NORFOLK, Va., April 23, 2018—Florida A&M junior Willis McDaniel and North Carolina A&T State junior Dawnoven Smith were selected as the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Baseball Co-Players of the Week, the conference office announced today. Norfolk State’s Aaron Robinson earned Rookie of the Week honors, while Bethune-Cookman sophomore Anthony Maldonado and Delaware State junior Darnell Maisonet were named Co-Pitchers of the Week.
 
McDaniel (5-9, 165, Jr., Tallahassee, Fla.) led the Rattlers in their three-game sweep of conference foe Savannah State this past weekend. He hit .417 (5-for-12) in the series, driving in eight runs and scoring three times. He had three extra-base hits over the weekend, including two home runs. The first blast was of the walkoff variety, giving Florida A&M a 9-8 win in the opener of Saturday’s doubleheader, and he added a two-run shot in the second game. He doubled in a pair of runs on Sunday, and he also walked twice over the weekend.
 
Smith (6-1, 175, Jr., Jacksonville, N.C.) was key in North Carolina A&T State going 4-1 this past week, including a three-game sweep of Alabama A&M over the weekend. He hit .529 (10-for-19) for the week, notching three three-hit games and driving in four runs while scoring nine times. In the second game against Alabama A&M, Smith went 3-for-4 with a double, a home run, three RBIs and three runs scored. For the week, Smith had a .789 slugging percentage.
 
Anderson (5-11, 200, Fr., North Chesterfield, Va.) went 2-for-2 in the second game of a doubleheader against Coppin State, driving in a career-high three runs and scoring twice. He hit his second home run of the season in that contest, while also drawing a walk.
 
Maldonado (6-4, 190, So. West Palm Beach, Fla.) clinched the Wildcats’ series win over North Carolina Central by tossing a complete-game shutout – his second such outing in his last three starts. In the seven-inning contest, Maldonado gave up just three hits and struck out eight.
 
Maisonet (5-10, 205, Jr., Tall Pines, N.J.) threw a complete-game shutout to complete the Hornets’ three-game sweep of Maryland Eastern Shore. In nine innings of work, Maisonet scattered six hits and struck out 11 batters.
 
Other Top Performers
Adonis Lao (B-CU) had three multi-hit games in a three-game sweep of North Carolina Central, driving in three runs in the second game.
 
Nazier McIlwain (CSU) had two doubles against UMBC, before hitting a double and a home run in the series opener against Norfolk State.
 
Aaron Rea (CSU) struck out a career-high 13 in 7.2 innings in a win over Norfolk State.
 
Josh Jackson (DSU) went 2-for-4 with a double, a home run and two RBIs in the second game of a doubleheader sweep over Maryland Eastern Shore.
 
Jamison Trower (MDES) went 3-for-6 with two RBIs in a comeback win over Towson.
 
Marcello Betances (NCAT) tosses six innings of one-run ball against Alabama A&M, striking out five.
 
Andrew Valichka (NCCU) hit a home run and drove in two runs in the series finale against Bethune-Cookman.
 
Justin Hayes (NSU) had a pair of two-hit games against Coppin State, while also driving in a pair of runs against William & Mary.
 
Jonathan Mahoney (NSU) scattered three hits and gave up just one run in seven innings in a win over Coppin State.