DURHAM, N.C. — The North Carolina Central University softball team will play its first Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) road series of the season when the Eagles travel to Princess Anne to play three games at University of Maryland Eastern Shore on Saturday-Sunday, March 26-27.
Fans are encouraged to check
NCCUEaglePride.com or the NCCU Eagles Athletics app for updates as the schedule is subject to change.
GAME INFO:
at Maryland Eastern Shore
DATE: Saturday, March 26 at 1 p.m. (DH)
DATE: Sunday, March 27 at 12 p.m.
LOCATION: Hawk Field, Princess Anne, Md.
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NC CENTRAL DUGOUT:
The Eagles are 3-3 in their last six games and they opened up league play with a 2-1 series win over South Carolina State University last weekend. NCCU (5-16 Overall, 2-1 MEAC) is 3-2 in home games, but just 0-8 in true road games. The Eagles were picked fourth in the MEAC Preseason Predicted Order of Finish Poll and are in a two-way tie for third place in the conference standings after the opening weekend.
Junior
Diamond Porter (.220) is riding a six-game hit streak after supplying the only maroon and gray hit in a 7-0 loss at Elon University in NCCU's last game on Tuesday. Porter has three home runs in three league games this season while leading the Eagles with 10 runs scored and five stolen bases.
The freshman duo of
Jaidyn Hamby and
Jaden Davis lead NCCU with averages of .294 and .288, respectively. Hamby has four extra-base hits and nine RBI while Davis has scored eight times and swiped four stolen bases.
Sophomore
Jaylah Barr (.250) is the reigning MEAC Player of the Week after she batted .545 in five games last week with three home runs and five RBI last week, to increase her team-leading totals to five home runs and 11 RBI. She leads the conference in home runs and is second in the league with a .614 slugging percentage.
Junior Meagan Garrison (.200) is matching Hamby with nine RBI while six of her seven hits on the season have been for extra bases. Sophomore
Hailey Batista (.191) is tied for the team lead in runs scored (10) and tied for second on the team in home runs (3). Senior
Madison Mifsud (.217) joins Barr, Batista and Garrison as Preseason All-MEAC Team selections this season.
Another rookie pair in
Ashanti Eubanks (2-5, 9.98 ERA, 31 SO, 40.0 IP) and
Anisa Reynolds (1-3, 10.68 ERA, 11 SO, 19.2 IP) both picked up their first collegiate wins this past week. Eubanks got wins in consecutive games to match Davis (2-4, 6.19 ERA, 29 SO, 46.1 IP) for the team lead in wins.
NCCU will be playing Eastern Shore for the first time since the 2019 season when the Eagles won four of their five contests against the Hawks that campaign.
MARYLAND EASTERN SHORE DUGOUT:
The Hawks have won their last four games and opened up league play with a three-game series sweep at home against Delaware State University last weekend. Maryland Eastern Shore (6-17 Overall, 3-0) is 4-5 at home. The Hawks were picked seventh out of eight teams in the MEAC Preseason Predicted Order of Finish Poll, but are currently tied for first place with Morgan State University after one week of conference competition.
Sophomore speedster Tatum Kresley is having a big first playing season with the Hawks. The outfielder tops the team with a .372 batting average and 14 runs scored. Kresley also ranks second in the MEAC with 14 stolen bases, third in the leagues with three triples and third in the conference in toughest to strikeout (15.6 plate appearances per strikeout).
Eastern Shore has two other sophomore hitters with batting averages over .300 in Julia Garcia (.313) and Kelsie Ekstrom (.302). Garcia leads the team with 17 RBI and is second on the squad with two home runs. Ekstrom has a team-best .403 on-base percentage while chipping in five doubles and eight RBI.
The Hawks have used five pitchers this season with Nasya Goodman (4-7, 3.77 ERA, 27 SO, 52.0 IP) and Ameenah Ballenger (2-4, 5.55 ERA, 10 SO, 29.0 IP) combining to account for the six pitching victories.
