DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – After midweek wins versus Stetson and Miami (Fla.), Bethune-Cookman Baseball returns to Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) play this weekend when Mississippi Valley State arrives to Jackie Robinson Ballpark for a four-game league series. Friday's opening game of the series will be a continuation from a game rained out last month in Mississippi, while the regularly scheduled three-game series takes place Saturday and Sunday.
 
THE SCHEDULE
Friday, April 19
7 p.m. – Mississippi Valley State | Watch | Live Stats
 
Saturday, April 20
3 p.m. – Mississippi Valley State | Watch | Live Stats
7 p.m. – Mississippi Valley State | Watch | Live Stats
 
Sunday, April 21
1 p.m. – Mississippi Valley State | Watch | Live Stats
 
SOCIAL MEDIA
Keep up with everything Bethune-Cookman Baseball this season by following the Wildcats social media platforms. You can follow @BCUBaseball on Instagram and @BCUDiamondCats on Twitter.
 
STATS & NOTES
▪ Bethune-Cookman comes to the weekend sitting 1.5 games back of Florida A&M in first place, as the Cats are 10-4 in the SWAC, and hold a 20-17 record on the year overall.
▪ The Wildcats have won three consecutive coming into the MVSU series, including midweek nonconference victories against Stetson and Miami (Fla.), respectfully.
▪ Jose Gonzalez tops the Maroon and Gold in batting with a .358 average, adding 48 hits and three home runs to his .507 slugging percentage across the campaign.
▪ Sergio Rivera owns a .301 average at the plate with a team-leading 31 runs scored.
▪ Rivera has stolen 17 bases, followed by Daniel Figueroa with 16 steals. As a team, BCU has 85 stolen bases.
▪ Tanner Boccabello showcases the pitching staff, as the junior transfer owns a 4-1 record with a team-low 2.40 ERA.
▪ Pablo Torres has a 3.93 ERA for the Wildcats with four saves out of the bullpen.
▪ From his first base position on the field, Manny Souffrain uses a .986 fielding percentage to go along with his 21 RBIs and three home runs at the dish.
 
QUOTES FROM COACH HERNANDEZ
"Whenever you play Mississippi Valley [State], you can't just look at their record. They are a team that plays the game tough, gritty and they never quit. They have some talent on that ballclub, and they are dangerous. They can hit; score runs; and they can cause you serious problems with speed too."
 
"It's always nice to play at home, but you have to take care of your home field in this league. Home wins are so important, and then winning on the road is a bonus. But it all starts with winning your home games. So, we have to be focused from the opening pitch this weekend and take care of business in another good SWAC East series."
 
"This week showed us we can play with anyone if we are ready from the beginning, and if we do what we know we're capable of each day at practice. Stetson is so good. And Miami, well, they're Miami – and nothing else needs to be said about a program with multiple College World Series titles. So, we need to use the momentum from those games and be ready when Mississippi Valley comes this weekend."
 
SCOUTING MISSISSIPPI VALLEY STATE (9-21, 1-13 SWAC)
Rankings: D1Baseball.com – NR | NCBWA – NR | USA Today Coaches – NR
Head Coach: CJ Bilbrey (First season)
2024 Batting Average: .279; Runs Per Game: 6.5; Hits Per Game: 9.0; Slugging Percentage: .419
2024 ERA: 9.25; K/BB Ratio: 1.10; Opp. Batting Avg: .335
 
BCU VS. MVSU SERIES
▪ Bethune-Cookman leads the all-time series against Mississippi Valley State, 12-2.
▪ The Wildcats have won the last 10 consecutive in the series, including two victories earlier this year in Jackson, Mississippi.
▪ The last win for MVSU against Bethune-Cookman was a 12-2 game in seven innings back on April 22, 2022, in Daytona Beach.
▪ At home all-time against the Delta Devils, BCU holds a 5-1 record. BCU also has a similar 5-1 record in Itta Bena.
▪ The largest margin of victory for the Cats in the series was a 19-7 decision last season (April 15) in Mississippi.
 
MVSU NOTES & STATS
▪ Mississippi Valley State comes into the series with a 9-21 overall record and sporting a 1-13 mark in SWAC play.
▪ The Delta Devils have lost their last four games, including a series sweep at home to Florida A&M last weekend.
▪ MVSU is led in batting by Will Menendez with a .354 average, as he holds 34 hits with nine doubles and a team-leading four home runs.
▪ Ty Washington and Jack Early each have a .337 average at the dish for the Delta Devils, combining for four home runs and seven doubles on the campaign, respectively.
▪ The pitching staff is headlined by Armando Sierra with a 2-1 record and a 9.25 ERA.
▪ Jesus Campa has thrown 37 innings for the Delta Devils, sitting at an even 1-1 on the year with eight starts.
 
LAST TIME AGAINST MVSU
The Wildcats outscored Mississippi Valley State, 21-7 in a doubleheader sweep, Saturday afternoon in Jackson, Mississippi.
 
The second contest of a doubleheader began just as game one, with the Wildcats opening the scoring in the second, this time with two runs on a Ramses Cordova sacrifice fly and Colton Olasin RBI single. Bethune-Cookman posted a crooked number in the fourth, making it a 7-0 contest after another Cordova sacrifice fly, an RBI double from Jorge Gonzalez Febo, an RBI single from Garrett Chun that ended in a steal of home. 

MVSU managed just three hits through the fifth inning before finally scoring a pair in the bottom of the sixth on a two-run homer. A solo shot in the seventh made it 7-3. The two sides traded runs in the eighth as Gonzalez Febo grabbed another RBI single, and the Delta Devils answered with a double that made it 8-4. 

The Wildcats wrapped up the ballgame with two more in the ninth as Manny Souffrain and Peter Vazquez collected RBI to make it 10-4. Mississippi Valley State managed one more run in the bottom of the ninth on an RBI single, but that was all as they fell 10-5.
 
Daniel Gaviria earned his second win of the season after tossing seven innings, allowing three earned runs on six hits with no walks and six strikeouts. Dylan Vega collected his first save of the season after two innings of two-run ball, allowing four hits with a strikeout. 
 
UP NEXT
The Wildcats will not play a midweek contest next week but will instead prepare for a three-game league set away to Alabama A&M in Huntsville, Alabama, taking place April 26-28.
 
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