BALTIMORE, Md. (May 7, 2019)-Morgan State senior outfielder Damali Young was named Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Player of the Year, as announced by the league office on Tuesday afternoon in Norfolk, Va. 
 
Young's honor marks the third straight year that a Morgan State player has earned the distinction as one of the MEAC's top softball performers of the year. Former Lady Bear Amy Begg earned back-to-back MEAC Pitcher of the Year honors in 2017 and 2018. 
 
"I can tell when we play other teams that we've gone on a different level of respect than when I first started coaching at Morgan and I think it's because of the players like Dom and Amy," said Morgan State head coach Larry Hineline. "They (teams) know that we bring a little more firepower, we bring a little more intensity and a little more athleticism. You can hear what the teams say coming out of the dugout and they are really leery of our style of play."
 
"We market our program and really pride ourselves on the pitching and defense, but also the base running and the intensity level. That's the hallmark of our program and Dom obviously carried the ball on the offensive and base running and aggressive style and Amy of course started the ball rolling with the pitching part of it. Now we continue on and I think our recruiting efforts are paying off with the success that these two brought to the Morgan program."  
 
"Being named MEAC Player of the Year is like the best curtain call I could have asked for. It's like the epitome of everything I have tried to work for and the support my team has put behind me to be the best I can be, said Young."
 
"The fact that a Morgan State softball player has taken home a [top] post-season award three years in a row solidifies what I've always known, Morgan State is a softball school and we're not going to let anyone forget it."
 
Along with Young, who also garnered All-MEAC first team honors for the second consecutive year, Morgan State would have three other players named to All-MEAC teams. Junior catcher Haylee Bobos earned second-team All-MEAC honors, while junior pitcher Stephanie Rundlett and senior utility player Damishah Charles were named to the All-MEAC third team. Click here for more.
 
Bethune-Cookman's Alexis Bermudez was named MEAC Pitcher of the Year, while Howard's Kalita Dennis was named MEAC Rookie of the Year.
 
"Dom (Damali) had another fantastic year as the leadoff hitter and she set the table for our team. Her base running was superb and her hitting was right on target," said Hineline. "Dom's the one that makes this team go. And when we finished with the really strong run that we did, it was primarily with Dom setting the table for our other players. So she deserves all the accolades and the awards that are available."
 
A preseason MEAC Player of the Year selection, Young was instrumental in leading the Lady Bears to the program's third straight 20-plus win season (22-24) and a second-place finish in the MEAC Northern Division at 10-4.
 
The Westampton, N.J. native, was an offensive machine for the Lady Bears in her final season in the orange and blue, helping the Lady Bears end the season on a season-best six-game winning streak, while winning 14 of their last 17 contests. She started all 46 games, leading the team in at bats (140), runs (47), hits (49), triples (4), total bases (79), walks (28) and stolen bases with 31 out of 33 attempts. Defensively, she recorded a .964 fielding percentage with 73 putouts in the outfield.
 
She was in the top five in the MEAC in slugging percentage (.564), on base percentage (.462), runs scored (47), hits (49), total bases (79), triples (4), walks (28) and stolen bases (31). Nationally, Young ranks 36^th in runs per game, 14^th in stolen bases, and 69^th in walks.
 
Young would break four school records this season and tied another one. She would became the school's career leader in runs scored (150) with her second of four runs in Game 2 against Cornell (4/2); set the career walks mark with 61 at Towson (4/3); set the single-season walks mark of 24 at Howard (4/13); set the school's all-time hits record (172) with a bunt single in the fifth inning against Delaware State (4/7) and tied the single-season runs scored record with 47, scoring a total of three runs in the season finale doubleheader against Rider.
 
In all, Young would end her career at Morgan State as the school's leader in 10 categories, including single-season hits (63), single-season doubles (16), single-season at bats (154), single-season stolen bases (40) and career stolen bases (119).
 
"Since I've been here, we've established ourselves, distinguished ourselves, and impressed everyone else. We've gone from another name in the MEAC to a top school and I am so grateful to go through that development with the senior class that I did."
 
Joining Young on the All-MEAC first team are Jacki Smith (Bethune-Cookman), Cayla Brown (Coppin State), Jasmine Melgoza (Delaware State), Kyaira Brow and Alexis Day (Florida A&M), Kylee Lopez and Shelby DesChamps (Norfolk State) and Dalike Wallace and Olivia Daniel (North Carolina Central).