‘They’re a part of history’: Inside Bethune-Cookman baseball's first SWAC Tournament berth

DAYTONA BEACH — A year ago, Johnny Hernandez delivered packages for Amazon.

His players, like Matthew Garcia and Nolan Santos, scattered all over the place in search of new places to play.

They didn’t have much of a choice.

Bethune-Cookman University shut down all athletic programs for the 2020-2021 school year due to COVID-19, and the baseball Wildcats had to figure out other plans.

But now, they’re back together again for their first full season in three years. Earlier this month, the Wildcats qualified for their first Southwestern Athletic Conference Tournament in school history after joining the league from the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference last summer.

The double-elimination postseason tournament kicks off Wednesday in Birmingham, Alabama. Eight of the conference’s 12 teams earned a spot.

“We tell them all the time, ‘This is the first team in SWAC history that gets the chance to go win a SWAC championship,’” Hernandez, the fourth-year manager, said. “They’re a part of history already. It means a lot.”

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Bethune-Cookman, who closed the regular season with a 19-11 record in conference and a 25-30 overall mark, drew Grambling State as its first postseason opponent. In the leadup to Wednesday’s game, Hernandez will preach a number of things.

Stay calm. Remember the fundamentals and what got you here.

And maybe most importantly, have fun.

“We didn’t play last year,” Hernandez said. “I didn’t have the ability to coach baseball for a year and a half. At least for me and the message for the guys, enjoy it. It’s part of your journey. It’s part of our journey and make the most of it.”

Hernandez encouraged his players to bolt to other schools during the Wildcats’ lost 2021 season.

“They needed to play,” he said.

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But afterward, many of them transferred right back to Daytona Beach and rejoined the Wildcats. The result has been their first tournament appearance since Hernandez took over the program in 2018.

It’s a different team than the one from the COVID-shortened 2020 season. That squad was led by a group of experienced upperclassmen. This year’s bunch features more underclassmen, though the guys who came back have attempted to maintain the tradition of years past.

“We tried to keep the culture here as best as possible,” said Santos, a redshirt sophomore pitcher who played for Bethune-Cookman in 2020 and Miami Dade College last season.

Entering a new conference after a year of no baseball, the Wildcats listed making the league tournament as their No. 1 goal.

Hernandez also wanted to challenge this group early. He assembled what he called “arguably the toughest non-conference schedule in the SWAC,” including trips to Louisiana State, Florida, Florida State and Miami.

The Wildcats began the season 1-6 before rattling off four wins in a row. Then, they slumped again. Then, they had some more success before finally evening out.

They won six of their final 10 games of the regular season and think those tribulations could benefit them when Wednesday rolls around.

“At this point in the season, we’ve already had our ups and downs,” said Garcia, a redshirt sophomore shortstop who returned to Bethune-Cookman after a year at Chipola College. “We’re ready to just keep going straight and doing what we have to do to win.”

Last year, Santos competed in a conference tournament with Miami Dade, so he has an idea of what to expect.

“There’s always nerves,” he said. “But once you start playing in the tournament, it’s just baseball, just another game.”

And the Wildcats are happy to be back playing that game.

First pitch against Grambling State is scheduled for noon Wednesday. The two teams have not faced each other yet this spring.

“It would be a great story or great ending to our journey,” Hernandez said, “if we come out on top at the SWAC tourney.”

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: After year off, Bethune-Cookman baseball earns trip to SWAC tournament