DURHAM, N.C. – North Carolina Central University has a chance to move into second place of the Southern Division of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference as the Eagles continue to chase down first place when they visit Bethune-Cookman University for three games this weekend, April 23-24.
 
NCCU (21-19, 8-7 MEAC) is currently third in the division behind B-CU (16-22, 9-6 MEAC) and league leaders Florida A&M University (22-13, 12-3 MEAC).  The Wildcats took two out of three when these two sides first met in Durham, so the Eagles will be looking to turn the tables to keep pace with the Rattlers.
 
The Eagles are benefitting from a big season at the plate and bullpen from James Dey (Charlotte, N.C.) who has a team-leading .369 batting average which is also second in the conference behind B-CU's Clay Middleton (Oviedo, Fla.).  After a long ball hit in the weekend finale of a sweep of North Carolina A&T State University, Dey is up to five home runs with seven doubles to total 23 RBI, and a slugging percentage of .568.
 
In relief, Dey has a 3.14 ERA in 10 appearances and just got his first career save against Longwood University on Tuesday, April 19.  Over 14 and one-third of an inning Dey has struck out 22 while allowing just seven walks and five earned runs.
 
In the starting rotation, Andrew Vernon (Raleigh, N.C.) is at the top of the heap with 61 strikeouts compared to the rest of the league, and he is also tied for the league lead with 24 called third strikes.  He is second in the league in qualifying pitchers with a 4.17 ERA and third with an opposing batting average of just .253.  Just recently, Vernon broke the modern era record for career appearances with 77 and he is expected to build on that new mark during the series with B-CU.
 
While Middleton leads the Wildcats in batting average, Michael Cruz (Aguadilla, P.R.) leads in power with a league-best 12 home runs, and he is also tied for 12th in NCAA Division I in that category.  Cruz is fourth in the MEAC in slugging percentage at .634, and has also knocked four doubles and a triple.  He is responsible for 27 RBI and carries an impressive .462 on-base percentage.
 
B-CU has a strong stable of pitchers in its rotation including Tyler Norris (Coral Springs, Fla.) who is tied for first in the league with five wins with a 5-2 record.  Norris has thrown two complete games and has been involved in two shutouts, including one solo.  He has racked up a team-high 45 strikeouts, and has walked just 10 batters.
 
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 NCCU Athletics, visit NCCUEaglePride.com.