Bethune-Cookman Hangs Tough Against Florida State, But Falls In NCAA Tourney Opener

After a two-hour weather delay, No. 9 national seed Florida State used three home runs to hold off upset-minded Bethune-Cookman 6-2 in the opening game of the NCAA Tallahassee [Fla.] Regional Friday afternoon at Mike Martin Field at Dick Howser Stadium.

Bethune-Cookman (37-22) leaned on sophomore right-hander Joel Core in the game on both ends of a lengthy weather delay. Head Coach Jonathan Hernandez, the 2025 Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Coach of the Year, sided with his pitcher after the delay.

"[Joel] Core wanted the ball, and he was adamant about going back after the delay," expressed Hernandez. "I trust my student-athletes, and if he says he's good to go and wants the ball, then I am going to let him have it. After all, they're the ones putting their bodies on the line, and he wanted the ball back, no questions asked."

Florida State (39-14), ranked No. 7 in the latest D1Baseball.com top 25 poll, opened the scoring in the home-half of the first with Max Williams' solo home run to right center field, pushing the Seminoles to an early 1-0 advantage. The Seminoles doubled the lead in the bottom of the second with another solo shot to right center, this time off the bat of Chase Williams – the first of the year for the left fielder.

B-CU tied the game at 2-2 in the top of the third when first baseman Jorge Rodriguez lined a two-run single to left field driving across Sergio Rivera and Daniel Figueroa, after each singled in their respective at-bats to begin the inning.

Just one pitch into the bottom of the third, the game entered a weather delay that lasted just over two hours.

The Seminoles stepped back in front quickly following the rain delay, as Core returned to the mound for the Maroon and Gold. After Max Williams walked to begin the at-bat, Myles Bailey delivered a two-run homer to right center that propelled the Noles in front for good, 4-2.

FSU added a run with an RBI groundout from James Hankerson Jr. to Rodriguez at first but allowed Drew Faurot to score from third and advance the Noles lead, 5-2.

The final run of the game came off a wild pitch from B-CU reliever Pablo Torres in the eighth as Bailey scampered in to record the final 6-2 score line.

In the top of the ninth, the Wildcats received two-out singles from both Rivera and Figueroa once again to put runners on against FSU reliever John Abraham, before the right-hander got Darryl Lee to strike out and close the contest.

"I'm proud of how our guys fought today," said Hernandez afterwards. "I thought they represented themselves, as well as Bethune-Cookman University, well against one of the best teams, by far, in this tournament and the nation in the Noles. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough because you have to take advantage of every single opportunity when you play a team like FSU, and you have to hope the little things go your way as well.

Peyton Prescott (4-0) grabbed the win, as he took the ball for the Seminoles after the delay. He pitched 2.2 innings in relief, allowing just two hits and striking out four. The loss went to Core (6-2) as he tossed seven frames, giving up six runs on six hits and fanning seven batters. Torres went one inning out of the bullpen and allowed just one walk while also collecting a strikeout.

FSU starter Joey Volini did not factor into the decision despite the left-hander being touched for two runs on five hits and a pair of strikeouts in three innings before the delay.

The FSU bats were paced by Bailey's 2-for-2 day with two runs scored and two RBIs, in addition to Chase Williams registering a 2-for-4 afternoon with an RFBI and a run scored as well.

The B-CU offense out-hit the host Seminoles, collecting 10 hits on the day. The bats were led by four different Wildcats with two hits each – Lee, Jorge Rodriguez, Rivera and Figueroa.

The Wildcats will face Northeastern – the No. 2 seed in the Tallahassee Regional, in an elimination game on Saturday at noon back at Mike Martin Field at Dick Howser Stadium, after the Huskies fell in their opening game to Mississippi State.

*Courtesy of BCU Athletics

Additional Bethune-Cookman Coverage:

B-CU Seeded in NCAA

The 2025 NCAA Baseball Championship selection committee seeded Bethune-Cookman in the Tallahassee Regional. The 2025 SWAC Baseball Tournament Champions will open the tourney against No. 9 seed and host school Florida State.   

No. 4 seed Bethune-Cookman (37-21) will play its first NCAA Tournament since 2017. The Wildcats will have the first pitch versus the Seminoles occurs at Dick Howser Stadium in Tallahasee, Florida, at 3 PM ET on Friday, May 30. ACCN will be broadcasting on television, while CatEye Network will provide the radio/YouTube coverage.

Tallahassee Regional Seeding

1. (9) Florida State
2. Northeastern
3. Mississippi State
4. Bethune-Cookman

"Florida State earns a spot in the postseason for the 61st time in program history and will host an NCAA Regional for the 37th time. FSU begins regional play with a 38-14 record. The Seminoles posted a runner-up finish in the ACC, its best since 2014, with a 17-10 record," according to the FSU Athletics website.

Additional Bethune-Cookman Baseball Coverage:

Sunday's victory at Rickwood Field was the first major sports championship for the Bethune-Cookman Wildcats under athletic director Reggie Theus since becoming a member of the SWAC in July 2021.

"Listen, one of the most exciting things I've ever seen," Theus told HBCU Premier Sports postgame. "Down to the wire, a 400-yard walk-off home run in a championship game. It doesn't get any bigger than that. This team is a winner. They exemplify what we talk about the championship culture. Not only they're great on this on the field, [but] they're also great academically - a 3.5 GPA for this team."

The Wildcats can boast that after SWAC Co-Hitter of the Year, Andrey Martinez boomed a walk-off home run off FAMU pitcher Carson Kelly at the bottom of the ninth inning with two outs.  

"It was never a panic, man," Coach Johnathan Hernandez said to HBCU Premier Sports. The biggest thing was I told Jeter. If we get on, we're winning this game. I just need you to get on any way possible. And it worked out. You just spoke it to existence. There's never a doubt. There was never a panic." He continued, "I think this week showed the resilience, the grit, and the toughness of the Bethune-Cookman baseball program."

It was Martinez's second time during the SWAC Baseball Tournament that his clutch hitting advanced Bethune-Cookman to the next game. B-CU will play in the NCAA Baseball Tournament as the SWAC's automatic qualifier this time.

"We travel well, man, and it's a tight-knit group. We have a family-oriented atmosphere here in our program, and our families are involved just as much as we are. So I thank them for traveling all the way from the 386 here to Birmingham, Alabama, to show support," Coach Hernandez remarked.

Reggie Theus praised his SWAC Coach of the Year, Johnathan Hernadez, noting, "When you think about what he's done with this team, not only this year, but all the years prior to. He's done a fantastic job. He creates a culture that is necessary. And the thing I love about this team is that he does his job, but this is a player-driven team. This is why they're champions. Anytime the coach is a coach-driven team, you can't win a championship. When it's a player-driven team, these are the things that happen for you."

Automatic bids to the NCAA baseball tournament automatic bids for 2025:  

• America East: Binghamton
• AAC: East Carolina
• ASUN: Stetson*
• Atlantic 10: Rhode Island
• ACC: North Carolina
• Big 12: Arizona
• Big East: Creighton
• Big South: USC Upstate
• Big Ten: Nebraska
• Big West: Cal Poly
• CAA: Northeastern
• Conference USA: Western Kentucky
• Horizon League: Wright State
• Ivy League: Columbia
• MAAC: Fairfield
• MAC: Miami (OH)
• Missouri Valley: Murray State
• Mountain West: Fresno State
• NEC: Central Connecticut
• Ohio Valley: Little Rock
• Patriot: Holy Cross
• SEC: Vanderbilt
• Southland: Houston Christian
• Southern: East Tennessee State
• SWAC: Bethune-Cookman
• Summit: North Dakota State
• Sun Belt: Coastal Carolina
• WCC: Saint Mary's
• WAC: Utah Valley

NCAA REGIONAL HOST SITES

1. Athens Regional (Georgia)
2. Auburn Regional (Auburn)
3. Austin Regional (Texas)
4. Baton Rouge Regional (LSU)
5. Chapel Hill Regional (North Carolina)
6. Clemson Regional (Clemson)
7. Conway Regional (Coastal Carolina)
8. Corvallis Regional (Oregon State)
9. Eugene Regional (Oregon)
10. Fayetteville Regional (Arkansas)
11. Hattiesburg Regional (Southern Miss)
12. Knoxville Regional (Tennessee)
13. Los Angeles Regional (UCLA)
14. Nashville Regional (Vanderbilt)
15. Oxford Regional (Ole Miss)
16. Tallahassee Regional (Florida State)

Bethune-Cookman, the only HBCU baseball program with an automatic bid, should land in the Tallahassee Regional. However, the NCAA Selection Committee has sent smaller programs across the country to face larger programs.

The 2025 NCAA baseball schedule is as follows:

1. Selection Show: Monday, May 26 (noon ET)
2. Regionals: May 30-June 2
3. Super Regionals: June 6-9
4. College World Series: June 13-22/23

More SWAC Baseball Coverage:

BETHUNE-COOKMAN ARE THE SWAC BASEBALL CHAMPS

Andrey Martinez, the Co-Hitter of the Year, leads Bethune-Cookman to victory in the 2025 SWAC Baseball Tournament Championship by hitting a walk-off home run over center field against Florida A&M. This thrilling finale was a storybook ending for the Wildcats, as their top hitter secured an 11-9 win, allowing Bethune-Cookman to advance to the 2025 NCAA Baseball Championship Tournament.

ESPN's color analyst Jay Walker said it best as Martinez stood at the plate: "Either they are going to win it with this at bat, or they're going to lose it with this at bat."

At Rickwood Field, a park where legendary performances have occurred by baseball's greats, Martinez was facing a two-ball pitch with two runners out in the bottom of the ninth inning.

The Rattlers' pitcher delivered a pitch down the center of the plate, and Martinez crushed it high for a 400+ foot bomb to go yard. Game over!

Andrey Martinez was hitting .351 on the season with 19 home runs and 60 RBIs- but he threw him the pitch anyway. The Wildcat's hitting leader went 3-for-6 at-bats while hitting a game-winning home run and four RBIs.

It was an exhilarating victory for the Wildcats, who trailed for most of the contest after going up 3-0 in the second inning.

FAMU tied the game 3-3 in the sixth inning and took control with a four-run seventh inning to lead 7-6 over the No. 1 seeded B-CU squad.

Each team scored two runs in the eighth inning, making it a 9-8 game as FAMU maintained its advantage heading into the final inning. The Rattlers could not extend the lead in the ninth, giving Bethune-Cookman an opportunity for a dramatic ending.

With two outs, Andrey Martinez calmly stepped to the plate like an Ol' Wild West gunslinger. He took two balls from FAMU pitcher Carson Kelly before launching the baseball over the wall in epic fashion for the walk-off homer.

The thrill of victory and the agony of defeat was on full display in the SWAC Championship. You cannot fault Kelly. He was pitching well, and Rodriguez was hitting behind Martinez, who already had 2 RBIs for B-CU.

Bethune-Cookman pitcher Joel Core (6-1) earned the win, and Florida A&M's Carson Kelly posted the loss.

Florida A&M had 9 runs, 9 hits, and four errors, while B-CU notched 11 runs, 15 hits, and one error on the afternoon.

The Wildcats will await the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee's announcement on their regionals placement and seeding on Monday at noon ET.

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