Delaware State outfielder Jordan Reid was named the MEAC Softball Player of the Year for the second consecutive year. Maryland Eastern Shore's Charlise Castro was named Rookie of the Year. Bethune-Cookman's Allison Garcia earned Pitcher of the Year honors and Lady Wildcats' head coach Chris Cochran received the Coach of the Year accolade.
All awards are voted on by the conference's head softball coaches and sports information directors.
Reid, the reigning MEAC Player of the Year, led the conference and is fourth in the nation with a .504 batting average. She was atop the MEAC rankings in hits (70), on base percentage (.554), and hits per game (1.56). The junior finished as the team's leader with 42 runs and tallied 16 RBI, 11 doubles, and three triples in 139 at-bats. The outfielder stole 18 bases on 20 attempts and recorded 48 putouts defensively. Reid earned MEAC Player of the Week accolades twice this season.
Castro started in all 47 games for the Lady Hawks and hit .409 in 137 attempts. She led the MEAC with 13 home runs and was second in the conference with 42 RBI. The rookie recorded 12 doubles for the season with a MEAC leading .810 slugging percentage. She led her team in hits (56), runs scored (32) and total bases (111) and ranked second with 126 putouts.
Named as the MEAC Pitcher of the Week twice this season, Garcia made 42 pitching appearances and tallied a 21-10 win-loss record with a 2.99 ERA. She pitched 218.0 innings for the Lady Wildcats and recorded 117 strikeouts and only two intentional walks. The junior led the MEAC in appearances, innings pitched, and wins.
Cochran was named Coach of the Year after leading the defending MEAC champion Lady Wildcats to an unblemished 12-0 mark in the MEAC and 28-23 overall record. Under her tutelage, B-CU won their second straight southern divisional title. In her fifth season at the helm, the 2011 Lady Wildcats will enter the tournament as the top seed and vie for their second straight and seventh overall championship title.
Delaware State led all MEAC teams with seven student-athletes who earned post season honors. Bethune-Cookman and Norfolk State each placed two players on the first-team.
Joining Reid (DSU), Castro (UMES) and Garcia (B-CU) on the first-team are Paige Arnold (CSU), Tamra Griffin (MSU), Tera Gainer (FAMU), Ashley Davis (DSU), Aurelia Gamch (B-CU) , Jeanette Sauceda (NSU), Danielle Wright (NSU), Janelle Lukens (DSU).
The 2011 MEAC Softball Championship tournament gets underway Thursday, May 12 beginning at 10 a.m.
Bethune-Cookman (S1) will face Howard (N4) while Delaware State (N1) will meet South Carolina State (S4) in the first games of the day. Games three and four will include Morgan State (N2) against Norfolk State (S3) and Florida A&M (S2) against Coppin State (N3), both games will begin at 1:30 p.m. The championship finale is set for Saturday, May 14 beginning at 1 p.m. A complete tournament schedule of events is available on MEACsports.com.
Only the top four teams in each division can compete in the two-game elimination tournament and vie for the championship title. Hampton (6-9), Maryland Eastern Shore (2-13) and North Carolina A&T (1-11) have been eliminated from post season play based on their conference finish and/or tiebreaking procedures.
Admission for the 2011 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 12.