DURHAM, N.C. – A series sweep by either host North Carolina Central University or visiting South Carolina State University would greatly enhance the victorious program's chances at making the 2015 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Softball Tournament when the two squad's play a pivotal three-game series at Parkwood Athletic Park currently scheduled for Saturday-Sunday, April 11-12.
WEATHER UPDATE: The Durham County area is expected to get rain on Friday evening. If the field becomes too wet for play on Saturday, the series will shift to Sunday-Monday, April 12-13. Fans are encouraged to check the NCCU softball schedule webpage for the most current dates and times.
Saturday, April 11 (1:00/3:00 PM)S.C. State at N.C. Central
Durham, N.C. (Parkwood Field)
LIVE AUDIO Sunday, April 12 (12:00 PM)S.C. Central at N.C. Central
Durham, N.C. (Parkwood Field)
LIVE AUDIO To keep up with this weekend's action, listen to the game broadcast at NCCUEaglePride.com or the NCCU Sports Network mobile app, or follow @NCCUAthletics on Twitter.
North Carolina Central University Softball The Lady Eagles will be trying to end an eight-game skid and move ahead of SCSU in the MEAC Southern Division standings. NCCU (14-20 Overall, 0-6 MEAC) was swept by Savannah State University and Bethune-Cookman University in its last six games.
NCCU's team batting average has dropped 15 points since starting league play and is now third best in the MEAC at .284. The Lady Eagles are only averaging 2.5 runs per game in six conference contests.
Senior catcher/outfielder
Emerie Germ leads the Lady Eagles and ranks fourth in the MEAC with a .417 batting average. Germ also slips into the top-10 of the league in RBI (21) and runs (21).
Junior
Casey Hargett and sophomore
Dominique Wilson provide two other strong bats in NCCU's lineup with averages of .369 and .343, respectively. Hargett, who is currently riding a five-game hit streak, leads the Lady Eagles with eight doubles and 23 runs. Wilson and Germ both have five home runs on the season.
Juniors
Demiree Briones (.262) and
Brianna Hampton (.258) provide depth in NCCU's lineup as the Lady Eagles have five active batters with an average over .250.
Wilson (5-9, 4.39 ERA, 97.1 IP) and junior
London Booker (8-11, 5.75 ERA, 106.0 IP) after in the top-5 of the conference in strikeouts with Wilson tied for the league lead with 80 K's and Booker is fifth with 70 whiffs.
NCCU lost two of three games to South Carolina State (L, 2-3; W, 8-0; L, 1-5) in Orangeburg, South Carolina, last season. The Lady Eagles are 6-11 against SCSU since joining the NCAA Division I ranks.
South Carolina State University Softball The Lady Bulldogs have an even longer losing streak dropping their last 10 trips to the diamond. SCSU (5-18 Overall, 0-6 MEAC) started the season 4-0 but has since lost 18 of the next 19 contests. The Lady Bulldogs lost their first two league series to Bethune-Cookman and North Carolina A&T.
SCSU has a .256 team batting average and a 5.20 pitching staff ERA.
Junior catcher Ciana Burt (.341) and sophomore utility Jasmine Harris (.333) lead the Lady Bulldogs offensively with batting averages over .300. Senior Makala Johnson, who is the fifth toughest player in NCAA Division I to strikeout, has a .298 average and has 13 RBI, 11 runs and five doubles. The trio of Johnson, freshman Jada Richardson (.224, 15 RBI) and junior Kahla Caster (.271, 14 RBI) have manufactured nearly half of SCSU's runs.
Sophomore Jareece Sayles (3-11, 4.34 ERA, 90.1 IP, 50 K) has pitched majority of the innings for the Lady Bulldogs. Classmate Kierra Cromer (2-4, 5.25 ERA, 42.2 IP, 11 K) has accounted for SCSU's other two pitching wins.
The Lady Bulldogs are one of the best fielding teams in the MEAC having committed the fewest errors (33 errors in 23 games) while maintaining a .950 fielding percentage.
