NORFOLK, Va. – North Carolina Central University sophomore Corey Joyce (Lexington, N.C.) followed up his Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Rookie of the Year campaign from 2017 by being named MEAC Player of the Year after the 2018 season as voted by the league's coaches and sports information directors, the conference office announced on Tuesday, May 15. 
 
Joyce lands on the First Team list along with senior Zach Michalski (Belews Creek, N.C.).  Seniors Devin Sweet (Greensboro, N.C.) and Andrew Valichka (Pedricktown, N.J.) are on the Second Team along with sophomore Carter Williams (Brown Summit, N.C.), and senior Dominic Cuevas (Gurnee, Ill.) was named Third Team All-MEAC.
 
Joyce is the first Eagle to be named MEAC Baseball Player of the Year, and he accomplished the feat by leading the MEAC in batting average (.358), hits (64), walks (32), and he is currently ranked 14th in the nation in stolen bases with 27.  He also broke the school record for doubles with 15 which ranked as the second-most in the league on the way to a league-second best slugging percentage (.542) and on base percentage (.456).  Joyce lifted six home runs to tie for fourth in the MEAC, and drove in 37 RBI to finish sixth in the league.
 
Michalski broke the school record for RBI during the 2018 season, and became the first Eagle to drive in 50+ RBI as he finished with 51 to lead the MEAC.  He crushed eight home runs to finish tied for the league lead and he ranks third in slugging percentage at .525.  Michalski batted .318 with a .376 on base percentage, and struck out the fewest times this season among NCCU starters.  He finished with 57 total hits to rank seventh in the MEAC, and knocked 13 doubles to tie for fourth.
 
Sweet collected a school-record 87 strikeouts this season to lead the MEAC, and had a remarkable three starts where he threw 10+ strikeouts.  He had a career game when he fanned 12 batters without a walk as he threw the first nine-inning complete game win since 2012 against Savannah State.  He threw the second-most innings in the league with 85.1 and led the league in starts with 14 on the way to five wins.  He was also one of the more accurate pitchers in the conference as he finished tied for fourth in fewest walks with 20.
 
Valcihka provided a big spark from third base as he drove in 38 RBI, the fifth-most in the MEAC.  He also finished top-10 in hits with 54 as he batted .276.  Valichka slugged .413 with 12 doubles and five home runs and gathered 81 total bases, the seventh most in the MEAC.  He had one of his best games in his career against Iona as he drove in five RBI on a pair of doubles in a victory.  From the hot corner, he made 55 putouts along with 92 assists.
 
Williams generated some power from the leadoff spot in the order as he tallied 13 doubles, five triples and six home runs for a .521 slugging percentage which ranks fourth in the MEAC.  With five triples, he tied for the league lead, and ranks 26th in the nation in that category.  He also finished tied for third in hits with 59, fourth in runs scored with 41, and fourth in home runs with six.  Williams also became the first Eagle to reach 100 total bases, and led the league in that category.  This season he was a double-shy from becoming the first Eagle to hit for the cycle against Iona, as he registered three hits including a triple and a home run.
 
Cuevas finished ninth in the MEAC in runs scored with 36, and batted .285 with 10 doubles, two triples, and one home run.  He had 51 total hits and slugged .380 with a .393 on base percentage.  Defensively, he ranks sixth in assists with 115, and fifth in fielding double plays with 24 from the shortstop position.  One of his defining moments this season was when he went 2-for-4 with a go-ahead bases-clearing, three-RBI triple in the bottom of the eighth to help the Eagles to a dramatic win over High Point.


VIDEO: Jeff Jones of CBS 17 talks with MEAC Baseball Player of the Year Corey Joyce