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DURHAM, N.C. – The North Carolina Central University baseball team dives head first into Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference play this weekend as the Eagles head to the Gate City to face arch-rival North Carolina A&T at War Memorial Stadium in Greensboro, N.C..  First pitch of the series is slated for doubleheader action at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, March with the three-game set concluding with Sunday's 1:00 p.m. finale.
 
These two programs have had some epic battles in the past and this weekend should be the no different.  A&T currently leads the series 8-to-7, but the maroon and gray are 7-5 since becoming league members. 
 
NCCU (1-5-1) has lost two straight games following Tuesday's 16-3 loss on the road at High Point.  Senior Tyson Simpson (Burgaw, N.C.) leads the maroon and gray attack batting .652 at-the-dish with a team-high five doubles and five RBI.  Freshman Carlos Ortiz (Cleveland, Ohio) earned MEAC Rookie of the Week honors and is batting .400 with a home run and three RBI.
 
NC A&T (4-2) enters the weekend on an impressive three-game winning streak that includes two wins over Conference USA's Marshall and in-state foe Elon, who is widely regarded as one of the top teams in the Southern Conference (SoCon).  The Aggies are led by outfielder Luke Tendler who earned MEAC Player of the Week honors this past week.  Tendler's hitting .412 on the year with a double, two home runs, and eight RBI to lead the A&T lineup.
 
NCCU head coach Jim Koerner will start junior righthander Alex Dandridge (Arlington, Texas) in the first game of the series, while A&T's Tyler Boone (0-1, 4.82 ERA) will step to the mound.  Dandridge (0-1, 6.75) has thrown 8.0 innings in two starts with three strikeouts, while the righthander Boone has gone 9.1 innings to date with seven strikeouts and only five earned runs allowed.
 
In game two, slated for seven innings, senior righty Terry McNabb (Davidson, Sask.) will make his third start of the year.  McNabb (0-1, 5.00 ERA) has 12 strikeouts while issuing three walks in 9.0 innings.  The Aggies will send junior transfer righty Charles Cantrell (1-0, 0.93 ERA) who has amassed five strikeouts.  He went 6.0 innings and allowed only one earned run with three K's in the Aggies 8-7 win over Marshall.
 
The series finale will see freshman lefty Dylan Beiland (Hickory, N.C.) toe-the-rubber in his second start of the year.  Beiland (0-0, 4.91 ERA) has thrown 7.1 innings to this point of the year and has issued nine walks to just three strikeouts.  A&T will send out a second junior transfer in righty Mitchell McQueen (1-1, 2.08 ERA).  McQueen threw a complete game four-hitter against Marshall, mowing down five batters in a 2-1 NC A&T victory.
The NCCU Sports Network will have full coverage of the weekend's festivities as veteran broadcaster Mike Wood will call the action from War Memorial Stadium beginning at 12:55 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday with the Denny's of Durham Pregame Show.
 
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