DURHAM, N.C. — The North Carolina Central University softball team will look to move over .500 in league play when the Eagles host Delaware State University in a three-game Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference series at Thomas Brooks Park in Cary on Saturday-Sunday, April 2-3.
Fans are encouraged to check
NCCUEaglePride.com or the NCCU Eagles Athletics app for updates as the schedule is subject to change.
GAME INFO:
vs. Delaware State
DATE: Saturday, April 2 at 1 p.m. (DH)
DATE: Sunday, April 3 at 12 p.m.
LOCATION: Thomas Brooks Park, Cary, N.C.
WATCH/LISTEN:
NCCU Sports Network
FOLLOW:
LIVE STATS;
@NCCUAthletics
NC CENTRAL DUGOUT:
The Eagles dropped to .500 (3-3) at home with a narrow 5-3 loss to Campbell University on Wednesday in their last game. NCCU (6-19 Overall, 3-3 MEAC) is currently tied for fourth place in the conference standings with Norfolk State University.
NCCU's top seven batters are all hitting within 70 points of each other with freshman
Jaidyn Hamby (9 RBI) leading the group with a .294 batting average. Senior
Madison Mifsud (.271) is on a four-game hit streak and has eight RBI and four runs scored over that span and is second on the team with 12 RBI. Freshman
Jaden Davis (.270) and junior
Diamond Porter (.242) both have five stolen bases and are also both in the top-3 of the team in runs scored. Sophomore
Jaylah Barr (.268) has four multi-hit games in the past two weeks to increase her average to .268 while leading the team with five home runs and 14 RBI. Sophomore
Hailey Batista (.226) has team best totals of 15 runs and five doubles to go along with three home runs and nine RBI. Junior
Maegan Garrison (224) has contributed seven extra-base hits (3 2B, 2 3B, 2 HR) and 10 RBI.
Freshman
Ashanti Eubanks (3-6, 8.02 ERA) picked up NCCU's lone win in last weekend's three-game MEAC series at Maryland Eastern Shore to take over the team lead in wins (3) and strikeouts (37). Sophomore
Jaylah Barr (0-6, 9.37 ERA) and freshman
Anisa Reynolds (1-3, 10.50 ERA) have also seen a lot of time in the pitcher's circle the past two weeks as NCCU's leader in ERA has not pitched in the last seven games. Davis (2-4, 6.19 ERA) holds that honor for the Eagles.
NC Central and Delaware State played one game last season at the MEAC Round-Up in Orangeburg, South Carolina, and the Hornets won that contest 5-2.
DELAWARE STATE DUGOUT:
The Hornets have won their last two games to rally for a 2-1 MEAC series win over South Carolina State University last weekend. Delaware State (3-18 Overall, 2-4 MEAC) is one game behind NCCU in the league standings, sitting in a tie for sixth place with SCSU.
Out of qualifying pitchers, sophomore Sydney Hoffman has the fifth best ERA in the league. Hoffman (1-5, 3.15 ERA) has pitched more than double the innings than any other DSU pitcher with 46.2 innings pitched -- including five complete games -- in 10 appearances.
Senior Jaelyn Baker is the only Hornet batting over .220 on the season. She sports a .327 batting average with two home runs and 10 RBI. Senior Jonah Cunnigan (.167) and junior Felicity Munoz (.209) provide much of DSU's speed with seven and six stolen bases, respectively. Junior Sandrea Hord (.204) has a team-best three extra-base hits (2 2B, 1 3B).
Cunnigan, a Preseason All-MEAC First Team selection this season, also leads the Hornets with 10 runs scored. Cunnigan had a triple and two RBI in Delaware State's win over NCCU last season.
