Game 39
MEAC Championship
North No. 1 Morgan State (23-15, 14-5 MEAC) vs. South No. 2: North Carolina Central (13-30, 9-7 MEAC)
Saturday, May 15, 2021 | 12 pm.
Norfolk, Va. (NSU Softball Field)
Websites: www.MorganStateBears.com | www.nccueaglepride.com  
MEAC Championship Central | MEAC Tournament Bracket
 
NORFOLK, Va. (May 14, 2021)-The Morgan State softball team is one win away from claiming the program's first Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) softball title. The top-seeded Lady Bears out of the Northern Division, will look to complete that task when they face North Carolina Central, the No. 2 seed out of the Southern Division on Championship Saturday. First pitch is scheduled for 12 p.m. at NSU Softball Field on the Norfolk State campus.
 
Saturday's championship will broadcast live on FloSoftball.com. NCCU will need to defeat Morgan State twice in order to win the championship.
 
BEAR CLAWS: The Lady Bears (23-15) are making their second appearance in the title game and first since 1999. Morgan State reached this point by defeating North Carolina Central, 4-3 in the opener on Thursday and then defeated host Norfolk State, 3-2 on Friday to reach the championship round. The Lady Bears are 2-0 against NCCU this season and are 2-1 all-time against the Eagles in the MEAC Tournament.
 
EAGLE TALONS: North Carolina Central (13-30) bounced back from its loss to Morgan State in the opener, by surviving two elimination games, defeating rival North Carolina A&T and then host Norfolk State on Friday. The Eagles have won seven of their last eight games, including a five-game winning streak to conclude the regular season. NCCU had three named to All-MEAC teams. Pitcher Kiara Hurley and first baseman Joirea Dumas were named First-Team All-MEAC, while outfielder Tamiera Sanchez was named to the third team.
 
MSU-NCCU SERIES NOTES: Since the Eagles rejoined the MEAC on July 1, 2010, the Lady Bears and NCCU have met five times with the Morgan State holding a 3-2 lead. Morgan State also leads the series 2-1 in MEAC Tournament action, following Thursday's win over the Eagles.
 
PARTY LIKE IT'S 1999: It took the Morgan State softball program just six years as a Division I program to reach the MEAC championship game in 1999. Unfortunately, Morgan State would fall to Florida A&M, 11-0. 22 years later the Lady Bears are heading back to the MEAC title game for just the second time in program history.
 
RUNDLETT RECORDS 40TH CAREER VICTORY: Graduate pitcher Stephanie Rundlett, who has recorded both of Morgan's victories thus far in the tournament, secured career victory No. 40 in Thursday's 4-3 victory over North Carolina Central (5/13).
 
MORGAN HAS 13 NAMED TO MEAC ALL-ACADEMIC TEAM: Morgan State had 13 players (Mikayla Barnard, Haylee Bobos, Damishah Charles, Katariina Delph, Ellen Ebbers, Kyley Fijalkowski, Deborah Hamilton, Maya McIntyre, Melissa Paz, Stephanie Rundlett, Cayla Sweazie, Meikel Turner and Jalian Young) named to the MEAC Softball All-Academic Team as announced on Friday (5/14).
 
SIX LADY BEARS NAMED TO ALL-MEAC TEAMS: Morgan State had six players earn 2021 All-MEAC team honors. Graduate pitcher Stephanie Rundlett was named to the All-MEAC second team, while fellow graduate catcher Haylee Bobos, senior outfielder Jalian Young, junior pitcher Mikayla Barnard, sophomore third baseman Ellen Ebbers and freshman shortstop Mia Ewell all received third-team All-MEAC honors.
 
SENIORS EARN ONE FINAL HOME WIN; DEFEAT GEORGE MASON: Morgan State said goodbye to six seniors during the season finale against George Mason (5/5). Meikel Turner, Jalian Young, Maya McIntyre, Damishah Charles, Stephanie Rundlett and Haylee Bobos all started and played together in their final collegiate home contest and went out with one final victory inside the friendly confines of at Lois T. Murray Field. The Lady Bears would defeat George Mason in the series opener, 4-3. The win ended an eight-game losing streak to George Mason and was the program's lone victory over the Patriots in the series' 10 meetings.
 
HAMILTON NAMED MEAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Morgan State sophomore Deborah Hamilton was named MEAC Softball Player of the Week (5/4). It was the first weekly honor for Hamilton. A native of Killeen, Texas, she helped Morgan State to a 5-1 week with a non-conference doubleheader sweep of Bowie State, followed by three out of four wins over rival Coppin State in the MEAC regular season series finale. Hamilton played in four games and batted .714 with five hits, including two triples, three runs batted in and three runs scored. She also had two stolen bases on two attempts and tied for the team lead with nine total bases. Hamilton hit .750, going 3-for-4 with two triples, two runs scored, an RBI and a stolen base in the series finale against Bowie State (4/28). She then batted .667 with two hits and two RBIs in the final MEAC regular season game against rival Coppin State (5/2).
 
LADY BEARS CAPTURE NORTHERN DIVISION CROWN: Morgan State began the MEAC slate sweeping both Norfolk State (3/13-14) and Delaware State (4/2-3) to start the season 8-0 in league play. The Lady Bears then dropped the series opener at Howard (4/10), 5-4 in nine innings to suffer its first MEAC Northern Division loss. Morgan State would win the next two games, before dropping the series finale to the Bison to earn a 2-2 series split. The Lady Bears then won three of four games against rival Coppin State in the MEAC series finale to win the division title.
 
BOBOS RECORDS 100TH CAREER HIT: Graduate catcher Haylee Bobos singled to left field in the first inning of Game 1 at Coppin State (5/2) to record her 100^th career hit at Morgan State.
 
BATES HAS BREAKOUT: Morgan State freshman outfielder Kayla Bates had the performance of her young career to help the Lady Bears conclude a doubleheader sweep over Bowie State (4/28). A native of Milwaukee, Wis., Bates finished the game going 3-for-3, including two homeruns, three runs scored, a game-high five RBIs and a walk in the win over the Bulldogs.
 
FIJALKOWSKI NAMED MEAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Morgan State junior Kyley Fijalkowski was named MEAC Softball Player of the Week (4/27). It was the first weekly honor for Fijalkowski. A native of Lockport, N.Y., Fijalkowski helped Morgan State to a 1-1 week against Drexel, by batting a team-leading .556 after going 5-for-9 with a homerun, two RBIs and three runs scored. She batted .600, going 3-for-5 and stealing a base in a 13-8 victory over the Dragons in the series opener. In Game 2 she went 2-for-4 at the plate, including a homer and a run scored.
 
HINELINE RECORDS WIN NO. 100: Head coach Larry Hineline recorded his 100^th career victory at Morgan State, following the Lady Bears' 5-2 victory over North Carolina Central (4/18) in the finale of the MEAC Round-Up. Hineline, who is in his seventh season at the helm, has guided Morgan State to four 20-plus win seasons, including a school record 28 wins in 2018 and two Northern Division crowns (2018, 2021).
 
LADY BEARS GO 1-2 AT MEAC ROUND-UP: The Morgan State softball team concluded the weekend during the MEAC Round-Up going 1-2 against the league's Southern Division. Morgan State dropped its opener against North Carolina A&T (4/16) in a match-up between division leaders, 7-4. The Lady Bears then fell to host South Carolina State (4/17), before closing out with a victory over North Carolina Central (4/18).
 
YOUNG NAMED MEAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Senior outfielder Jalian Young was named MEAC Softball Player of the Week (4/13). Young batted .385 with five hits, including a double and triple and totaled three RBIs in 13 at bats to help Morgan State to a 2-2 weekend against rival Howard. A native of Westampton, N.J., Young went 3-for-4 at the plate with a double and RBI in a 5-4 road loss in nine innings to Howard in the series opener (4/10). She followed that up with two hits, including a triple, a run and two RBIs in the Game 2 victory over the Bison.
 
BARNARD, EWELL EARN MEAC HONORS: Mikayla Barnard was named MEAC Pitcher of the Week, while freshman Mia Ewell was named MEAC Co-Rookie of the Week (4/6). This is the second weekly honor this season for Barnard, who also earned the award (3/16). Ewell was receiving her first honor. Barnard improved to 6-2 on the season after picking up a pair of complete-game shutout victories over Delaware State over the weekend. She had an ERA of 0.00, as Morgan swept the four-game series against the Hornets. Ewell hit .308 with four hits, four runs, two RBIs and a walk in the four-game series. The Portland, Oregon native went 3-for-3 with a run and RBI with three stolen bases in the second game.
 
BARNARD NAMED MEAC PITCHER OF THE WEEK: Junior Mikayla Barnard was named MEAC Softball Pitcher of the Week, presented by Coca-Cola (3/16). Barnard went 3-0 during the week, while registering victories over Kutztown and twice against Norfolk State. She had an earned run average of 1.55, while striking out a total of 18 batters over the three contests. A native of Ellicott City, Md., Barnard recorded a season-best 11 strikeouts in a 5-3 victory over visiting Norfolk State in Game 2 of their MEAC season opening series (3/13).
 
MORGAN PICKED THIRD IN MEAC PRESEASON POLL: Morgan State was picked to finish third in the MEAC Northern Division 67 points, including two first-place votes. Howard, which received 78 points and eight first-place votes, was picked to win the division, followed by Norfolk State, which earned 77 points and nine first-place votes for third.
 
THREE LADY BEARS EARN PRESEASON ALL-MEAC HONORS: Seniors Stephanie Rundlett and Haylee Bobos were named to the MEAC Softball Preseason first team, while fellow senior Aliya Ewell was named to the second team.
 
2021 MEAC SOFTBALL TOURNAMENT: The 2021 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Softball Championship Tournament is scheduled for May 13-15, 2021 at NSU Softball Field on the campus of Norfolk State University in Norfolk, Va. This year's double-elimination format will feature only the top-two seeds from the MEAC's Northern and Southern Divisions.

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ABOUT MORGAN
Morgan State University, founded in 1867, is a Carnegie-classified high research (R2) institution offering more than 126 academic programs leading to degrees from the baccalaureate to the doctorate. As Maryland's Preeminent Public Urban Research University, and the only university to have its entire campus designated as a National Treasure by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Morgan serves a multiethnic and multiracial student body and seeks to ensure that the doors of higher education are opened as wide as possible to as many as possible. For more information about Morgan State University, visit www.morgan.edu.