GULFPORT, Miss. – Bethune-Cookman opens the 2024 Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Softball Tournament against Texas Southern on Tuesday, May 7, at 11:30 am ET. The Wildcats are the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Division, while the Tigers of Texas Southern are the No. 2 seed from the West.
 
For the second time in as many years, Bethune-Cookman opens the SWAC Tournament against the Texas Southern Tigers, with the two teams facing each other twice in last year's tournament.
 
THE SCHEDULE
Tuesday, May 7
11:30 am – Texas Southern | Live Stats | Watch | Tickets
 
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
▪ Bethune-Cookman holds the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Division entering the SWAC Tournament after turning in a record of 18-30 overall, and a league mark of 16-8.
▪ Ciera Clark was named an All-SWAC First Team selection, while Halyne Gonzalez earned All-SWAC Second Team accolades.
▪ For Gonzalez, it is her third consecutive season being named a postseason All-SWAC performer.
▪ Brooklyn Scott leads the Cats with a .319 batting average, followed by Briana Velazquez with a .316 mark at the dish.
▪ BCU has hit three home runs this season – one each from Ciera Clark, Kendall Macauley and Briana Velazquez.
▪ The Cats are one of the leaders in the SWAC in stolen bases with 93 as a squad, while allowing just 53 by opponents.
▪ Halyne Gonzalez is the BCU leader in the circle with a record of 12-15 across the season, using 134 strikeouts and a 3.37 ERA.
▪ Joslynn Davis is the team leader in fielding average with a .979 effort registering 89 putouts and six assists from her outfield position on the field.
 
QUOTES FROM COACH WATTEN
"A lot of people put too much stock into seedings for tournaments. Of course you want to be the No. 1 seed in your division. But the bottom line is that you have to beat the team in front of you. It doesn't matter who they are because everyone comes into this tournament 0-0 – so to speak, with a chance to lift the trophy in the end. And that's what each of these eight teams are going to do. They're going to play their hearts out to win the trophy, no matter what team they play first, second, or whatever."
 
"This is a big opportunity for some players like Essence [Gibbs] and Joslynn [Davis] and Halyne [Gonzalez]. They know what's happened here the last two seasons. They want to try and reverse those fortunes and make it right. But they also know it's going to take a team effort, and everyone is going to have to fight on every pitch and play 100 percent right from the start. You can't have any lapses at this tournament."
 
"It can be a positive and a negative for every team – not playing the opponents from the other division in the league. They haven't really seen us, and we haven't really seen them. So, it's kind of an even slate, if you think about it. Not to mention, you have two teams in from the west that weren't here last year. It's going to be tricky for everyone."
 
SCOUTING TEXAS SOUTHERN (20-17, 14-8 SWAC)
Rankings: USA Today/NFCA Coaches – NR | ESPN.com/USA Softball – NR
Head Coach: Raven Rodriguez (4th season)
2024 Batting Average: .282; Runs Per Game: 4.0; Hits Per Game: 7.4; Slugging Percentage: .370
2024 ERA: 3.13; K/BB Ratio: 1.4; Opp. Batting Avg: .250
 
BCU VS. TEXAS SOUTHERN SERIES
▪ Bethune-Cookman is 4-0 all-time against Texas Southern, including a pai of wins against the Tigers last season in Gulfport, Mississippi, as part of the SWAC Tournament.
▪ The Cats also defeated the Tigers twice a doubleheader in Houston, Texas.
▪ In fact, the Cats have only allowed one (1) run against the Tigers in the four meetings, while outscoring them by an aggregate score of 27-1.
 
TEXAS SOUTHERN NOTES & STATS
▪ Texas Southern arrives to Gulfport with the No. 2 seed in the Western Division of the SWAC.
▪ Paris Johnson leads the Tigers in batting average with a .419 clip, adding 36 hits and seven RBIs.
▪ The Tigers have stolen 57 bases in 64 attempts as a team.
▪ Pamela Richardson bats .333 with 11 RBIs and 12 stolen bases.
▪ The home runs for the Tigers are provided by the combination of Saniah Henderson (3) and Karisma Garcia (3).
▪ Maren Berger has a team-best 7-4 record in the pitcher's circle for the Tigers with a 2.00 ERA.
▪ Behind Berger in the circle is Madalynn Gonzales with a 6-3 overall record to go along with a team-high 53 strikeouts.
 
LAST TIME AGAINST TEXAS SOUTHERN
Victoria Guzman delivered a stellar performance in the pitcher's circle in helping Bethune-Cookman defeat Texas Southern by a score of 2-0 in an elimination game at the SWAC Softball Tournament at Gulfport Sportsplex.
 
Bethune-Cookman defeated Texas Southern for the second time in three days, as graduate left-hander Victoria Guzman posted a quality start inside the circle for the Wildcats. The Wildcats got to the Tigers in the bottom of the first when leadoff hitter Haley Parks singled to left and stole second to work her way into scoring position right from the start. With the bases loaded and one out, second baseman Desirae Martinez recorded a sacrifice fly to center field, scoring Parks for the 1-0 lead.
 
Texas Southern tripled to right center in the top of the second, but Guzman came back with a strikeout and a foul out to retire the side and keep the scoreboard clean. BCU got a much-needed insurance run in the home-half of the fourth. A Martinez single through the left side set the stage for Essence Gibbs to pinch run at first. Gibbs stole second on the next pitch to work her way into scoring position, as shortstop Kayla Traylor registered an RBI single passed the glove of Texas Southern pitcher Jazmine Gendorf, plating Gibbs for the 2-0 Wildcats advantage. The Tigers threatened in the top of the seventh, as sophomore pitcher Halyne Gonzalez entered the game with a runner on first. The Norwalk, California native would retire the next three batters in order to earn the save – her first of the season.
 
Guzman collected the win to improve to 4-12 on the season, as she worked six frames, scattering four hits, two walks and recording five strikeouts. The loss went to Texas Southern right-hander Gendorf, ending her season with a record of 7-8, as she tossed six innings with two runs allowed (one earned) on five hits, one walk and a game-high six strikeouts. Catcher Destinee Dixon paced the Tigers offensively with a 2-for-2 showing at the plate. Daryn Haslem and Madison Battle collected the other two hits for the Tigers, respectively. BCU was led at the dish by five Wildcats with a hit apiece, including Martinez with an RBI single, as well as Parks with a run scored.
 
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