Bethune-Cookman University’s baseball team will play its first road game of the season against the University of Miami Hurricanes at Alex Rodriguez Park in Coral Gables. The game is set for Wednesday, March 4, with a scheduled start time of 6 p.m.
The Wildcats are coming off a successful weekend in which they swept Delaware State in four games. In the first game, Bethune-Cookman overcame an early deficit by scoring in five straight innings, highlighted by strong offensive performances from Erick Almonte and Jorge Rodriguez. Almonte drove in four runs, while Rodriguez contributed two doubles and two RBIs. Relief pitcher Andris Barroso earned the win after allowing two runs over 3.1 innings.
In the second game of the doubleheader, Bethune-Cookman’s pitching staff combined for a two-hit shutout. Michael Benedict started and threw four scoreless innings with five strikeouts. Offensively, Jorge Rodriguez went 3-for-4 with three RBIs, and Darryl Lee added three hits and three runs scored. The Wildcats totaled 13 hits in that game.
Across their four-game sweep, Bethune-Cookman collected 52 hits and scored 57 runs. Darryl Lee led the offense over the weekend by going 10-for-14 with five doubles and a triple, raising his season batting average to .447. Maikol Lucena extended his hitting streak to ten games and is batting .351 this year. Jose Fernandez has an active seven-game hitting streak.
On the mound, Bethune-Cookman pitchers recorded two shutouts during their series against Delaware State.
Miami enters Wednesday’s matchup with a 10-2 record overall and a 9-2 mark at home. The Hurricanes began their season with ten straight wins before losing twice to Florida. Senior outfielder Derek Williams leads Miami’s offense with a .550 batting average, .623 on-base percentage, and a slugging percentage of 1.050. He ranks among team leaders in several offensive categories including home runs (5) and RBIs (19).
As a team, Miami has hit 29 home runs—second most in Division I—and also ranks near the top nationally in hits, runs scored, slugging percentage, and batting average. Their pitching staff holds a combined ERA of 4.25 with six different starters so far this season; AJ Ciscar stands out for not issuing any walks over 18 innings pitched.
Historically, Miami holds a significant advantage over Bethune-Cookman with a record of 36-7 in head-to-head matchups. Bethune-Cookman’s last victory against Miami was in 2024 after previously losing nine consecutive meetings.
Fans can watch the game live at https://www.espn.com/watch/player?id=7fdd7580-c260-4679-8b0c-a4dbbc32412f or listen at https://www.wvum.org/listen.
