NORFOLK, Va. – The North Carolina Central University softball team was recognized with four players earning 2022 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) postseason awards as announced by the league office on Tuesday, including sophomore shortstop
Jaylah Barr, junior third baseman
Maegan Garrison, sophomore catcher
Hailey Batista and senior first baseman
Madison Mifsud.
All four of those Eagles were selected to the Preseason All-MEAC Teams and they all backed up that attention with strong 2022 seasons for the maroon and gray.
Barr was voted First Team All-MEAC by the head coaches and sports information directors within the league. Garrison garnered Second Team All-MEAC praise while Batista and Mifsud claimed Third Team All-MEAC accolades.
It marks the first postseason All-MEAC award for all four Eagles.
NCCU enters the MEAC Softball Championship leading the MEAC in home runs per game and that quartet of All-MEAC honorees all rank in the top-10 of the league in home runs.
Barr, who batted .257 for the season, took off against conference competition as she batted .340 in 18 league tilts. Four of her team-high seven home runs and 16 of 26 RBI came in those contests. Barr's seven home runs is tied for fourth in the MEAC.
The resident of Batesburg-Leesville saw most of her time at shortstop, but also played some at the other middle infield position as well as pitching on occasion. Barr topped NCCU with a .910 OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage).
Barr was named MEAC Player of the Week on March 22 after batting .545 with three home runs, five RBI, five runs and one stolen base in games against Western Carolina and South Carolina State.
Garrison started 41 games for the Eagles covering the hot corner and batted .257 in the regular season. She upped that average to .328 in league play with seven of her 12 extra-base hits coming against conference competition.
The Harrisburg, North Carolina, product had a two home run outing against Canisius and a five-RBI performance against Western Carolina. Garrison had multi-hit games in five MEAC match-ups, including going 7-for-11 in a series against Coppin State.
Garrison finished the season with 16 RBI, 15 runs, five doubles, a team-best three triples and four home runs.
Batista, who finished her rookie season earning All-MEAC Tournament praise, led NCCU with 26 RBI, 27 runs, nine doubles and seven home runs in her second season. She batted .256 for the regular season, with that average bumping up to .311 in league play.
The local resident of Mebane, North Carolina, ranks tied for fourth in the MEAC in home runs, 10th in doubles and 10th in slugging percentage (.513).
Batista is one of just two Eagles to start all 45 games for NCCU and she saw action all over the field, but with majority of her time in league play coming behind the plate. Batista was successful on all four of her stolen base attempts. She had a walk-off, three-run homer against Western Carolina; five RBI against Appalachian State; four RBI versus Delaware State; and a four-hit performance against Maryland Eastern Shore.
Mifsud, who also caught and played first base like Batista, also started all 45 regular season contests. Mifsud stayed consistent all season with her .252 batting average, but became a power bat for the Eagles in league play.
Mifsud hails from Jacksonville, Florida, and led NCCU with 18 RBI in 21 league games. She hit three of her four home runs in those tilts on her way to tallying 23 total RBI on the season.
During an eight-game hit streak, Mifsud had four RBI performances against Maryland Eastern Shore and Delaware State, which included a homer each of those two contests. She added a third four-RBI outing in league play in a 3-for-3 contest against Coppin State.
NCCU is the fifth-seed in the 2022 MEAC Softball Championship and will play fourth-seed Maryland Eastern Shore in the first round on Wednesday at 9 a.m.
