2022 MEAC Preseason Poll/Teams

NORFOLK, Va. (Feb. 3, 2022)-Morgan State senior outfielder Aliya Ewell was named to the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Softball Preseason first team, while teammate and sister, sophomore second baseman, Mia Ewell was named to the MEAC Preseason second team, the conference announced today.
 
As a team, the Lady Bears, who are the defending MEAC Champions, were picked to finish tied for first with Norfolk State as the preseason favorites to win the regular season crown.
 
Howard senior second baseman Camille Navarro was named MEAC Preseason Player of the Year and Norfolk State junior pitcher Cam Andersen was named MEAC Preseason Pitcher of the Year.
 
All awards were voted on by the conference's head coaches and sports information directors.

Navarro, the 2021 MEAC Player of the Year, led the conference in batting average (.421), slugging percentage (.664), hits (45) and doubles (10) last season. She was also second in on-base percentage (.452), tied for second in runs scored (22), second in total bases (71), third in stolen bases (14) and tied for fourth in home runs with four. Navarro also earned National Fast Pitch Association (NFCA) Mid-Atlantic Region Second Team honors and finished the season ranked 17th in the NCAA as the toughest to strike out, 39th in doubles and 52nd in batting average.

Andersen pitched in 16 games and made 14 starts in the circle for the Spartans in 2021. She went 7-5 with a 3.07 ERA, striking out 66 in 73.0 innings of work while allowing just 60 hits. She ranked second in the MEAC in opposing batting average (.217), fourth in ERA (3.07) and strikeouts (66), and fifth in wins (7). Andersen also tied for first in the nation in fewest hit batters (1) and stood No. 130 in fewest hits/7 innings (5.75).

Aliya Ewell started 40 of the 41 games played in 2021, finishing third on the team in batting average at .294 to help the Lady Bears capture the program's first MEAC softball title. She led the Lady Bears in at bats (119), runs (29), hits (35), triples (4) and total bases (56), while finishing second in RBIs (20), walks (15) and stolen bases with nine out of 10 attempts and was tied for second in homeruns (2).
 
A native of Portland, Ore., Aliyah led the MEAC in runs scored, ranked second in triples, third in at bats and fourth in total plate appearances (139).
 
Aliya started all three games in the MEAC Tournament and led the Lady Bears in batting average at .556, hits (5), runs (5) and triples (2), while recording an RBI and a walk. She fell a homerun shy of hitting for the cycle in the championship game against North Carolina Central, finishing the title game going 3-for-3 with three runs, an RBI, a double, a triple and a walk. She would be named to the MEAC All-Tournament Team.
 
The Portland, Ore., native was a third-team All-MEAC selection last season and started all 21 games she played. Mia would suffer an injury during the team's Game 1 victory at Drexel (4/22), which forced her to miss a month of the season, including the MEAC Tournament. Mia would return to the starting lineup for the Lady Bears' historic NCAA opening round matchup against No. 1 ranked Oklahoma (5/21) in the Norman Regional. The next day Mia would score a run against Texas A&M (5/22) in the elimination game.
 
For the season, Mia totaled 21 hits, 16 runs, four doubles, two triples, six RBI and three walks in 72 at bats. Mia would collect 29 total bases and was 6-for-8 in stolen bases.
 
Morgan State earned six first-place votes for a total of 107 points, while Norfolk State also had a total of 107 points with three first-place votes. Howard, which secured the second-most first-place votes with five, was picked third with 104 points. North Carolina Central picked up one first-place vote and a total of 77 points for fourth-place, while Delaware State rounded out the top five with 64 points. Coppin State (59 points) was picked sixth, followed by Maryland Eastern Shore (one first-place vote/35 points) and South Carolina State (23 points).
 
The 2022 MEAC Softball Championship will be held May 11-14 at the NSU Softball Field on the Norfolk State University campus in Norfolk, Va.
 
Morgan State opens the 2022 season on the road at the Elon Tournament (Feb. 19-20). The Lady Bears' home opener will also be its MEAC series opener, when Morgan State welcomes rival Coppin State to Lois T. Murray Field (March 19-20).
 
The MEAC Office contributed to portions of this release.

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ABOUT MORGAN
Morgan State University, founded in 1867, is a Carnegie-classified high research (R2) institution offering nearly 140 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.