SALISBURY, Md. – Bethune-Cookman Baseball will begin its Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) title defense against Delaware State on Wednesday, May 13, at 9 a.m. The 2015 MEAC Baseball Championships are being hosted by Maryland Eastern Shore at the Delmarva Shorebirds Perdue Stadium in Salisbury, Maryland.

Bethune-Cookman (16-38, 14-10 MEAC), the defending 2014 MEAC Champions, earned the No. 2 seed in the Southern Division, while Delaware State (14-27, 13-11 MEAC) claimed the No. 3 seed in the Northern Division.

The winner of the B-CU/DSU game advances to the day's later game at 4 p.m., taking on the top seed in the North – Norfolk State. The loser will enter the elimination bracket, playing again on Tuesday, May 14, at 12:30 p.m.

Bethune-Cookman fourth-year head coach Jason Beverlin will give the ball to freshman right-hander Tyler Norris against the Hornets. Norris turned in a 3-4 record in his rookie year, producing an ERA of 4.22 on the campaign. He has seen action in 14 games, with 12 of those being starting jobs. Across 59.2 innings worked, Norris has accumulated a team-high 56 strikeouts and a batting average against of just .216 – the lowest of any starter in 2015 for the Maroon and Gold.

Norfolk State and the Florida A&M enter the MEAC Championships as the top seeds from the north and south, respectively.

Norfolk State clinched the northern divisional title with a 19-5 conference record. The Spartans are 7-3 in their last 10 games and 26-14 overall heading into the tournament.

Florida A&M enters the baseball championships with a 15-9 MEAC record and a 20-23 overall mark. The Rattlers secured the top spot during the final regular season weekend by taking two-of-three from North Carolina A&T State, while Bethune-Cookman dropped two-of-three in its final weekend at Savannah State.

Maryland Eastern Shore claimed the number two seed in the north. Savannah State won the tiebreaker over North Carolina Central to earn the number three seed in the south.

Maryland Eastern Shore (N2) will meet Savannah State (S3) in game two, beginning at 12:30 p.m. Norfolk State (N1) and Florida A&M (S1) receive byes during the opening round.

FAMU will either face Maryland Eastern Shore or Savannah State, beginning at 7:30 p.m., in the final game of the first day.

Only the top three teams from each division will compete for the tournament title. Coppin State, North Carolina Central and North Carolina A&T were eliminated from conference play based on its regular season finish.

The championship finale is set for Saturday, May 16, beginning at 1 p.m. 

The 2015 MEAC Baseball Championship tournament begins Wednesday, May 13 at 9 a.m., at the Delmarva Shorebirds Perdue Stadium in Salisbury, Maryland. Admission is $8 per day or $25 for the four-day tournament. A complete tournament bracket can be found on www.MEACsports.com.

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