Game One Broadcast Link (Game Central) 


Game Two Broadcast Link (Game Central)


DURHAM, N.C.  – Sitting at 10-10 in conference play, the North Carolina Central University baseball program can end the regular season with a winning mark in the league and lock up a spot in the 2012 MEAC Baseball Tournament as the Eagles host the Rattlers of Florida A&M University beginning with doubleheader action on Saturday, May 5 at 1:00 p.m. and ending with Senior Day on Sunday, May 6 at 1:00 p.m. at the historic Durham Athletic Park.
 
NCCU (14-30, 10-10 MEAC) has already doubled the win total from last year in head coach Jim Koerner’s first campaign and the Eagles can place itself in great position to finish second in the Southern Division of the MEAC despite dropping two of three to Savannah State last weekend.
 
Florida A&M (7-38, 5-13 MEAC) has not competed in nearly two weeks is 2-9 in its last 11 contests and sit in last place in the Southern Division.  The Rattlers were swept by the Eagles on March 31 and April 1 and enter the weekend with a 2-22 record on the road, but still own an 8-4 record since 2009 against NCCU.
 
In head coach Willie Brown’s first season, the Rattlers are led by senior outfielder Jarryd Reid who’s hitting .337 on the year with seven doubles, three triples, and 12 RBI.  Teammate and fellow outfielder Aaron Smith tops the team with three home runs and 18 RBI.
 
Earlier in the year, Florida A&M struggled at the plate against NCCU batting .243 as a team while Reginald Grant led the Rattlers going 4-for-10 (.400) with two runs scored and an RBI.  Reid went 3-for-10 (.300) with a double and a triple on the weekend.  On the other hand, the Eagles were a scorching .395 at-the-plate in the three game series.  Junior outfielder Luis Diaz (Geneva, N.Y.) earned MEAC Player of the Week for his 7-for-11 (.636) effort during the weekend that included a double, three triples, a home run, and five RBI.  Sophomore infielder Tyson Simpson (Burgaw, N.C.) was 7-for-14 from-the-dish with three runs scored and four RBI.  On the mound, Fulmer (Raleigh, N.C.) earned a complete game victory surrendering seven hits and six strikeouts giving up no earned runs in the 18-3 game one win.
 
Fulmer (3-3, 5.22 ERA) struggled in his last outing on Saturday against Savannah State and looks for a little redemption against the Rattlers in game one of the weekend set.  The senior righty lasted only four innings allowing 10 runs on 10 hits in the 13-11 Eagle loss in game two last Saturday.  FAMU will send lefty John Roberts (0-5, 7.36 ERA) to the mound for his ninth start of the season.  Roberts has pitched 47-and-two-thirds innings with 39 strikeouts on the year.
 
The second contest of the day is slated for seven innings and will see junior Glenn Frye (Lillington, N.C.) head to the hill for start No. 12 of the year.  In the program’s short history, Frye is currently No. 1 in career strikeouts with 138 passing former Eagle Douglas Dalley on March 17 in the 3-0 loss to Bethune-Cookman.  Frye’s (2-5, 5.07 ERA) performance on Sunday put the Eagles in position to salvage the series finale against the Tigers last Sunday as he went five strong innings allowing only four hits and two earned runs as NCCU won 12-8.  The Rattlers are scheduled to send out junior righty Heath Blackburn (3-7, 7.49 ERA) to the hill.  Blackburn took the loss in the series finale on April 1 against NCCU and last four-and-two-thirds innings giving up six runs with 13 hits allowed.
 
Prior to first pitch on Sunday in the series finale, three seniors (Etienne Farquharson, Fulmer, and Ross Plummer) will be honored with a ceremony highlighting their careers as Eagles.
 
Junior lefty Michael Romano (Spotsylvania, Va.) will toe the rubber for NCCU as is slated to face FAMU’s David Duncan (1-7, 6.54 ERA) in the third contest of the weekend.  Romano (1-3, 7.17 ERA) has emerged as the third weekend starter for the Eagles despite taking the loss in game one of the series last weekend against Savannah State.  Romano has thrown 37-and-two-thirds innings this season with 24 strikeouts and only 10 walks.
 
The NCCU Sports Network will have wall-to-wall coverage of the final home series of the season as play-by-play voice Chris Hooks will carry the action live from the Durham Athletic Park beginning with Eagle Gameday built by Dayeco Construction Co. at 12:45 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday.  Fans can also keep up with the weekend series on twitter by following @NCCUAthletics and by using the hashtag #NCCUbaseball.
 
Stay up-to-date with North Carolina Central University Athletics by flying over to www.NCCUEaglePride.com, the official website of NCCU Athletics.