NORFOLK, Va., Feb. 14, 2022—
Delaware State sophomore Trey Paige was named the 2022 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Preseason Player of the Year, presented by TowneBank, the conference office announced today.
Norfolk State redshirt junion James Deloatch was named Preseason Pitcher of the Year.
Defending championship Norfolk State was narrowly selected as the preseason favorite.
All polls and awards were voted on by the league’s head baseball coaches and sports information directors.
Paige, a First Team All-MEAC selection in 2021, led the MEAC in batting last season, hitting .371 while also leading the conference in slugging percentage (.636) and on-base percentage (.478). His 37 runs scored were fourth-best in the MEAC, and he was tied for fifth in hits with 53. He was second in doubles with 13 and total bases with 91, tied for third in home runs with seven and tied for sixth with 34 RBIs, and his 29 walks were tied for fourth in the conference.
Deloatch was a Third Team All-MEAC honoree in 2021, going 7-3 with a 2.88 ERA in helping the Spartans take their first-ever MEAC baseball championship. He tied for second in the MEAC in wins, and his ERA was third-best in the MEAC last season. Deloatch was also third in the conference in opponents’ batting average (.216) and innings pitched (72.0). He was fifth in the MEAC with 66 strikeouts. He threw three complete games and one shutout in 2021 (a 1-0 win over North Carolina Central in the MEAC Championship semifinals).
The Spartans notched three first-place votes and 25 points to be named preseason favorites after going 18-11 in MEAC play last season to claim the Northern Division and win the program’s first MEAC Championship title. Norfolk State, entering its fifth season under head coach Keith Shumate, made its first-ever NCAA Div. I Championship appearance.
Delaware State (two first-place votes), Coppin State (three first-place votes) and Maryland Eastern Shore rounded out the predicted order of finish.
Joining Paige and Deloatch on the 2022 All-MEAC preseason team are Coppin State catcher Mike Dorcean, first baseman Sebastien Sarabia, outfielders Marcos Castillo and Darren Hagan and utility man Jordan Hamberg; Delaware State starting pitcher Jordan Haddaway and second baseman Miguel Rivera; Maryland Eastern Shore shortstop Dillon Oxyer; and Norfolk State relief pitcher Nolan Manzer and outfielder Dionte Brown.
The 2022 MEAC baseball season starts this weekend, with three of the conference’s four programs in action. Norfolk State will serve as host for the 2022 MEAC Baseball Championship, which will be held at Marty L. Miller Field May 18-21.