectfully.
▪ Hits are supplied by Jade Smith with a team-leading 10, as she also owns two (2) triples and three RBIs for the season. In all, she has posted a .278 batting average and a slugging percentage of .389 as well.
▪ Like BCU, the Delta Devilettes have yet to hit a home run this season, but have limited opponents to just four against them, respectfully.
▪ Alongside Smith, teammate Taniya Partee also has three RBIs for the season on seven hits in 23 at-bats.
▪ In the pitcher's circle, Maya Rameriez and Morgan Gutierrez share the duties and have each collected wins on the year. Rameriez has an ERA of 3.00, and Gutierrez has a 6.10 ERA on the campaign.
 
LAST TIME AGAINST MVSU
Desirae Martinez plated two runs while five Wildcats in-total registered a multi-hit performance in helping Bethune-Cookman to a 6-0 win at Mississippi Valley State. In the win, the Cats claimed the SWAC series – their fifth league series win of the 2023 campaign.
 
Bethune-Cookman kicked things off in the top of the first inning when back-to-back- singles from Haley Parks and Joslynn Davis allowed both batters to reach safely. The Maroon and Gold pushed across the game's opening run three plays later when Desirae Martinez recorded a sacrifice fly to right field, allowing leadoff hitter Parks to score from third. Mississippi Valley State threatened in the home-half of the fourth when the Delta Devils loaded up the bases. However, a fielder's choice grounder to third from Kaitlyn Harper saw BCU third baseman Samantha Kelley cut down Isabella Robinson at the plate for the final out of the inning.
 
BCU would make it 2-0 in the top of the fifth inning.
 
Shortstop Kayla Traylor delivered an RBI groundout to second base, pushing across pinch runner Katelynn Perez – running for Jordyn Villanueva who singled for the Wildcats to begin the frame. The Cats widened the lead to 4-0 with a pair of runs in the top of the sixth. Ciera Clark and designated hitter Jordynn Lawrence each tallied sac flies, respectfully, in order to cross teammates Essence Gibbs and Kelley.
 
Another two runs in the top-half of the seventh inning completed the game's scoring.
 
Another Martinez sacrifice fly – her second of the contest, scored Parks, while Traylor scored on an error charged to the MVSU infield off the Kelley at-bat. Bethune-Cookman's Halyne Gonzalez grabbed the win to improve her record to 10-11 on the year, pitching all seven innings, scattering three hits in the shutout, adding 10 strikeouts and walking just one batter. The loss went to Delta Devils starter Morgan Gutierrez, dropping her to 1-9 on the year in throwing all seven innings in the circle, giving up six runs (five earned) on 12 hits and one walk.
 
MVSU was led offensively by Isabella Robinson, Keisha White and Shelby Carson with a hit apiece. The Wildcats were charged at the dish by five (5) players collecting a multi-hit game, including Parks' 2-for-3 effort with two runs. Clark was 2-for-3 with an RBI, while Joslynn Davis, Essence Gibbs and Kelley were each 2-for-4 at the plate.
 
UP NEXT
Bethune-Cookman will travel through the night from Mississippi before arriving back home to host Marist at Sunnyland Park for a nonconference doubleheader on Tuesday, March 12, beginning at 2 p.m.
 
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