DAYTONA BEACH, Florida — It was announced during the NCAA Baseball Selection Show on Monday, May 30, that Bethune-Cookman will travel to the Gainesville [Fla.] Regional for its appearance in the 2016 Division I Baseball Championship. Joining the Wildcats in the Regional will be host Florida, Connecticut and Georgia Tech with action taking place at McKethan Stadium in Gainesville, Florida.
Bethune-Cookman (29-25) earned the automatic qualification to the NCAA Baseball Championships after winning its 18th Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) title. For the Wildcats, this will mark the program’s 15th appearance in an NCAA Regional, not including three (3) NCAA play-in appearances. It also marks the fifth time in school history that Bethune-Cookman will travel to the Gainesville [Fla.] Regional, with the last being a visit in 2012 – the first NCAA postseason appearance under current head coach Jason Beverlin.
The Wildcats enter the weekend having won their last six games, as well as seven of their last 10 overall. Included in the three losses on the spin were decisions at top-ranked Florida (May 3) and third-ranked Miami (May 10). Bethune-Cookman enters having also won seven of their last eight series overall, with the lone exception being a three-game setback at Ohio State (April 1-3).
Bethune-Cookman will open the Gainesville [Fla.] Regional against the No. 1 national seed and host Florida Gators. Under the direction of head coach Kevin O’Sullivan, the top-seeded Gators enter the weekend with a record of 47-13, and finished as runner-up at the Southeastern Conference (SEC) Championships over the weekend in Hoover, Alabama.
First pitch for the Wildcats and Gators is scheduled for Friday, June 3, at 6 p.m.
For ticket information, please visit FloridaGators.com.
Second-seeded Georgia Tech (36-23) will meet third-seeded UConn (37-23) earlier in the day at 1 p.m. The Yellow Jackets earned an at-large bid to the tournament, while the Huskies won the American Athletic Conference Tournament to earn an automatic bid.
The Regional continues through Sunday, with a final game to be played Monday night, if necessary. The winner of the Gainesville [Fla.] Regional will meet the winner from the Tallahassee [Fla.] Regional the following weekend in a Super Regional, best-of-three series. The eight Super Regional winners advance to the College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska.
The top eight national seeds are Florida, Louisville, Miami, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Mississippi State, Clemson and LSU.
Each of the 16 Regionals features four teams, playing a double-elimination format. The Regionals are scheduled to be conducted from Friday, May 29, to Monday, June 1 (if necessary). Selection of the eight Super Regional Hosts will be announced on www.NCAA.com/cws, Monday, June 1 at approximately 11 p.m. (ET).
The 70th Men's College World Series begins play Saturday, June 18, at the TD Ameritrade Park Omaha in Omaha, Nebraska.
2016 NCAA Gainesville Regional Schedule
Friday, June 3
Game 1: 1 p.m. - No. 3 UConn vs. No. 2 Georgia Tech (ESPN3)
Game 2: 6 p.m. - No. 4 Bethune-Cookman vs. No. 1 FLORIDA (SEC Network)
Saturday, June 4
Game 3: TBA - Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2 (SEC Network/ESPN3)
Game 4: TBA - Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2 (SEC Network/ESPN3)
Sunday, June 5
Game 5: TBA - Winner Game 3 vs. Loser Game 4 (SEC Network/ESPN3)
Game 6: TBA - Winner Game 4 vs. Winner Game 5 (SEC Network/ESPN3)
Monday, June 6
Game 7: (if necessary) – TBA - Winner Game 6 vs. Loser Game 6 (SEC Network/ESPN3)
Follow Bethune-Cookman Athletics on Facebook (www.facebook.com/BCUathletics), Twitter (www.twitter.com/BCUDiamondCats) and Instagram (www.instagram.com/BCUBaseball) for all of the latest news and updates. Fans also receive timely information, including special offers and giveaways throughout the year, via the social media outlets or www.BCUathletics.com.
COURTESY BETHUNE COOKMAN UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION
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