VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - The defending MEAC tournament champion Florida A&M Lady Rattlers were predicted to win the 2010 MEAC Softball title as voted on by the conference's head softball coaches and sports information directors.  Delaware State was slated to finish first in the Northern division, while the Lady Rattlers were picked to win the Southern division along with the conference's tournament title.

North Carolina A&T's Ryanne Hill was selected as the conference's Preseason Player of the Year.  Florida A&M's Amanda Reyes was named the Preseason Pitcher of the Year.

The Lady Rattlers finished the 2009 season with a 30-32 overall record and an unblemished 12-0 mark in conference play.  FAMU cruised through the MEAC championship winning 4-of-5 games including a 9-1 route against Bethune-Cookman in the tournament's finale.  Head coach Veronica Wiggins recorded her 500^th career victory last season and guided the Lady Rattlers to a school record 30 wins.

Delaware State finished third in the north with an 8-6 MEAC record and 23-24 overall mark.  The Lady Hornets won the conference title in 2008 but feel short of the title repeat in 2009 losing to Florida A&M and Hampton in back-to-back games in the championship tournament.

The 2009 MEAC Player of the Year Ryanne Hill of North Carolina A&T was selected as the conference's Preseason Player of the Year.  Hill led the MEAC in doubles (15), and ranked second in hits (60) and total bases (96).  She led her team in hitting (.361), third best in the MEAC, and recorded five home runs, 15 doubles, three triples and 46 RBI in 49 starts last season.

FAMU's Amanda Reyes earned the 2009 MEAC Pitcher of the Year after finishing with a 22-20 record including three saves and an ERA of 2.66 in 255.2 innings, second most in the MEAC last year.  She was undefeated in conference play with an 8-0 mark and finished with a conference low ERA of 0.36. 

Hill and Reyes are joined by Alyssa Velazquez (NSU), Tamra Griffin (MSU), Sharde' Estep (Ham), Kelsie Saunders (Ham), Rebecca Kirshner (How), Jada Jefferies (Ham), Courtney Young (How), and Rebecca Barnes (NSU) to round out the preseason team. 

Allison Garcia (B-CU), Ciera Gordon (How), Jasmine Donaldson (FAMU) and Brianeisha Eure (NSU) received honorable mention.

Conference play begins April 2-3 with all MEAC northern and southern divisional teams in action.  The 2010 MEAC Softball Championship tournament is scheduled for May 13-15, 2010 at the Ormond Beach Sports Complex in Ormond Beach, Florida.