Bethune-Cookman Wins 2025 SWAC Baseball Championship With Martinez's Walk-off Homerun

Originally posted on HBCUs on SI | By Kyle Mosley | Last updated May 25, 2025 6:46 PM ET

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.