Softball | February 01, 2018
NORFOLK, Va. – A total of five Bethune-Cookman Softball student-athletes were named to the 2018 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Preseason Team on Thursday evening, as announced by the MEAC Office from the home office in Norfolk, Virginia. Ten institutions were represented on the team led by Bethune-Cookman's five selections. Delaware State, Florida A&M and Maryland Eastern Shore each had three selections while Hampton, Morgan State and North Carolina A&T State had two apiece.
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BCU sophomore
Ryan Jackson, an outfielder from Chino Hills, California, was tabbed MEAC Preseason Player of the Year, while Morgan State senior pitcher Amy Begg was selected Preseason Pitcher of the Year.
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All preseason honors were voted on by the conference's head coaches and sports information directors.
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Additionally, Bethune-Cookman was predicted to finish second in the MEAC Southern Division behind Florida A&M, winners of the last four MEAC Softball tournaments. Hampton was predicted to finish atop the MEAC Northern Division.
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Jackson, the 2017 MEAC Player and Rookie of the Year, led the conference in batting average (.408), home runs (14), RBIs (47), total bases (118), on-base percentage (.483) and slugging percentage (.771) during her rookie campaign. A three-time MEAC Player of the Week and two-time Rookie of the Week, the Ruben S. Ayala High School alum finished the 2017 campaign being named to the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Division I National Freshman of the Year Top 25 List.
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With Jackson present on the All-MEAC Preseason First Team as an outfielder, she was joined by fellow Wildcats
Kailey Richard and
Mariah Davis.
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Richard, a senior second baseman from Highland, California, finished the 2017 season as an all-conference first team selection at second base. She would end the year ninth in the league for slugging percentage (.504), batting at a .325 average and tallying 38 hits, nine doubles and a team third-most tying four home runs. She would go on to post a .380 on-base percentage for the season.
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As for Davis, the Madera, California senior was named to the first team as an outfielder. In 2017, she claimed her second All-MEAC Team award recognition, but her first appearance on the All-MEAC First Team. Led the MEAC with 69 hits across her junior season, as well as leading the league in runs (45) and triples (7). Also ended the season third in the conference with 86 total bases.
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Joining BCU's trio of Davis, Jackson and Richard on this year's All-MEAC Preseason First Team was Morgan State's Begg, followed by Delaware State's Desiree Moreno (C), Florida A&M's Toni Anderson (1B), Alexis Day (OF) and Jamesia Stoudemire (SS), Hampton's Allyson Babinsack (P), Maryland Eastern Shore's Samantha Casarez and North Carolina A&T State's Zadaisha Waddell (UTIL).
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Landing on the Preseason All-MEAC Second Team for the Maroon and Gold were
Taylor Sherritt (catcher) and
Iesha Waters (first base).
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Sherritt, a sophomore from Ridgecrest, California, emerged as the starting catcher for the Wildcats just a quarter of the way through the season. She would eventually split time behind the dish with former All-MEAC performer
Kaitlin Alamprese. Sherritt recorded a .311 batting average for the year, driving in 14 runs on 28 hits. She went on to amass a pair of doubles and tally a .333 slugging percentage.
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As for Waters, she was selected as a team captain for the Maroon and Gold heading into the 2018 season by her teammates and coaching staff. The Riverside, California native and former Concordia College transfer from three years ago was named to the 2017 All-MEAC Second Team as a first baseman. She was the only player on the BCU squad from 2017 to play and start in all 57 games. She pounded out 46 hits, including six doubles and a team-high tying four home runs.
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Bethune-Cookman Softball opens the 2018 slate Friday, Feb. 9, when the Wildcats travel to the Florida Atlantic Kickoff Classic in Boca Raton. The Cats will open with the host Owls of FAU at 8:15 p.m., followed by a pair of games Saturday, Feb. 10, as BCU faces Boston University (11:15 a.m.) and Michigan State (1:30 p.m.), respectfully. The weekend tournament concludes. Sunday, Feb. 11, when the Wildcats battle Northern Illinois (1:30 p.m.) and FAU (3:45 p.m.).
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For a complete list of this year's All-MEAC Team, please locate your internet browser to
MEACsports.com.
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Bethune-Cookman Softball on Twitter (@BCUSoftball) for all of the latest news and updates. For all Bethune-Cookman Athletics news, follow us on Twitter (@BCUathletics), Instagram (@BCUathletics), Snapchat (@BCUathletics) and Facebook (
www.facebook.com/BCUathletics).
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