NORFOLK, Va., Feb. 24, 2020—North Carolina Central junior Luis DeLeon was selected as the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Baseball Player of the Week, the conference office announced today. North Carolina A&T State’s Connor Knapp earned Rookie of the Week honors, and Bethune-Cookman sophomore Alec Mendez was named Pitcher of the Week.
 
DeLeon (5-11, Jr., Providence, R.I.) drove in eight runs in five games this past week, recording at least one hit in each contest to boast a .471 batting average (8-for-17) and an .882 slugging percentage. Of his eight hits, five were for extra bases – including four doubles and a home run. He went 3-for-4 against High Point, with two RBIs and two doubles, and he drove in three runs in the series opener against Niagara. He was also on base 59.1 percent of the time, boasting four walks and three stolen bases.
 
Knapp (5-10, r-Fr., Holly Springs, N.C.) was 5-for-9 (.559) at the plate in three games this past weekend, driving in a combined five runs and scoring three times. He slugged .667 for the weekend and boasted a .600 on-base percentage. He had two hits each on Sunday against Delaware and Gardner-Webb, and in the Gardner-Webb contest, Knapp drove in three runs and scored once.
 
Mendez (5-7, So., Wellington, Fla.) tossed eight innings of shutout ball in Saturday’s 1-0 win over Central Connecticut State, striking out a career-high 10 batters, walking just one and only giving up two hits.
 
Other Top Performers
Marcos Castillo (CSU) was 2-for-4 with a double, an RBI and a stolen base against Navy.
 
Corey Loper (DSU) tossed 6.2 shutout innings against UMass, striking out six in the no-decision.
 
Trey Paige (DSU) had two doubles and an RBI in the Hornets’ series win over UMass.
 
Miguel Rivera (DSU) led the Hornets to a series with over UMass, hitting the team’s first home run of the season.
 
Connor Justin (FAMU) scattered seven hits in 6.1 innings of work against Eastern Illinois.
 
Jared Weber (FAMU) drove in three runs in the Rattlers’ season-opening win over South Florida.
 
Michael Johnson (NCAT) gave up just eight hits and two runs, both unearned, in seven strong innings against Delaware.
 
Ryan Miller (NCCU) struck out 12 in six innings in a win over Niagara.
 
Ty Hanchey (NSU) had a pair of two-hit games this past week, including a 3-for-3 effort against VCU.
 
Devynn Hancock (UMES) had a pair of multi-hit games and drove in four runs in a three-game series against Albany.
 
Evan Nibblett (UMES) tossed four innings of one-hit ball in picking up the win on Sunday against Albany.