The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) will host its 2011 Softball Championship Thursday, May 12 through Saturday, May 14 at the Ormond Beach (Florida) Sports Complex in Ormond Beach Florida. The defending MEAC champion Bethune-Cookman University Lady Wildcats and Delaware State University Lady Hornets finished as division leaders and will enter tournament play as the number one seeds.
Bethune-Cookman clinched the southern divisional title after defeating Florida A&M in three straight games last week. B-CU earns the top seed in the south with an unblemished 12-0 MEAC finish and 28-23 overall mark. The Lady Wildcats will enter tournament play boasting a six-game win streak.
The Delaware State Lady Hornets earned the northern divisional title after finishing with an 11-4 MEAC mark and 29-17 overall record. DSU was predicted to finish second in the conference's preseason poll but secured the north crown with a win over Morgan State last weekend. The Lady Hornets will vie for their first softball championship title since 2008.
Morgan State clinched the second seed and Coppin State earned the third seed in the north based on tiebreaker procedures after finishing with 9-6 MEAC records to close the season.
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.
Northern Division
School (MEAC, Overall)
1. Delaware State (11-4, 29-17)
2. Morgan State (9-6, 16-25)
3. Coppin State (9-6, 16-14)
4. Howard (8-7, 17-24)
Southern Division
School (MEAC, Overall)
1. Bethune-Cookman (12-0, 28-23)
2. Florida A&M (8-4, 25-24)
3. Norfolk State (6-6, 22-23)
4. South Carolina State (3-9, 10-42)