Baseball

MEAC Announces 2019 Baseball Preseason All-Conference Honors

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NORFOLK, Va., Feb. 7, 2019—North Carolina Central junior Corey Joyce was named the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Baseball Preseason Player of the Year and Bethune-Cookman junior Anthony Maldonado was named Preseason Pitcher of the Year, the conference announced today. In addition, Coppin State and North Carolina A&T State were selected as the preseason favorites to win the Northern and Southern Divisions, respectively.
 
All awards were voted on by the conference’s head coaches and sports information directors.
 
Joyce was the 2018 MEAC Player of the Year and led the conference in batting average (.358), hits (64) and walks (32) at the end of the regular season, and his 27 stolen bases were second in the league and ranked 23rd in the nation. He also ranked second in the conference in slugging percentage (.542), on base percentage (.456) and doubles (15), third in total bases (97) and fourth in runs scored (43). Joyce’s six home runs were tied for fifth in the MEAC, and he was ninth in the league with 37 RBIs.
 
Maldonado, the 2018 MEAC Pitcher of the Year, made 11 starts last season, tossing three complete games in compiling a record of 6-2 and a 2.81 ERA. The righthander led the MEAC in opponents’ batting average (.211) and was second in the MEAC in runs allowed (24), ERA and third in earned runs allowed (20). His 74 strikeouts ranked sixth in the conference, and he gave up just 50 hits – tied for best in the MEAC – in 64.0 innings pitched.
 
Coppin State won the Northern Division last season for the first time since 1996 and is expected to repeat the feat in 2019, picking up 13 first-place votes. Norfolk State, with four first-place votes, was picked to finish second, and Delaware State (one first-place vote) and Maryland Eastern Shore round out the Northern Division.
 
North Carolina A&T State is fresh off its first MEAC title in baseball since 2005 and the Aggies are the favorite to win the Southern Division, picking up 15 first-place votes. Bethune-Cookman (two first-place votes), entering its first season under head coach Jonathan Hernandez, was picked to finish second – followed by Florida A&M (one first-place vote), North Carolina Central and Savannah State.
 
The 2019 MEAC Baseball Championships will be held at Jackie Robinson Stadium in Daytona Beach, Fla. May 15-18. Only the top three teams from each division will qualify for the tournament.
 
Joining Joyce and Maldonado on the Preseason All-MEAC First Team are Bethune-Cookman first baseman Danny Rodriguez, shortstop Nate Sterijevski and outfielder Zach Spivey, Florida A&M reliever Dylan Carlson and catcher Brett Maxwell, Norfolk State outfielder Justin Hayes and utility player Stephen Baughan, North Carolina A&T State pitcher Michael Johnson, third baseman Perry “AJ” Hunt and outfielder Dawnoven Smith, and North Carolina Central outfielder Carter Williams.
 
The 2019 MEAC baseball season begins the weekend of Feb. 15-17, with all nine of the league’s baseball programs in action.
 
2019 MEAC Baseball Preseason All-Conference Teams
As voted on by the league’s head coaches and sports information directors
 
Preseason Player of the Year: Corey Joyce, North Carolina Central
Preseason Pitcher of the Year: Anthony Maldonado, Bethune-Cookman

FIRST TEAM
Name Pos. Ht. Class School Hometown
Anthony Maldonado SP 6-4 Jr. Bethune-Cookman West Palm Beach, Fla.
Michael Johnson SP 5-11 Jr. North Carolina A&T State Lexington, N.C.
Dylan Carlson RP 6-4 Jr. Florida A&M Tallahassee, Fla.
Brett Maxwell C 5-11 r-Jr. Florida A&M St. Petersburg, Fla.
Danny Rodriguez 1B 6-4 Sr. Bethune-Cookman Pembroke Pines, Fla.
Corey Joyce 2B 6-1 Jr. North Carolina Central Lexington, N.C.
Perry "AJ" Hunt 3B 5-10 r-Sr. North Carolina A&T State Chesapeake, Va.
Nate Sterijevski SS 5-11 Sr. Bethune-Cookman Clermont, Fla.
Zach Spivey OF 5-9 r-Sr. Bethune-Cookman Ormond Beach, Fla.
Justin Hayes OF 5-8 r-Sr. Norfolk State Chesapeake, Va.
Carter Williams* OF 6-3 Jr. North Carolina Central Brown Summit, N.C.
Dawnoven Smith* OF 6-1 Sr. North Carolina A&T State Jacksonville, N.C.
Stephen Baughan UTL 6-3 Jr. Norfolk State Richmond, Va.
*denotes tie

SECOND TEAM
Name Pos. Ht. Class School Hometown
Chase Anderson SP 5-9 Sr. Norfolk State Norfolk State
Jahmon Taylor SP 6-0 Sr. Coppin State Altamonte Springs, Fla.
Corey Treyes RP 5-9 Jr. Coppin State West Covina, Calif.
Timmy Fischvogt C 5-10 Jr. North Carolina Central Kernersville, N.C.
Zach McLean 1B 6-0 Jr. North Carolina A&T State High Point, N.C.
Alsander Womack 2B 5-8 So. Norfolk State Waxhaw, N.C.
Kaycee Reese 3B 5-8 Sr. Florida A&M Tallahasse, Fla.
Derek Lohr SS 6-1 So. Coppin State Bothell, Wash.
Darnell Maisonet OF 5-10 Sr. Delaware State Tall Pines, N.J.
Willis McDaniel OF 5-9 Sr. Florida A&M Tallahassee, Fla.
Marcos Castillo OF 6-1 So. Coppin State Round Rock, Texas
Carlos Alviarez UTL 6-0 r-Jr. Coppin State Caracas, Venezuela


2019 MEAC Baseball Predicted Order of Finish
As voted on by the league’s head coaches and sports information directors

NORTHERN DIVISION
School (First-Place Votes) Points
1. Coppin State (13) 66
2. Norfolk State (4) 56
3. Delaware State (1) 33
4. Maryland Eastern Shore 25

SOUTHERN DIVISION
School (First-Place Votes) Points
1. North Carolina A&T State (15) 87
2. Bethune-Cookman (2) 67
3. Florida A&M (1) 48
4. North Carolina Central 48
5. Savannah State 20