Courtesy of North Carolina A&T State Athletic Communications
GREENSBORO, N.C. – The North Carolina A&T State baseball team has been named the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference's (MEAC) best team in 2020 by D1Baseball. The Aggies were 7-10 when the season was cut short due to the coronavirus outbreak.
After starting off 2-7, the Aggies won five of their final eight games, including a 3-0 homestand with two huge wins over Power-5 foe Boston College and another over Fairfield. The Boston College victories marked the second straight season in which NCAT has taken down a Power-5 opponent after beating South Carolina 2-0 in Columbia, S.C. in 2019.
The Aggies were third in the MEAC in team batting average (.251), third in team earned run average (4.60), and first in team fielding (.979), the only team in the top three of each category. NCAT committed just 13 errors over the course of the season. Delaware State was the only team with fewer (10), but they played five fewer games than the Aggies.
NCAT was in the top tier of the conference individually as well. Senior outfielder Camden Williamson had one of the highest batting averages in the league at .328. The senior was also fifth in total hits (20), including his 16-game hitting streak that was still active at season's end. Williamson also came in fifth in total bases with 29.
Fellow senior Dustin Baber was second in the league in runs batted in (RBI) with 14.
The Aggie pitching staff shined yet again. Seniors Ethan Chavis (2.70) and Michael Johnson (2.77) were sixth and seventh in the conference in ERA, respectively. Chavis was also fourth in the league with 25 strikeouts, tied with the Aggies' senior closer Evan Gates. Chavis earned MEAC Pitcher of the Week honors after his opening weekend start against George Mason where he tossed five scoreless innings allowing just four hits with four strikeouts, earning the win.
All the above-mentioned players and more will be returning for the Aggies in 2021 since the NCAA ruled that spring sport seniors may retain their final year of eligibility due to the shortened 2020 season.