DURHAM, N.C. – North Carolina Central University will see North Carolina A&T State University for the second time this season, this time around at the Durham Athletic Park for three games starting with a doubleheader on Saturday, April 16.
First pitch of the doubleheader will be at 1:00 p.m. followed by game two at approximately 4:00 p.m. The series finale will be on Sunday afternoon at 1:00 p.m. and admission to all games is free.
NCCU (17-19, 5-7 MEAC) took the series with NC A&T (9-27, 3-9 MEAC) when they first met in Greensboro on March 11-12 to open the Southern Division schedule in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference by winning two of the three that weekend.
With a sweep the Eagles could potentially move into second place of the Southern Division if other results go in their favor.
NCCU has been one of the top hitting clubs in the MEAC all season long and the Eagles are in the top-three of all of the offensive categories in the league, and most notably lead in home runs. As a team, the Eagles have launched 34 home runs, and are one long ball shy of tying the single season record set by the 2007 club, the first in the modern era.
Leading the way are
Conrad Kovalcik (Detroit, Mich.) and
Carlos Ortiz (Cleveland, Ohio) as they are both tied for the team lead with eight and are joint third in the MEAC standings. Ortiz is also in the top-50 in NCAA Division I in slugging percentage at .655 which is third in the MEAC, and second in the league in RBI with 32.
With the Eagles getting things done on the offensive side, the bullpen has been efficient as well with
Justice Sampson (Lumberton, N.C.) leading the conference with four saves. Sampson has made a staff-high 19 appearances with a 3-1 record and 4.22 ERA, and has notched 12 strikeouts over 21 and one-third of an inning pitched.
Milton Rivera (Humacao, Puerto Rico) has been the top batter for the Aggies this season, and he carries a team-leading .367 batting average. Rivera leads the MEAC in hits with 54, runs scored with 42, and total bases with 90 to push NC A&T.
On the mound, Tevelle Clark (Mableton, Ga.) is tied for most wins on the squad with a 2-1 record over eight starts, and he is fourth on the staff with 25 strikeouts. He has also thrown the most inning on the staff, lasting 43 and two-thirds of an inning, next to rotation partner Will Greene (Lenoir, N.C.) who has thrown 43 complete frames.
All games this weekend will be carried live on the NCCU Sports Network available at NCCUEaglePride.com, and live Twitter updates can be found by following @NCCUAthletics.
For more information on NCC Athletics, visit NCCUEaglePride.com.
