DURHAM, N.C. — The North Carolina Central University softball team is next scheduled to play a three-game Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) series at Norfolk State University with game one of Friday's doubleheader being nationally televised on ESPNU at 11 a.m. The Eagles and Spartans will conclude the Easter weekend set with a single game on Saturday at noon.
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 Norfolk State
DATE: Friday, April 15 at 11 a.m. (DH)
DATE: Saturday, April 16 at 12 p.m.
LOCATION: NSU Softball Field, Norfolk, Va.
WATCH (GAME ONE):
ESPNU
WATCH (GAME TWO & THREE):
Spartan Showcase
FOLLOW:
LIVE STATS;
@NCCUAthletics
NC CENTRAL DUGOUT:
The Eagles have lost their last six games after suffering a pair of losses in a doubleheader at Appalachian State University on Tuesday. NCCU (9-25 Overall, 6-6) is currently in fifth place out of eight teams in the conference standings and the Eagles will have a chance to move over .500 in the league with a series win.
NCCU's top two leading batters, who share time at the middle infield positions and who both pitch, have been crushing the ball in league play.
Freshman middle infielder/pitcher
Jaden Davis is the only Eagle with a batting average over .300 on the season. Davis just had a 10-game hit streak come to an end against the Mountaineers, but is still sporting a .349 batting average. Davis, who's average is .455 in a dozen league games, ranks ninth in the MEAC in batting average while leading the maroon and gray with eight stolen bases and 23 runs scored.
Sophomore middle infielder/pitcher
Jaylah Barr is batting .284 on the season, and has an OPS over 1.000 with three doubles and team-best totals of seven home runs and 18 walks. Barr has driven in 15 runs and scored nine times in 12 league tilt with a batting average of .412.
Barr and sophomore utility player
Hailey Batista rank first and second in the league with seven and six home runs, respectively. Batista (.250), who hit two home runs at App State on Tuesday, is tied with Barr with 22 RBI on the season.
The Eagles lead the MEAC in total home runs hit this season as NCCU's 27 homers leads second-place Norfolk State's 21 home runs by six.
Freshman outfielder
Jai'lyn Edwards is batting .382 in 12 league starts to increase her rookie batting average to .240 on the season. Senior catcher/designated player
Madison Mifsud (.264) continues her steady play, ranking third on the team with 18 RBI.
Junior second baseman/outfielder
Diamond Porter (.232) has scored 15 times and swiped seven bases. Classmate third baseman
Maegan Garrison (.224) has nine extra-base hits (4 2B, 2 3B, 3 HR) to rank second on the team with a .447 slugging percentage.
A couple of other freshmen have been impact players for the Eagles lineup as well. Outfielder
Jaidyn Hamby returned to NCCU's lineup last week and had three hits against the Mountaineers to bump up her batting average to .290. Pitcher/designated player
Ashanti Eubanks (.250) has seen more plate appearances recently and is batting .350 in the month of April.
NCCU's top three pitchers all share similar ERA's for a staff and defense that has allowed the most total runs this season out of MEAC institutions, including Davis (2-6, 7.14 ERA, 32 SO, 50.0 IP), Eubanks (6-8, 7.16 ERA, 59 SO, 89.0 IP) and Barr (0-7, 8.27 ERA, 16 SO, 31. 1 IP).
The Eagles played Norfolk State twice last season, losing the regular season showdown at the MEAC Round-Up by a 4-2 score. NCCU responded by knocking out the host Spartans in an elimination game of the MEAC Softball Championship, 5-2, in the next meeting last May. However, NCCU's five RBI in that triumph were driven in by four seniors no longer on the team and the complete-game victory was hurled by another senior no longer with the program.
NORFOLK STATE DUGOUT:
The Spartans have won eight straight games and last swept a three-game road MEAC series at South Carolina State University (7-2, 13-4, 15-7) last weekend. Norfolk State (24-15 Overall, 9-3 MEAC) is picked as co-favorites to win the league title with Morgan State. The Spartans have the most total wins out of conference programs and they are tied with the Bears in second place in the standings, just one game behind Maryland Eastern Shore.
NSU leads the MEAC with an average of 5.7 runs per game, including 8.3 runs per league contest, while also pacing the conference in slugging percentage (.442) and total doubles (65).
Four Spartans are batting over .300 on the season, with junior outfielder Imani Moore (.407) and freshman corner infielder Kenna Higa (.384) ranking second and third, correspondingly, in the conference in batting average. Moore is batting .472 in league play and has scored 17 time in the dozen conference clashes. Higa – who has 12 doubles, four home runs, 29 RBI, 27 runs and 13 walks on the season – leads the MEAC with a .663 slugging percentage and .491 on-base percentage.
A pair of 2021 First Team All-MEAC honorees in senior catcher Tuli Iosefa (.346) and senior corner infielder Gabby Vaughn (.268) are tied for second on the team with 28 RBI apiece. Iosefa is tied with Higa and junior catcher Loren Hudson (.328) with four home runs apiece.
Senior outfielder Alison Guckin (.280) leads the MEAC and ranks sixth nationally with 28 stolen bases.
Junior Alexis Robinson leads Norfolk State's pitching staff with a league-leading 12 wins. Robinson (12-2) is third in the MEAC with a 2.19 ERA. Senior Joana Vallejo (5-3, 3.24 ERA, 2 Saves) tops the Spartans with 77.2 innings pitched and 77 strikeouts for basically one strikeout per inning. Freshman Brierra Tyler (5-4, 4.58 ERA) matches Vallejo with five wins on the season and junior Cam Anderson (2-6, 5.90 ERA, 42 SO, 51.0 IP) is the MEAC Preseason Pitcher of the Year after leading the team in wins (7) and strikeouts (66) last season.
