NCCU at NC A&T Baseball Broadcast Link


DURHAM, N.C. (www.NCCUEaglePride.com) – The North Carolina Central University baseball team embarks on conference play for the first time since 2007 when the program returned from its long hiatus as the Eagles travel to the Gate City to battle arch-rival North Carolina A&T State University in a three-game series at War Memorial Stadium on Saturday and Sunday, March 10 and 11 in Greensboro, N.C.
 
Saturday’s MEAC (Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) doubleheader is slated for a 1:00 p.m. start with game two scheduled 30 minutes after the conclusion of game one.  In MEAC play, conference twinbills consist of one nine inning contest followed by a seven inning affair.
 
NCCU and NC A&T have met only three previous times since the 2009 season with the Aggies winning all three contests.
 
The Aggies enter the conference tilt with a 5-8 record that includes a series win over Temple and victories over Radford, LaSalle, and Navy.  NC A&T is are led at the plate by preseason All-MEAC member Marquis Riley as the senior infielder is batting .365 with five doubles and 11 RBI.  The Aggies have two other student-athletes with double-digit RBI as junior Dairio Little leads the squad with 14 on the year while sophomore Luke Tendler has 10.
 
NCCU (1-12) has lost eight-in-a-row but seeing signs of major improvement under head coach Jim Koerner as the Eagles are led at the dish by sophomore Dylan Drayton (Raleigh, N.C.) as the shortstop is batting .357, while Luis Diaz (Geneva, N.Y.), Troy Marrow (Lutherville, Md.) and Ross Plummer (Winston-Salem, N.C.) are all batting .333 on the year.  Diaz leads the team with three round trippers and 10 RBI on the season.  Junior outfielder Nate Smith (Raleigh, N.C.) is a perfect 3-for-3 in stolen bases while batting .308 on the year.
 
The Aggies will send two left-handed pitchers to the hill this weekend beginning with one of the top pitchers in the MEAC over the last few seasons, Esterlin Paulino, who enters the weekend with a 1-2 record and a 4.96 ERA in 16-and-one-third innings pitched.  This will be Paulino’s fourth start of the season. Game two will see righty Tyler Boone sent to the hill who tops the team with a 2.79 ERA in 19-and-one-third innings pitched.  Boone has allowed only six earned runs at this point in the season. 
 
For NCCU, senior Sam Fulmer (Raleigh, N.C.) has moved up into the starting rotation and leads with a team-low 3.86 ERA and is currently 1-1 on the season.  In Fulmer’s 14 innings pitched, he is tied with the team lead with 13 strikeouts with game two starter Glenn Frye (Lillington, N.C.) who is 0-2 on the year.
 
Sunday’s series finale is set for a 1:00 p.m. first pitch and while coach Koerner has not announced a starter for the contest, A&T will send left-handed hurler Brent Moore to the mound.  Moore (1-1, 4.87 ERA) has pitched 20-and-one-third innings this season and has mowed down 11 batters in three previous starts, while allowing 11 runs on the year.
 
NCCU last competed in conference play in 2007 during its first season back on the diamond and went on to win the CIAA (Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association) regular season championship with a 15-5 mark in the league.
 
Tune in as the NCCU Sports Network will bring all the live action of the weekend conference series as Eagle Gameday built by Dayeco Construction Co. will go on the air 15 minutes prior to first pitch on Saturday and Sunday.  Play-by-play voice of the NCCU Sports Network Chris Hooks will be on the call from War Memorial Stadium.  Fans can access the broadcast by going to the Gamecentral section on the front page of the website and click on the link.
 
Stay up-to-date with North Carolina Central University Athletics by flying over to www.NCCUEaglePride.com, the official website of NCCU Athletics.