Virginia Beach, Virginia, May 11, 2010 - The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) will host the 2010 MEAC Softball Championship beginning Thursday, May 13 through Saturday, May15 at the Ormond Beach (Florida) Sports Complex. Bethune-Cookman University and Howard University finished as division leaders and will enter tournament play as the number one seeds.
Bethune-Cookman clinched the southern divisional title after defeating North Carolina A&T in three straight games last week. B-CU earns the top seed in the south with a 9-3 finish and 29-22 overall mark. The Lady Wildcats loss in back-to-back games to defending champion Florida A&M in the MEAC tournament championship final last year.
The Howard Bison earned their second straight conference divisional title after finishing with a 14-1 mark in the north and 24-20 overall record. The Bison were predicted to finish second in the conference's preseason poll but breezed through divisional play losing only one game to Coppin State. The Bison will enter tournament play boasting a nine game conference win streak.
The 2010 MEAC Softball Championship tournament gets underway Thursday, May 13 beginning at 10 a.m.
Bethune-Cookman (S1) will face Hampton (N4) while Howard (N1) will matchup against South Carolina State (S4) in the first games of the day. Games three and four, pitting Delaware State (N2) against Florida A&M (S3) and North Carolina A&T (S2) against Coppin State (N3), will begin at 1:30 p.m. The championship finale is set for Saturday, May 15 beginning at 1 p.m.
Only the top four teams in each division can compete in the two-game elimination tournament and vie for the championship title. Morgan State (3-12), Maryland Eastern Shore (0-15) and Norfolk State (3-9) have been eliminated from post season play based on their conference finish and/or tiebreaking procedures.
Admission for the 2010 MEAC Softball Championship is $5 for youth, students and seniors. Discounted ticket packages for all three days can be purchased for $12. Tickets are available at the Ormond Beach Sports Complex beginning on Thursday, May 13.
Media interested in covering the 2010 MEAC Softball Championship can fill out a credential application located on www.MEACsports.com.
Find the 2010 MEAC Softball Championship bracket here.
2010 MEAC Softball Tournament Seedings
Northern Division
1. Howard (14-1 MEAC, 24-20)
2. Delaware State (10-5 MEAC, 27-18)
3. Coppin State (9-6 MEAC, 22-20)
4. Hampton (9-6 MEAC, 21-36)
Southern Division
1. Bethune-Cookman (9-3 MEAC, 28-22)
2. North Carolina A&T (8-4 MEAC, 25-25)
3. Florida A&M (7-5 MEAC, 27-22)
4. South Carolina State (3-9 MEAC, 8-41)*
*earned tournament berth following conference tie-breaking procedures