The Stetson baseball team will swing back into action tonight at Jackie Robinson Ballpark against Volusia County rival Bethune-Cookman.
 
The game is scheduled for a 6 p.m. start. There will be no live broadcast of the contest.
 
The Hatters (14-9) took two of three games from ASUN rival Liberty this past weekend in Lynchburg and are looking ahead toward another big conference series this coming weekend when the UNF Ospreys visit Melching Field.
 
But Stetson is certainly not looking past the Wildcats. In fact, the Hatters will be looking to even the season series against Cookman (10-14) after falling at home to the Wildcats back on March 5. That 4-0 B-CU victory in the 101^st meeting between the teams marked the first time Stetson had ever been shutout by the Wildcats.
 
Bethune-Cookman has posted a 6-8 record since that win over Stetson, including a 13-2 loss at South Florida on Tuesday. Other losses for the Wildcats have been to UCF, LSU (3), Florida State and Florida. The Wildcats are off to a 5-1 start in their first season of play in the SWAC and will travel to Itta Bena, Miss., this weekend for their first meeting with Mississippi Valley State.
 
After having had their mid-week game rained out last week, the Hatters come into Wednesday's game with a lot of pitchers who need work in game action. Sophomore Anthony DeFabbia (0-1, 9.00) will make the start, but will be the first of numerous pitchers expected to pitch in the game. DeFabbia has only appeared on the mound in three games this year, and his only start came against Florida on February 22 when he allowed four runs on five hits and three walks in 2.1 innings. He pitched twice in relief against FGCU without allowing a hit of a run in 1.2 innings.
 
Other members of the Stetson pitching staff who haven't seen action in a while are freshmen Dominic Stagliano, Cooper Smith and Dillon Haines, sophomore Jonathan Velazquez, juniors Danny Garcia and Bret Neilan and graduate Nick Chiseri.
 
Offensively, redshirt freshman Jakob Bullard and graduate transfer Cameron Hill continue to drive the Hatters. Bullard is riding a 13-game hitting streak while Hill enters the game with a 10-game hit streak in addition to an 18-game streak of reaching base.
 
Hill is hitting a team-high .375 on the season and leads the team in extra-base hits (10), RBI (16), runs (26) and is tied for the team lead with 12 stolen bases. Bullard is second with a .342 average and with 15 RBI. Freshmen Daniel Labrador (.321) and Yohann Dessureault (.280) are also making major offensive contributions. Labrador has hit a pair of homers and has four doubles while Dessureault has hit three homers and has driven in 13 runs.
 
Cookman is expected to send freshman right-hander Marcos Gamboa (0-1, 5.59) to the mound to start the game. A Fort Pierce native, Gamboa will be making his third start of the year. His five appearances have all been against in-state rivals and his best outing came against UCF when he threw three shutout innings with three strikeouts. He went two innings in his last outing, against Florida, allowing a hit and walking three.
 
Sophomore Christopher Patterson leads the Wildcats with a .328 average. As a team, Cookman is hitting just .214 on the season and is averaging just 4.5 runs per game.
 
About Stetson University Athletics: Stetson University's Athletics Program is driven by a shared purpose. It is what inspires, motivates and binds us together. More than a task, a reason for being. THE HATTER PURPOSE is to create and provide an experience of a lifetime through teamwork and relationships to achieve excellence. This purpose is achieved through five Core Values: Communication, Integrity, Excellence, Value People and Commitment. To learn more about the HATS program and our Core Values, visit GoHatters.com/HATS. Get in on the conversation on social media by following Stetson Athletics on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. For video content, visit our YouTube channels: Stetson Hatters, Stetson Athletics and, for live events, Hatter Vision.