Bethune-Cookman University will play against No. 20 Florida on April 14 in Gainesville, as the Wildcats prepare for their second consecutive matchup against a ranked Southeastern Conference opponent. The game is scheduled for a 6:30 p.m. start at Condron Family Ballpark and will be streamed live on SECN+.
This matchup holds significance as Bethune-Cookman remains undefeated this season against both ranked and SEC opponents, with an overall record of one win in such games so far. The Wildcats have also shown strong recent form, winning eight of their last ten contests.
In their previous outing, Bethune-Cookman dominated Mississippi Valley State University in the second game of a doubleheader, scoring six runs in the first inning and finishing with seven extra-base hits—including four home runs—and twelve walks. Key contributors included Maikol Lucena, Jeter Polledo, Erick Almonte, Sergio Rivera, Jorge Rodriguez, Jose Fernandez, and Ruben Zuany. Tanner Boccabello earned the win by pitching five scoreless innings with ten strikeouts.
Florida enters the contest after returning to the top 25 following victories over highly ranked teams such as Florida State and Georgia. The Gators are currently 17-6 at home and have won ten out of eleven midweek games this season. Offensively, Brendan Lawson leads Florida with a .340 batting average and eleven home runs while Ethan Surowiec has contributed a .319 average with thirty-eight RBIs.
Pitching has been central to Florida’s success; they rank among national leaders in earned run average (ERA), strikeouts per nine innings, and limiting hits allowed per nine innings. Defensively they sit near the middle nationally for fielding percentage but do not rank highly in stolen bases.
For Bethune-Cookman, Dawson Turner is slated to make his second start of the year despite limited action so far this season. Michael Rodriguez extended his hitting streak to eight games over the weekend while Erick Almonte continued his own six-game streak with two home runs during a recent series.
Historically, Bethune-Cookman holds a record of twelve wins against thirty-five losses and one tie versus Florida all-time; their last victory came during the Gainesville Regional in 2017—the same year that Florida went on to claim a national championship.
