Courtesy B-CU Athletics
Under the direction of Head Coach Jonathan Hernandez, Bethune-Cookman Baseball announced its 2025 competitive schedule Tuesday afternoon with the Wildcats set to compete in 55 games across the regular season.
Bethune-Cookman opens the campaign with a 12-game homestand at historic Jackie Robinson Ballpark, beginning with a three-game series against Stony Brook (February 14-16). The opening stretch includes series against teams from Massachusetts and Maryland Eastern Shore, along with midweek games versus Florida International and Indiana State.
For the Cats, it will be the first time facing off against UMES since 2018, when both teams were members of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC).
“I love our nonconference schedule,” stated Jonathan Hernandez, now entering his seventh year at the helm in Daytona Beach. “It is important for us to play good competition, as well as try to stay in state against some of the best programs in the country. This is really going to be a test for our program early-on.”
League play in the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) begins March 14 when the Wildcats host Alcorn State for a three-game series. B-CU will face 10 of 11 league opponents – with Prairie View A&M serving as the lone team not on this year’s SWAC schedule for the Wildcats, with home series against Southern University (March 28-30), Mississippi Valley State (April 4-5), Florida A&M (April 17-19), Alabama State (May 2-4) and Texas Southern (May 15-17) on the slate, respectively.
For the first time in recent SWAC history, the league will not be divided into East and West divisions, but rather will play a single series against each program in the league – minus one for scheduling/travel purposes each year.
Due to the ongoing multimillion-dollar renovations at Jackie Robinson Ballpark, the Wildcats series versus Mississippi Valley State, FAMU, Alabama State and Texas Southern will each take place at Historic Sanford Memorial Stadium in Sanford, Florida. The stadium is approximately 40 miles (or 52-minute drive) from Jackie Robinson Ballpark.
Notable nonconference road games include visits to in-state opponents Florida State (March 5), Miami (April 9), and South Florida (April 1). The Wildcats will also face opponents from Jacksonville, Florida Gulf Coast, and cross-county foe Stetson throughout the season.
SWAC road series at Jackson State (March 21-23), Alabama A&M (April 11-13), Arkansas-Pine Bluff (April 25-27) and Grambling State (May 9-11) also highlight the league calendar.
“I always say it, and I’ll say it again – this conference is extremely difficult,” expressed Hernandez. “You have to be ready to play every weekend with great pitching, great hitting and defensively be as sound as possible. There are so many athletes in this league, and the coaches all know how to get the best out of their student-athletes.
“This new format is going to let everyone see each other prior to the SWAC Tournament, and it will give us a better seeding format at the end of the year for the league tournament as well.”
The SWAC Baseball Tournament is scheduled for May 21-25, with the location to be announced in the near future after being housed at Georgia Tech’s Mac Nease Baseball Park at Russ Chandler Stadium for the last two years.
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