DURHAM, N.C. – The winner of the North Carolina Central University at North Carolina A&T State University series, which has been moved up to Friday and Saturday, April 29-30 due to the inclement weather forecast on Sunday, will most likely earn the Southern Division's final seed for the 2016 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Tournament in a couple weeks.
NCAT clinches the fourth seed by winning the three-game series either 3-0 or 2-1. NCCU advances to the postseason and eliminated the Aggies with a 3-0 series win or by winning the series 2-1 along with at least one loss by South Carolina State University in its final series against frontrunner Savannah State University. The Lady Bulldogs would need to sweep the Lady Tigers and have the Lady Eagles win 2 of 3 against NCAT to steal the last bid.
All three games will be carried live on the NCCU Sports Network, with Mike Wood on air with the play-by-play. For more information on NCCU Athletics, visit NCCUEaglePride.com and follow @NCCUAthletics on Twitter.
GAME INFO
Friday, April 29 at 5:00 p.m.
N.C. Central at North Carolina A&T
Aggie Softball Complex | Greensboro, N.C
AUDIO
Saturday, April 30 at 1:00/3:00 p.m.
N.C. Central at North Carolina A&T
Aggie Softball Complex | Greensboro, N.C.
AUDIO
N.C. Central Softball
A series win over South Carolina State University last weekend has kept the Lady Eagles playoff hopes alive. NCCU is 6-39 overall and 2-10 in the MEAC.
Five upperclassmen pace the Lady Eagles offense with batting averages over .250. Senior pitcher/utility
London Booker is batting a team-best .316 after being inserted into the lineup a couple weeks ago. Senior third baseman/outfielder
Markell Wylie and junior pitcher/designated player
Dominique Wilson have matching .289 batting averages. Wylie has scored 21 runs and Wilson has tallied 19 RBI. Senior second baseman
Jenny Tracy sports a .287 average with four home runs. Senior catcher
Casey Hargett follows with a .261 average and eight doubles.
Sophomore shortstop/outfielder
Danyelle Noland adds speed to the lineup, batting .231 with seven stolen bases. Senior first baseman
Kayleigh Brueck (.214) recently returned to the NCCU lineup after missing eight games due to injury and she is second on the squad with 14 RBI.
Booker, Wilson and Brueck all have two homers.
Booker (4-15, 5.82 ERA) has won two of her last three starts in the pitcher's circle and highlights the Maroon and Gray arms with four wins and 79 strikeouts in 98.2 innings. Wilson (0-10, 6.29 ERA), junior
Jennifer Allison (1-13, 6.00 ERA) and freshman
Breanna Carter (0-1, 3.05 ERA) may see action on the rubber this weekend as well.
NCCU is trying to advance to the MEAC Tournament for the first time since joining the league in 2011-12. The Lady Eagles picked up their first series win against NCAT last season, winning 2 of 3 games in Durham, but the Aggies hold a slight 7-5 all-time advantage over NCCU in MEAC competition.
North Carolina A&T Softball
The Aggies snapped a seven-game MEAC losing streak by winning the middle game of its series at Savannah State last weekend but they went on to lose the series. NCAT is 14-28 overall, 3-9 in the league and 9-9 at home.
For the second straight season, sophomore Raven Gray leads the Aggies offense. The preseason All-MEAC selection is batting .362 with four home runs, 27 RBI, 26 runs and 10 stolen bases.
A pair of freshmen are also batting over .300 for NCAT. Catcher Lorrin Turner sports a .333 average with 13 runs and 10 RBI. Pitcher Zadaisha Young-Waddell is batting .327 with six home runs, 27 RBI and 17 runs.
Other top bats in the Aggies lineup include senior pitcher Janika May (.292, 19 RBI, 27 R) and senior shortstop Alejandra Barcenas (.282, 10 2B, 13 RBI, 36 R).
Waddell (4-15, 6.06 ERA, 59 SO, 101.2 IP) and May (4-10, 4.80 ERA, 44 SO, 77.1 IP) both have four wins apiece in 33 combined starts. Freshman Mohagony Headen (6-3, 4.32 ERA, 64 SO, 82.2 IP) has started the fewest games (9), but has the staffs most wins, lowest ERA and most strikeouts.
