Cats

BCU ranked 17th in Lindy’s Preseason Top 25

/ J Bell / Leave a comment
LeBrandon Richardson -HailWildcats.com

LeBrandon Richardson -HailWildcats.com

Bethune-Cookman picked up its first national ranking of the 2013 season when Lindy’s Magazine ranked the Wildcats 17th in their initial FCS Preseason Poll.

BCU finished 9-3 last season (8-0 in MEAC play) securing its fifth MEAC title and an FCS playoff berth in the process.

Eight offensive starters return from last year’s squad including 1,000 yard rusher Isidore Jackson, leading receiver Eddie Poole and All-American left tackle Terrance Hackney.  The Wildcats lead the MEAC in total offense (4,665 yards), rushing offense (2,928 yards), and points per game (29.4) in 2012.

Seven starters, including leading tackler Jarkevis Fields and top sack man LeBrandon Richardson, return to the defensive unit.  Last year BCU caused an FCS best 36 takeaways and ranked 7th nationally in total defense (301.42 yards per game).

The Cats open up the 2013 campaign with a trip to Nashville to face off against Tennessee State in the John Merritt Classic on Sunday, September 1st.  Other marquee games include a September 14th matchup with Florida International, a first ever engagement with Florida State on September 21st, a homecoming showdown with South Carolina State on October 26th, and the Florida Classic on November 23rd.

Lindy’s Top 25:
1. North Dakota State 2. Georgia Southern 3. Montana State 4. South Dakota State 5. Wofford 6. Eastern Washington 7. Central Arkansas 8. Towson 9. Villanova 10. Sam Houston State 11. New Hampshire 12. Appalachian State 13. Northern Iowa 14. Stony Brook 15. Coastal Carolina 16. Northern Arizona 17. Bethune-Cookman 18. Eastern Illinois 19. Youngstown State 20. Chattanooga 21. Richmond 22. Illinois St 23. Montana 24. Wagner 25. Tennessee State

Football: Lindy’s ranks BCU football #14 in its first Preseason Poll

/ J Bell / 1 Comment

We are roughly three months away from the start of the college football season.  This is right about the time when your favorite bookstore’s magazine section become inundated with college and professional football preview publications (which don’t mean a whole lot in the grand scheme of things but they are awfully fun to look at and to fuss over…but I digress).

Lindy’s was the first to release their preseason FCS Top 25 Poll earlier this week and the Cats debuted at #14 in Lindy’s rankings.  Two other HBCU’s joined BCU in Lindy’s  Top 25 rankings; Grambling State at #23 and Jackson State at #25.

The Cats open up the 2012 season against Alabama State in Orlando in the MEAC/SWAC Challenge on Sunday, September 2nd.

7th Heaven

/ J Bell / Leave a comment

Congratulations to Coach Jason Beverlin and the Fighting Wildcats baseball team for capturing their 7th consecutive MEAC men’s baseball title on Sunday afternoon by defeating Delaware State 8-3 at Marty Miller Field (Norfolk, VA).

BCU needed the second game of the championship round to secure its 13th title in 14 years.  Earlier Sunday morning, Delaware State defeated the Cats 3-2 forcing a “winner take all” final.  Sunday morning’s loss was BCU’s first tournament defeat since 2007.

But any notions of a hangover were quickly erased in the first inning of Game 2 against the Hornets when outfielder David Lee singled home Josh Johnson giving the Cats a 1-0 lead after the first frame.   Despite having only 1 ball leave the infield in the 3rd, the Hornets capitalized on 2 bunts, a walk, a hit batsman, and a throwing error to take a 3-1 lead into the bottom of the third. 

Nick Johnson lead off the bottom of the 3rd for the Cats and was hit by a pitch.  Brandon Turner’s single to center field chased DSU’s starting pitcher, Jordan Elliot, and a double steal by Johnson and Turner set up runners in scoring position for BCU.  David Lee’s 2 RBI single to right field scored Johnson and Turner and tied the game at 3-3. 

Lee added another RBI single in the 4th this time scoring Carlos Delgado and putting BCU ahead 4-3.  The Cats added 4 more runs in the 5th to pad their lead 8-3.  Relief pitchers Bryan Rivera and Jordan Dailey held DSU both hitless and scoreless through the final 6 and 2/3rds securing the win for the good guys. 

David Lee finish the contest with 4 RBIs and was named the tournaments Most Outstanding Player honors.  BCU will find out their NCAA Regionals destination on Monday, May 23rd when the pairings are announced.