NORFOLK, Va. – The North Carolina Central University had a big weekend against Delaware State that included a historic no-hitter by Austin Vernon (Raleigh, N.C.) and a near cycle by Luis DeLeon (Providence, R.I.), and those two student-athletes have been named Pitcher of the Week and Player of the Week, respectively, by the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, the league office announced on Monday, May 10.
 
Vernon opened the weekend series by throwing the first no-hitter in the modern era at NCCU (21-18, 13-11 MEAC), and he faced just one over the minimum with eight strikeouts and one walked allowed.  The only runner he allowed occurred on a full-count, two-out walk in the top of the seventh, and the Eagles walked off in the bottom of the eighth by way of the 10-run rule to confirm the historic event.
 
DeLeon picked up at least two hits in all four games of the weekend series, and had two three-hit outings.  He came just a home run shy of the first cycle in the modern era at NCCU in the second game of the series, and racked up an impressive 10 hits and a .556 (10-for-18) batting average.  He slugged .833 with three doubles and a triple, and drove in four RBI with five runs scored.  He also went 3-for-3 on stolen base attempts.
 
This is the second time that Vernon and DeLeon have earned MEAC weekly honors, and these are the eighth and ninth MEAC awards for the NCCU baseball program this year.  An Eagle has been highlighted by the league for five consecutive weeks now, and this is the seventh MEAC Pitcher of the Week award, and third MEAC Player of the Week honor.
 
For more information on NCCU Athletics, visit NCCUEaglePride.com.