NORFOLK, Va. - Bethune-Cookman's Ryan Jackson was named the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Softball Player of the Year for the second consecutive year, the conference announced today.
Bethune-Cookman’s Alexis Bermudez is the league’s Rookie of the Year, while
Amy Begg, of Morgan State, earned Pitcher of the Year honors.
Morgan State’s Larry Hineline received Coach of the Year accolades.
All awards are voted on by the conference's head softball coaches and sports information directors.
Jackson was an offensive machine for the MEAC’s Southern Division Champion as she led the MEAC in RBIs (50), runs scored (51), total bases (122) and home runs (17). She ranks second with 56 hits, second in slugging percentage (.758), fifth in stolen bases (27) and sixth in on-base percentage (.451). Nationally, Jackson ranks 15th in home runs and 13th in hit by pitch per game. She has earned MEAC Player of the Week honors three times over the course of the 2018 campaign while also setting MEAC single game highs in RBIs (6) and doubles (3). Defensively, she has recorded a .953 fielding percentage with 60 putouts in the outfield. This marks the second consecutive year the sophomore has been named MEAC Player of the Year. She was also the MEAC’s Rookie of the Year in 2017 and the 2018 MEAC Preseason Pitcher of the Year.
Begg tied for the MEAC lead with 15 wins during the regular season while ranking second with a 1.98 ERA. She enters postseason play with 111 strikeouts and helped Morgan State lead the MEAC in team pitching. The Christchurh, New Zealand native held opposing batters to a .221 average while also tallying 15 complete games, eight shutouts (19th nationally) and one save. She has surpassed the 500-strikeout mark in her career and has rewritten the Morgan State record book as the owner of six pitching records.
Bermudez was the top pitcher for the Wildcats as she posted a 10-9 record with 50 strikeouts and six complete games on the season. The Santa Fe Springs, Calif. native came up big with the season on the line and helped B-CU clinch its first Southern Division title since 2014 with all three mound victories against Florida A&M in the final week of the regular season.
Hineline continued Morgan State’s ascension up the softball ladder as he led the Lady Bears to their first-ever Northern Division championship. He also guided Morgan State to a school-record 27 wins which included a pair of wins over crosstown rival Towson for the first time in school history. Morgan State had a 12-game winning streak this season and has won 23 of its last 29 contests dating back to March 10. The Lady Bears lead the MEAC in team pitching and rank second in team batting.
Joining Jackson and Begg on the All-MEAC First Team are
Bethune-Cookman's Iesha Waters and
Jacki Smith,
Delaware State’s Jasmine Melgoza and
Desiree Moreno,
Hampton’s Dasha Hill,
Morgan State’s Damali Young,
North Carolina A&T State’s Zadaisha Waddell and
North Carolina Central’s Ava Dolan.
The 2018 MEAC Softball Championship tournament begins Wednesday, May 9 at 12 p.m. at the Ormond Beach Sports Complex in Ormond Beach, Fla. The championship game will be played on Saturday, May 12 at 12 p.m. For more information on the 2018 MEAC Softball Championship, visit Championship Central at
www.MEACsports.com.
Player of the Year: Ryan Jackson, Bethune-Cookman
Rookie of the Year: Alexis Bermudez, Bethune-Cookman
Pitcher of the Year: Amy Begg, Morgan State
Coach of the Year: Larry Hineline, Morgan State
FIRST TEAM
|
Pos.
|
Name
|
School
|
Class
|
Hometown
|
|
P
|
Courtney Mirabella
|
N.C. Central
|
Sr.
|
Bradenton, Fla.
|
|
P
|
Amy Begg
|
Morgan State
|
Sr.
|
Christchurch, New Zealand
|
|
C
|
Desiree Moreno
|
Delaware State
|
So.
|
Carson, Calif.
|
|
1B
|
Iesha Waters
|
Bethune-Cookman
|
Sr.
|
Riverside, Calif.
|
|
2B
|
Jasmine Melgoza
|
Delaware State
|
So.
|
Huntington Beach, Calif.
|
|
3B
|
Ava Dolan
|
N.C. Central
|
So.
|
Las Vegas, Nev.
|
|
SS
|
Jacki Smith
|
Bethune-Cookman
|
So.
|
Mount Vernon, Wash,
|
|
OF
|
Ryan Jackson
|
Bethune-Cookman
|
So.
|
Chino Hills, Calif.
|
|
OF
|
DaSha Hill
|
Hampton
|
Jr.
|
Williamsburg, Va.
|
|
OF
|
Damali Young
|
Morgan State
|
Jr.
|
Westampton, N.J.
|
|
UTL
|
Zadaisha Waddell
|
North Carolina A&T State
|
Jr.
|
Troy, N.C.
|
SECOND TEAM
|
Pos.
|
Name
|
School
|
Class
|
Hometown
|
|
P
|
Kyaira Brown
|
Florida A&M
|
So.
|
Tallahassee, Fla.
|
|
P
|
Allyson Babinsack
|
Hampton
|
Sr.
|
Hampton, Va.
|
|
C
|
Kylee Lopez
|
Norfolk State
|
Jr.
|
Norfolk, Va.
|
|
1B
|
Elizabeth Humes
|
Savannah State
|
Jr.
|
Snellville, Ga.
|
|
2B*
|
Gabriella Gorosave
|
Morgan State
|
Jr.
|
Bellingham, Wash.
|
|
2B*
|
Kailey Richard
|
Bethune-Cookman
|
Sr.
|
Highland, Calif.
|
|
3B
|
Cortni Jones
|
Savannah State
|
Jr.
|
Snellville, Ga.
|
|
SS
|
Patricia Soria
|
Coppin State
|
So.
|
Gilroy, Calif.
|
|
OF
|
Tyra Bowers
|
Florida A&M
|
Jr.
|
Eustis, Fla.
|
|
OF
|
Nia Bowe
|
Coppin State
|
Fr.
|
Milford, Del.
|
|
OF
|
Khaliyah Flournory
|
Delaware State
|
Sr.
|
Syracuse, N.Y.
|
|
UTL
|
Cayla Brown
|
Coppin State
|
Jr.
|
Matteson, Ill.
|
*Denotes tie
THIRD TEAM
|
Pos.
|
Name
|
School
|
Class
|
Hometown
|
|
P
|
Stephanie Rundlett
|
Morgan State
|
So.
|
York, Maine
|
|
P
|
Madison Didion
|
Coppin State
|
Jr.
|
Montesano, Wash.
|
|
C
|
Taylor Sherritt
|
Bethune-Cookman
|
So.
|
Ridgecrest, Calif.
|
|
1B
|
Hunter Halford
|
Norfolk State
|
Jr.
|
Jacksonville, N.C.
|
|
2B
|
Jaylene Pryor
|
Norfolk State
|
Sr.
|
Tampa, Fla.
|
|
3B
|
Bryanna Campos
|
Bethune-Cookman
|
Sr.
|
Pico Rivera, Calif.
|
|
SS
|
Alyssa Diaz
|
Delaware State
|
Fr.
|
Fontana, Cal.
|
|
OF
|
Brianna Harris
|
Savannah State
|
Jr.
|
Jacksonville, Fla.
|
|
OF
|
Mariah Davis
|
Bethune-Cookman
|
Sr.
|
Madera, Calif.
|
|
OF
|
Giselle Alvarez
|
Morgan State
|
Jr.
|
Baytown, Texas
|
|
UTL
|
Taylor Rosier
|
Florida A&M
|
Jr.
|
Tallahassee, Fla.
|