DURHAM, N.C. – The North Carolina Central University softball team is coming off its most league wins in the regular season since joining the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference and the third-seeded Eagles will open up play in the 2023 MEAC Softball Championship on Wednesday at the Norfolk State University Softball Field.
 
The top six teams in the regular-season standings will be competing in the double-elimination tournament (bracket), which offers a chance to earn the league's automatic berth to the NCAA Division I Softball Championship.
 
NC Central posted a 12-7 record against conference competition this season and will play sixth-seeded University of Maryland Eastern Shore in the second game of the four-day tournament, with first pitch scheduled for noon. If the Eagles win, NCCU will play a second game on Wednesday against host and second-seeded Norfolk State at 6 p.m.  
 
In the other half of the bracket, fourth-seeded Howard University will play fifth-seeded Coppin State University will kick-off the action at 9 a.m. on Wednesday and winner of that game will face top-seeded Morgan State University at 3 p.m.
 
Tickets are $10 per day or $35 for a tournament pass, which covers all games over the four days. All tickets must be purchased at NSUSpartansTickets.com. Live stats will also be available for all games and the championship game(s) on Saturday will be broadcast on ESPN+ (all of those links are available on NCCUEaglePride.com and on the championship central website).
 
The elimination round begins with two games on Thursday at 12 p.m. and 3 p.m., followed by a winner's bracket game at 6 p.m. Friday's semifinal games are at 12 p.m. and 3 p.m. The championship game is set for Saturday, May 13, beginning at 12 p.m., and will be broadcast live on ESPN+, with the team from the winners' bracket needing only one win to claim the championship trophy. If the team that comes out of the losers' bracket wins the first game on Saturday, a second game will be played at a time to be determined later. If necessary, the second game will also be broadcast live on ESPN+.
 
NCCU softball has won at least one game in the MEAC Championship each of its first two seasons under head coach Cat Tarvin, including an appearance in the title game(s) in 2021. The Eagles will open up tourney play against the UMES Hawks for a second straight postseason.
 
A pair of Eagle freshmen sport two of the top-10 best batting averages in the league in shortstop Makiya Graves (.363) and first baseman Takia Nichols (.336). Junior outfielder Imara Harrell is batting .431 against MEAC competition to rank third on the team with a season batting average of .316. Sophomore Jaden Davis (.312) is a fourth NCCU player batting over .300 as she enters the postseason riding a six-game hit streak in games she bats and does not just pitch.
 
Davis (8 wins, 3.27 ERA) and sophomore classmate Ashanti Eubanks (6 wins, 5.89 ERA) have nearly accounted for all of NCCU's wins and innings pitched.
 
NCCU has a powerful lineup, leading the MEAC in home runs. The junior duo of Maegan Garrison and Ivory Jones led the conference with eight home runs apiece while Nichols follows closely behind with seven home runs.
 
For more information on NCCU Athletics, visit NCCUEaglePride.com, or download the NCCU Eagles Athletics app.