Softball

MEAC Announces Weekly Softball Honors, presented by Coca-Cola

NORFOLK, Va., March 27, 2023 – Coppin State freshman Celeste Gonzales has been named the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Softball Player of the Week, presented by Coca-Cola, the league announced today. North Carolina Central’s Takia Nichols was named Rookie of the Week, and Morgan State junior Anaya Hunte was named the Pitcher of the Week.
 
Gonzales (Fr., OF, Moreno Valley, Calif.) hit .444 with six RBIs, one triple, one home run and a stolen base for the week. She drove in the winning run with a sacrifice bunt at UMBC on Wednesday. In Saturday’s game 1 win over Howard, Gonzalez broke a 2-all tie by hitting a three-run, inside-the-park homer, and in game 2, she blasted a two-run triple.
 
Nichols (Fr., 1B, Hillsborough, N.C.) hit .500 for the week with two home runs, four RBIs and three runs to lead NCCU to a 3-0 record. She hit a pair of home runs in Saturday's 7-6 win over Maryland Eastern Shore, including a game-winning, go-ahead, three-run homer in the bottom of the sixth inning. Nichols collected two hits in a 3-1 win over South Carolina State on Monday and added a hit and two walks in NCCU's second win over UMES.
 
Hunte (Jr., P/OF, Burlington, N.J.) pitched her third career no-hitter and the second in a span of back-to-back weeks. She went 2-0 with two complete-game shutout victories over Norfolk State while recording an ERA of 0.00, allowing six hits, two walks and striking out 10 batters in 14.0 innings pitched. Hunte began the week pitching a no-hitter, allowing one walk and striking out seven in the complete-game victory and was one out away from pitching her third career perfect game.
 
Other Top Performers
Sydni Jones (Howard) went 4-4 with five RBIs in the win over Coppin State.
 
Jaycee Holt (Maryland Eastern Shore) went 2-for-4 with an RBI, scored two runs and stole two bases in game 1 against NCCU.
 
Kelsie Ekstrom (Maryland Eastern Shore) went 6-for-11 (.545) for the week, including a 5-for-6 day in the doubleheader against Penn.  
 
Jaden Davis (North Carolina Central) went 2-0 for the week with a 0.50 ERA and pitched all nine innings and struck out a career-high 10 batters in the 7-6 win over South Carolina State.