PLAYERS/COACH OF THE YEAR | FIRST TEAM | SECOND TEAM | THIRD TEAM
NORFOLK, Va. - Bethune-Cookman's Ryan Jackson was named the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Softball Player of the Year, the conference announced today. Jackson was also selected Rookie of the Year, while Amy Begg, of Morgan State, earned Pitcher of the Year honors. Florida A&M's Veronica Wiggins received Coach of the Year accolades.
All awards are voted on by the conference's head softball coaches and sports information directors.
Jackson earned both Player and Rookie of the Year honors after leading the MEAC in batting average (.409) slugging percentage (.766), on base percentage (.484), runs batted in (44) and total bases (105) during the regular season. She is currently ranked 31st in the nation in home runs with 13, and first in the conference. A three-time MEAC Player of the Week and two-time Rookie of the Week, Jackson has started 48-of-52 games for the Wildcats and finished the regular season with 56 hits, including eight doubles and one triple, while scoring 35 runs and stealing 15 bases. Defensively, she has recorded a .952 fielding percentage with 58 putouts in the outfield. Jackson was also named to the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Division I National Freshman of the Year Top 25.
Begg finished the regular season with a MEAC-best 2.25 ERA in 34 appearances for the Lady Bears. She leads the MEAC in wins (20), including seven shutout victories, and strikeouts (170) over a MEAC-high 196.1 innings. A five-time MEAC Pitcher of the Week, Begg ranks second in opposing batting average (.226) and 22nd nationally in shutout victories. She also threw a career-high 11 strikeouts in a complete game victory over UMBC. Begg has amassed 340 strikeouts over her three-year career.
Wiggins earned Coach of the Year after leading the Lady Rattlers to a 13-2 conference mark, along with the number one seed in the southern division in the upcoming 2017 MEAC Softball Championship. It was the team's first Southern Divisional crown since 2009. In 25 years as head coach, this marks her fifth MEAC Coach of the Year honor as she also achieved a milestone 700th win on March 13 and her 250th MEAC win on April 2.
Joining Jackson and Begg on the All-MEAC First Team are Bethune-Cookman's Kaitlin Alamprese, Kailey Richard, Brianna Sanders and Mariah Davis, Florida A&M's Kenya Pereira, Toni Anderson, Amber Fullwood and Alexis Day, and Maryland Eastern Shore's Adrienne Guerra.
The 2017 MEAC Softball Championship tournament begins Thursday, May 11 at 10 a.m. at the Ormond Beach Sports Complex in Ormond Beach, Fla. The championship game will be played on Saturday, May 13 at 1 p.m. For more information on the 2017 MEAC Softball Championship, visit Championship Central at www.MEACsports.com.
Player of the Year: Ryan Jackson, Bethune-Cookman
Rookie of the Year: Ryan Jackson, Bethune-Cookman
Pitcher of the Year: Amy Begg, Morgan State
Coach of the Year: Veronica Wiggins, Florida A&M
FIRST TEAM
|
Position
|
Name
|
School
|
Class
|
Hometown
|
|
P
|
Amy Begg
|
Morgan State
|
Jr.
|
Christchurch, New Zealand
|
|
P
|
Kenya Pereira
|
Florida A&M
|
Sr.
|
Kissimmee, Fla.
|
|
C
|
Kaitlin Alamprese
|
Bethune-Cookman
|
Sr.
|
Chino Hills, Calif.
|
|
1B
|
Toni Anderson
|
Florida A&M
|
Jr.
|
Dothan, Ala.
|
|
2B
|
Kailey Richard
|
Bethune-Cookman
|
Jr.
|
Highland, Calif.
|
|
3B
|
Amber Fullwood
|
Florida A&M
|
Sr.
|
Land O'Lakes, Fla.
|
|
SS
|
Brianna Sanders
|
Bethune-Cookman
|
So.
|
San Marcos, Calif.
|
|
OF
|
Ryan Jackson
|
Bethune-Cookman
|
Fr.
|
Chino Hills, Calif.
|
|
OF
|
Mariah Davis
|
Bethune-Cookman
|
Jr.
|
Madera, Calif.
|
|
OF
|
Alexis Day
|
Florida A&M
|
So.
|
Ocala, Fla.
|
|
UTL
|
Adrienne Guerra
|
Maryland Eastern Shore
|
Jr.
|
Monrovia, Calif.
|
SECOND TEAM
|
Position
|
Name
|
School
|
Class
|
Hometown
|
|
P
|
Allyson Babinsack
|
Hampton
|
Jr.
|
Hampton, Va.
|
|
P
|
Adrienne Guerra
|
Maryland Eastern Shore
|
Jr.
|
Monrovia, Calif.
|
|
C
|
Desiree Moreno
|
Delaware State
|
Fr.
|
Carson, Calif.
|
|
1B*
|
Cayla Brown
|
Coppin State
|
So.
|
Matteson, Ill.
|
|
1B*
|
Iesha Waters
|
Bethune-Cookman
|
Jr.
|
Riverside, Calif.
|
|
1B*
|
Jada Fields
|
Hampton
|
Jr.
|
Woodland Park, N.J.
|
|
2B
|
Allison Anderson
|
Maryland Eastern Shore
|
Sr.
|
Colorado Springs, Colo.
|
|
3B
|
Danielle Velez
|
Delaware State
|
Sr.
|
Chino Hills, Calif.
|
|
SS
|
Jamesia Stoudemire
|
Florida A&M
|
Fr.
|
Lake Wales, Fla.
|
|
OF
|
Kate Vosper
|
Morgan State
|
Sr.
|
North Delta, British Columbia
|
|
OF
|
Taylor Warrick
|
Hampton
|
Fr.
|
Mount Laurel, N.J.
|
|
OF
|
Damali Young
|
Morgan State
|
So.
|
Westampton, N.J.
|
|
UTL
|
Cloe' Ochoa
|
Coppin State
|
Fr.
|
Covina, Calif.
|
*Denotes tie
THIRD TEAM
|
Position
|
Name
|
School
|
Class
|
Hometown
|
|
P
|
Sabrina Anguiano
|
Bethune-Cookman
|
Sr.
|
Hacienda Heights, Calif.
|
|
P
|
Zadaisha Waddell
|
North Carolina A&T State
|
So.
|
Troy, N.C.
|
|
C
|
Nathaly Pacheco
|
North Carolina A&T State
|
Jr.
|
Rialto, Calif.
|
|
1B
|
Audrianna Alvarez
|
Morgan State
|
So.
|
Baytown, Texas
|
|
2B
|
Jasmine Melgoza
|
Delaware State
|
Fr.
|
Huntington Beach, Calif.
|
|
3B
|
Samantha Casarez
|
Maryland Eastern Shore
|
Jr.
|
Sylmar, Calif.
|
|
SS
|
Patricia Soria
|
Coppin State
|
Fr.
|
Gilroy, Calif.
|
|
OF
|
Mika Lumsden
|
Delaware State
|
Jr.
|
Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
|
|
OF
|
Alexis Singleton
|
Savannah State
|
Sr.
|
Sarasota, Fla.
|
|
OF
|
Brianna Anderson
|
Hampton
|
Fr.
|
Chesapeake, Va.
|
|
UTL
|
Zadaisha Waddell
|
North Carolina A&T State
|
So.
|
Troy, N.C.
|