BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Following a historic regular season, Bethune-Cookman will turn the page to a brand new season, beginning Wednesday night at Rickwood Field. After earning the top seed for the second-straight year, the Wildcats will open the SWAC Tournament against the eighth-seeded Arkansas - Pine Bluff Golden Lions. First pitch is scheduled for 7 p.m. EST. 



Wednesday-Sunday, May 20-24
Opponent: #8 Arkansas - Pine Bluff (23-32, 16-14)
Time: 7 p.m.
Location: Birmingham, Ala. | Rickwood Field
Watch: https://tv.swac.org/
Listen: https://bcuathletics.com/sports/2024/11/13/Cateye-Network-Radio.aspx
Live Stats: https://bcuathletics.com/sidearmstats/baseball/summary
Tickets: https://events.ticketleap.com/tickets/swac-4/2026-swac-baseball-championship

The Wildcats (37-18, 23-7) wasted no time taking control, erupting for nine runs in the opening inning. Darryl Lee started the rally with a leadoff double before Andrey Martinez and Michael Rodriguez reached base to load the bases. Maikol Lucena was then hit by a pitch to force in the first run of the game.

Jose Fernandez followed with an RBI fielder's choice before Erick Almonte lined a two-run single to right field to extend the lead to 4-0. Later in the inning, Sergio Rivera reached on a fielder's choice and a throwing error allowed another run to score. Lee then delivered the biggest hit of the frame with a two-run triple to right field, and Martinez later scored on a wild pitch to make it 8-0. Fernandez capped the inning with an RBI single as Bethune-Cookman carried a 9-0 lead into the second.

Bethune-Cookman added another run in the second inning when Rivera singled and later scored on an RBI base hit from Lee to push the advantage to 10-0.

Grambling got on the board in the fourth inning. Cameron Hill singled to open the frame before Shannon Martin drove in a run with a single up the middle to trim the deficit to 10-1.

B-CU answered immediately in the bottom half of the inning. Christopher Watson walked and later scored on a groundout by Martinez to extend the lead to 11-1.

The Wildcats added one final run in the fifth inning. Lucena worked a leadoff walk before Rivera drew a bases-loaded walk later in the frame to make it 12-1.

Tanner Boccabello earned the win after allowing one run over four innings with two strikeouts. Anthony Anselmo, Bryon Rincones, Justin Morales, and Pablo Torres combined to throw three scoreless innings in relief.
 

The Golden Lions clinched the eighth seed in the SWAC Tournament after dropping two of three to Jackson State to close out the regular season. UAPB and JSU finished with identical records at 16-14, but the Tigers earned the higher seed due to tiebreakers. It is the program's second-consecutive appearance in the tournament.

Bethune-Cookman earned a series victory over the Golden Lions at the Ormond Beach Sports Complex. B-CU outscored Pine Bluff 28-23 in an offensive slugfest during the three games. SWAC Player of the Year Jose Fernandez had a dominant series, finishing with three home runs and eight driven in.

Offensively, UAPB ranked in the top 50 in the nation in runs scored, hits, and batting average. They are led by All-SWAC First Team and Freshman of the Year Aaron Grant, who managed a .355 batting average with eight homers and 50 RBI.

The pitching staff has accumulated a 6.11 team ERA and is allowing a .273 batting average to opposing hitters. The Wildcats will face the Golden Lions' ace Kenney Fabian, who earned All-SWAC Second Team honors. He finished 4-6 with a 4.76 ERA in 81.1 innings.

• Edwin Sanchez will start Wednesday for the Wildcats. The senior was named SWAC Pitcher of the Year after finishing 11-1 with a 2.69 ERA in 73.2 innings. He now owns the program record for regular season victories.
• Jose Fernandez earned SWAC Player of the Year after slugging .632 and collecting 34 RBI in conference play.
• Michael Rodriguez led the Wildcats with a .417 batting average. He ended the season on a 33-game on-base streak.
• Maikol Lucena finished as a semifinalist for the Buster Posey after leading the Wildcats in hits with 66 and throwing out 23 potential base stealers from behind the plate.
• Darryl Lee was named to the All-SWAC Second Team for the second straight season. He finished tied for eighth in the country with 53 walks.
• The Wildcats are on a four-game winning streak in the SWAC Tournament.

Bethune-Cookman has never faced Arkansas - Pine Bluff in the SWAC Tournament. The two programs are now knotted at three games a piece in the regular season.

Follow Bethune-Cookman Baseball on Twitter (@BCUDiamondCats) for all of the latest news and updates. For all Bethune-Cookman Athletics news, follow us on Twitter (@BCUathletics), Instagram (@BCUathletics) and www.bcuathletics.com.