DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - The Southern Jaguars descend upon Daytona Beach for the first ever regular season meeting between Southern and Bethune-Cookman as co-members of the Southwestern Athletic Conference beginning Friday, March 28 at Jackie Robinson Ballpark. 

Game one of a three-game series is set for a 7 p.m. first pitch on Friday, March 28. The remaining two games of the weekend are subject to time changes with the potential for inclement weather in Daytona Beach. 

Admission is free. Fans can watch the action live free at Youtube.com/CatEyeNetwork



Friday-Sunday, March 28-30
Opponent: Southern (9-13, 2-4 SWAC)
Time: 7:00 | 6:00 | 1:00
Location: Daytona Beach, FL | Jackie Robinson Ballpark 
Watch/Listen: https://www.youtube.com/cateyenetwork
Live Stats: https://bcuathletics.com/sidearmstats/baseball/summary



FIU completed the season sweep of Bethune-Cookman with a 9-1 win, Tuesday afternoon at Jackie Robinson Ballpark. 

FIU got on the board in the game's opening frame thanks to a B-CU fielding error that allowed a run to score on a two-out RBI single. 

Bethune-Cookman nearly responded in the bottom of the inning as Darryl Lee walked and advanced to third on a failed pickoff attempt with no one out. Lee was caught out attempting to score on a wild pitch that struck out Andrey Martinez, ending the B-CU threat. 

FIU put three on the board in the second, again with two outs as an RBI double and wild pitch made it a 4-0 Panther lead. They chipped in two more an inning later - yet again with two away - on a pair of RBI singles as the Panthers threatened to run away with it at 6-0. 

As the B-CU offense continued to sputter, the Wildcats put a runner on in the fourth, only to be cut down via a double play a batter later. 

FIU made it a 9-0 game in the sixth after a leadoff triple and fielders choice, followed by a bases loaded walk.

As the Wildcats moved further into the FIU bullpen, Lee came through again with a leadoff double, but could not come around to score in the sixth. 

The Panthers nearly reached run-rule range in the seventh, putting the first two runners on with a walk and hit batter, but a double play allowed B-CU to escape unscathed. 

The Wildcats finally got on the board in the eighth, loading the bases with a single, fielders' choice, and two walks. Michael Rodriguez worked another walk to make it a 9-1 game. 

The B-CU bullpen settled down, working three straight scoreless innings heading to the bottom of the ninth. A Leandro Perez double and Jose Fernandez double put runners at second and third with one out, but B-CU could not bring them home as FIU took the 9-1 win. 

Logan Wirt made ths start and took his first loss of the season, allowing four runs - three earned - on four hits with a walk and a strikeout. 



Southern is 9-13 on the season and just 2-4 to start conference play.Three of seven "nonconference" wins for Southern came against SWAC competition in games not designated as conference contests. The Jaguars also swept MAAC opponent Saint Peter's and took one of a three-game set from Mercer. 

Most recently, the Jaguars took one of three games from Prairie View A&M on the road before falling to McNeese State, 15-5, on Tuesday. 

Southern sits in the middle of the conference pack offensively with 161 rusn scored on a team batting average of .267 with 23 homers. Junior outfielder Cardell Thibodeaux leads the way at the plate, hitting a conference-best .468 through 20 games with 36 hits in 77 at-bats with 12 strikeouts to 15 walks. He leads the conference with eight homers to go along with 29 RBI and 34 runs scored. 

On the mound, Southern sits near the SWAC basement with a team ERA nearing 10. The Jaguars have allowed an opponent average of .314 with 150 strikeouts to 123 walks. 

• The Wildcats lead the SWAC runs scored, triples, doubles, and sit second in homers. 
• All three Wildcat weekend starters sit within the top six in the league in strikeouts. 

Friday will mark just the seventh meeting between Southern and Bethune-Cookman on the diamond - their in the regular season since 2011 and their first ever in the regular season as conference mates. B-CU fell to Southern to open the 2023 SWAC tournament in Atlanta before returning the favor with a 10-6 win two days later to advance to the SWAC title game. 


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