NORFOLK, Va. — The fifth-seeded North Carolina Central University softball team will open up play in the 2022 MEAC Softball Championship hosted by Norfolk State University against fourth-seeded Maryland Eastern Shore on Wednesday at 9 a.m.
The contest between the Eagles and Hawks will open up play for the four-day, double-elimination tournament. The winner of that game will play a second game on Wednesday against top-seeded Morgan State University at 3 p.m. The loser of the NCCU/MDES contest will play an elimination game on Thursday at 3 p.m. (opponent TBD).
The other first round game features the third-seeded hosts Norfolk State playing sixth-seeded Coppin State University on Wednesday at noon. Second-seed Howard University joins MSU with a first-round bye and will be waiting to play the winner of the NSU/CSU tilt on Wednesday at 6 p.m.
GAME INFO:
#5 NC Central vs. #4 Maryland Eastern Shore
DATE: Wednesday, May 11 at 9 a.m.
LOCATION: NSU Softball Field, Norfolk, Md.
TOURNAMENT INFO:
Bracket;
Website;
Tickets
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@NCCUAthletics
NC CENTRAL DUGOUT:
The Eagles will enter postseason play with 11 regular season wins for a second straight season and will look to regain some of its postseason magic from last year. NCCU (11-35 Overall, 8-13 MEAC) won two elimination games last season to advance to the championship game for the first time since joining the league in 2011-12. The Eagles have now qualified for postseason play for each of the last five MEAC Softball Championships and NCCU has won at least one game in each of its last four tourney appearances.
Freshman pitcher/second baseman
Jaden Davis has been leading the Eagles in many statistical categories as a rookie. Davis tops NCCU with a .319 batting average, 10 stolen bases, 27 runs and a 6.11 ERA. In MEAC play, Davis has a .365 batting average with 10 runs scored and nine stolen bases in 21 games.
The maroon and gray enters postseason play leading the conference in home runs per game (0.71) and NCCU has four players ranking in the top-10 of the MEAC in home runs in sophomore pitcher/shortstop
Jaylah Barr (7), sophomore utility
Hailey Batista (7), senior first baseman/catcher
Madison Mifsud (4) and junior third baseman
Maegan Garrison (4). That quartet were all named to the 2022 MEAC Preseason All-MEAC Team. Barr (.340), Garrison (.328) and Batista (.311) are all batting over .300 in league play while Mifsud (.281) leads the team with 18 RBI in 21 league starts. Batista has a team-best totals of 27 runs, 26 RBI and nine doubles; Barr and Mifsud follow with 23 RBI; and Garrison tops NCCU with three triples.
A few other freshmen are making a big impact for the Eagles. Freshman pitcher/designated player
Ashanti Eubanks is third in the MEAC with .468 on-base percentage while sporting team-best totals of six wins, 3.14 ERA and 44 strikeouts in 58.0 innings pitched in league play. Outfielders
Jai'lyn Edwards (.204, 14 RBI, 2 HR) and
Jaidyn Hamby (.278, 11 RBI) have been two other consistent starters as rookies.
Senior outfielder/second baseman
Diamond Porter is batting .212 in 41 starks and is a perfect 8-for-8 on stolen base attempts.
NCCU went 1-2 against Maryland Eastern Shore in the regular season, rallying for an 11-9 win in the series opener. Mifsud hit a grand slam in that contest; Edwards hit safely three times with a trio of RBI; and Barr had two hits, a walk and two RBI.
MARYLAND EASTERN SHORE DUGOUT:
The Hawks, who were picked seventh out of eight teams in the MEAC Preseason Predicted Order of Finish poll, were the big surprise team of the season by finishing fourth in the league standings. Maryland Eastern Shore (18-31 Overall, 13-8 MEAC) won three of its last four games heading into postseason play, including a series win over Norfolk State.
Sophomore speedster Tatum Kresley is having a big first playing season with the Hawks. The outfielder tops the MEAC with a .437 batting average, 73 hits and 37 stolen bases while also ranking in the top-5 of the league with a .469 on-base percentage (2nd), 40 runs (3rd) and five triples (4th). Kresley is batting .542 with 24 runs and 23 stolen bases in 21 MEAC contests.
Eastern Shore has two other sophomore hitters with batting averages over .300 in Julia Garcia (.355) and Kelsie Ekstrom (.301). Garcia leads the team with 40 RBI (3rd in the MEAC), seven home runs (T-4th) and 16 doubles. Ekstrom is batting .344 in league play.
The Hawks have used five pitchers this season with Nasya Goodman (8-13, 4.14 ERA, 65 SO, 128.1 IP) and Ameenah Ballenger (7-8, 4.43 ERA, 41 SO, 85.1 IP) combining for 15 of Eastern Shore's 18 wins. Goodman (6-2, 3.81 ERA) and Ballenger (4-3, 3.63 ERA) both sport sub-4.00 ERA's in MEAC play.
Maryland Eastern Shore won the last two games of its series at NCCU by scores of 7-6 and 9-5 to claim the regular season series. Kresley had six hits in those two wins with five runs scored. She stole four total bases in the series as the Hawks swiped 13 total bases in those three games.
