DURHAM, N.C. — The North Carolina Central University softball team will enter the 2021 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Softball Championship contested at the Norfolk State University Softball Field from Thursday-Saturday, May 13-15, as the second seed from the Southern Division.
The Eagles will open up the double-elimination tournament against Northern Division champion Morgan State University on Thursday at 3 p.m. If NCCU wins Thursday, the Eagles will play the winner of the No. 1 southern seeded North Carolina A&T State University versus No. 2 northern seeded Norfolk State game on Friday at noon. If NCCU loses Thursday, the Eagles will play an elimination game against the loser of that game on Friday at 3 p.m. Another elimination game will be played at 6 p.m. Friday before the championship game(s) will be contested on Saturday beginning at noon.
TOURNAMENT INFO:
WEBSITE:
2021 MEAC Softball Championship
INFO:
Bracket
LIVE STATS:
Live Stats;
VIDEO (Saturday Only):
FloSports
LOCATION:
NSU Softball Field, Norfolk Va.
NC CENTRAL DUGOUT:
1ST STRIKE (RECORD): The Eagles finished the regular season winning five straight games to clinch their fourth consecutive trip to the MEAC Championship. NCCU finished the regular season 11-29 overall and 9-7 in the league.
2ND STRIKE (OFFENSE): Senior first baseman
Joirea Dumas is batting a team-best .336 and finished the regular season as the MEAC home run champion with seven homers on her way to earning First Team All-MEAC honors. Dumas also leads the Eagles with 25 RBI and nine doubles. Senior outfielder
Tamiera Sanchez garnered Third Team All-MEAC attention after batting a team-best .395 in 16 league contests. A couple of freshmen in
Hailey Batista (.252, 20 R, 18 RBI, 7 2B, 3 3B, 2 HR) and
Imara Harrell (.292, 13 R, 9 RBI, 8 SB) have been a couple of other key contributors in NCCU's lineup. A couple of former All-MEAC honorees have started to produce more late in the season with senior
Olivia Daniels batting .385 during NCCU's current win streak and senior
Nadia Blevins has moved into the team lead in stolen bases (9) with eight stolen bases in the two most recent series wins over N.C. A&T and South Carolina State University.
3RD STRIKE (PITCHING): Senior
Kiara Hurley has become NCCU's first two-time All-MEAC softball honoree since joining the league in 2011-12 when she was named First Team All-MEAC earlier in the week. Hurley has factored in 10 of NCCU's 11 wins with seven victories and three saves. In league play, Hurley sports a 7-3 record with a 1.57 ERA, two saves and 42 strikeouts.
MORGAN STATE DUGOUT:
1ST STRIKE (RECORD): The Bears won the MEAC Northern Division with a 14-5 league record. Morgan State also boasts a 21-15 overall record after winning eight of their last 11 games, starting with a 5-2 win over NCCU on April 18.
2ND STRIKE (OFFENSE): Sophomore Ellen Ebbers (.349, 18 RBI), senior Haylee Bobos (.287, 18 RBI) and senior Aliya Ewell (.286, 19 RBI) top MSU's lineup in average and RBI. They all have hit two home runs as well.
3RD STRIKE (PITCHING): Morgan State sports a 2.90 team ERA on the season. Junior MiKayla Barnard (8-5, 2.81 ERA, 61 K, 82.1 IP) and senior Stephanie Rundlett (9-7, 3.33 ERA, 71 K, 88.1 IP) have factored in nearly every win as they have spilt majority of the workload for the Bears. Rundlett is a three-time All-MEAC selection and got the win in MSU's win over NCCU in the regular season.
