NORFOLK, Va. – The Delaware State Hornets and the Bethune-Cookman Wildcats were predicted to win the 2015 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) baseball northern and southern divisions, respectively, the conference announced on Wednesday. All preseason honors were voted on by the conference’s head baseball coaches and sports information directors.

Savannah State’s Charles Sikes was selected as the conference’s Preseason Player of the Year, while Keith Zuniga of Bethune-Cookman earned Preseason Pitcher of the Year accolades.

Sikes, a 2014 All-MEAC First-Team selection, played and started in all 53 games last year. He led the conference in home runs (10) and was tied for third in runs batted in (41). Sikes batted .358 with 41 runs scored, 20 walks and 15 doubles last season. He ranked 31^st nationally in slugging percentage (.592), 43^rd in home runs per game (0.19) and 36^th in RBIs per game (0.96).

Zungia was selected to the All-MEAC Second Team last season after starting 14 games as a junior and recording an 8-4 record in 15 appearances. He compiled a 2.70 ERA with 57 strikeouts in 100.0 innings.

Delaware State was the 2014 MEAC northern division champions. The Hornets finished the season with a 30-15 overall record and 17-7 MEAC mark.

Norfolk State finished second in the northern division last season and is picked to finish second this season, followed by Coppin State and Maryland Eastern Shore to round out the northern division.

Bethune-Cookman captured the top seed in the 2014 MEAC Baseball Championship. The Wildcats finished last season with a 14-10 MEAC record and a 26-31 overall mark. Bethune-Cookman has won sixteen MEAC Baseball tournament championships.

Florida A&M was picked to finish second in the southern division, followed by Savannah State, North Carolina Central, and North Carolina A&T State.

Sikes (SSU) and Zuniga (B-CU) are joined by Matt Outman (NSU), Lester Salcedo (N.C. A&T), Mike Escanilla (UMES), Zachary Brigham (SSU), David Kimbrough (DSU), Marlon Gibbs (FAMU), Carlos Ortiz (NCCU), Charles Dailey (DSU), Ron Farley (DSU) and Eric Kimber (NCCU) on the 2015 Preseason All-MEAC team.

The 2015 MEAC Baseball Championship tournament is scheduled for May 13-16, 2015 at Purdue Stadium in Salisbury, Md.

2015 MEAC Baseball Preseason Predicted Order of Finish

As voted on by the Conference’s Head Baseball Coaches and Sports Information Directors

(First-Place Votes In Parenthesis)

Northern Division                                                                                   Southern Division                                  

2015 Baseball Preseason All-MEAC Teams

As voted on by the Conference’s Head Baseball Coaches and Sports Information Directors

Preseason Player of the Year: Charles Sikes, Savannah State

Preseason Pitcher of the Year: Keith Zuniga, Bethune-Cookman

First Team

Second Team