NORFOLK, Va. (May 9, 2023)--Morgan State Senior Victoria Fletcher was named Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Player of the Year, while junior Anaya Hunte was named MEAC Pitcher of the Year, presented by Wells Fargo, the conference announced Tuesday evening. Fellow teammates, senior Melissa Paz was named All-MEAC First Team, while freshman Nia Lewis was named to the third team.
 
North Carolina Central's (NCCU) Makiya Graves was named MEAC Rookie of the Year and NCCU head coach Cat Tarvin was selected as MEAC Coach of the Year.
 
All awards were voted on by the conference's head softball coaches and sports information directors.
 
This marks the first time that Morgan State has had both the league's player and pitcher of the year in the same season.
 
"Anaya earned Pitcher of the Year again. She was outstanding this year," said Morgan State head coach Larry Hineline. "To really look into it deeper, Tori [Victoria] had a better earned run average (ERA). Anaya had a better win-loss. So, they both were really good this year."
 
Added Hineline, "Tori led us in hitting and had some big hits for us over the year. So those two meant the difference. We wouldn't be in first place without either one of them. It's a real honor to be able to coach both of them. They got their goals and I'm happy to be around to watch them do it."
 
Fletcher becomes the third Lady Bear in program history to earn MEAC Player of the Year accolades, joining Damali Young (2019) and Tanisha Kemp (1997).
 
"Pure joy honestly. Seeing how happy my teammates were for me made the experience so much better," said Fletcher. "We lost hope towards the end and when they said my name, I was so relieved. All the hard work finally paid off."
 
"It's very special to me, knowing I made my coaches proud and teammates proud is the best part," added Fletcher on being the third MSU player in school history to earn All-MEAC Softball Player of the Year. "It's an honor to play among these girls and support them."
 
Along with earning Player of the Year accolades, Fletcher was also named to the All-MEAC Second Team as a third baseman and was chosen as a Third-Team All-MEAC pitcher.
 
A native of Huntingtown, Md., Fletcher led the league as a pitcher in ERA (2.21) and as a batter in runs batted in (41). In the pitching circle, she logged 66.2 innings with 12 starts, was second on the team in wins with a 9-4 record and limited opponents to a .250 batting average (3^rd best in the MEAC). At the plate, Fletcher hit .343 with 46 hits, eight doubles and seven home runs.
 
A three-time MEAC Player of the Week this season, Fletcher ranks in the top 10 in the conference in hits (2^nd), at bats (2^nd; 134), slugging (4^th; .560), OPS (6^th; .938), home runs (6^th) and batting average (7^th).
"I came into this year with the goal of achieving player of the year and now I can say I met my goal," said Fletcher. "It makes me reflect back on how hungry last season left me."
 
Hunte, the reigning 2022 MEAC Pitcher of the Year, became just the second Morgan State pitcher to garner back-to-back MEAC Pitcher of the Year honors. Amy Begg (2017, 2018) was the first to do it.
 
"Being [MEAC] Pitcher of the Year means so much to me! It shows me that with my hard work and the help of my team, I can reach the goals that I set for myself," said Hunte. "I couldn't do it without the support from my teammates and coaches."
 
"It's special because of how far I've come since I got to Morgan," said Hunte on becoming the second Lady Bear to earn back-to-back MEAC Pitcher of the Year honors. "It's honestly just important that I show the younger generation that your hard work doesn't go unnoticed."
 
Hunte, continued her dominance in the league this season, earning six MEAC Pitcher of the Week selections. The Burlington, N.J. native, paced the MEAC with 148.2 innings pitched, 127 strikeouts, 27 batters struck out looking, 15 wins and three saves. She currently ranks second in ERA (2.26) and opponents' batting average (2.34).
 
This season, she recorded her and Morgan's second perfect game on March 18 at Coppin State and pitched the third no-hitter of her career in a matchup at Norfolk State on March 25. A year ago Hunte pitched the program's first-ever perfect game, which came in a win over Delaware State on April 13, 2022, where she also set Morgan State's strikeout record at 16.
 
Joining Hunte on the first team was Paz. The Sylmar, Calif. native led the MEAC in on base percentage (.480) and walks (30). She also ranked third in hit by pitch (8) and 10^th in sacrifice flies (2).
 
She batted .264 with 23 hits, four runs and 17 RBI. As a pitcher, Paz (0-1) had 10 appearances with one start. She tallied six strikeouts in 16.0 innings of work.
 
"Being named First Team Utility player really caught me by surprise with all honesty," said Paz. "I am truly blessed to be a part of this year's first team honors and that my hard work throughout the year was recognized."
 
Paz and Hunte were joined on the All-MEAC First Team by Norfolk State's Cam Anderson, Kenna Higa and Yrral Davis, North Carolina Central's Takia Nichols and Imara Harrell, Howard's Alyssa Vasquez and Sidney Fletcher, Coppin State's Brissa Alvarado and Maryland Eastern Shore's Jaycee Holt.
 
Rounding out the all-conference selections for Morgan State was Lewis, who was named to the All-MEAC Third Team. The Naperville, Ill. native batted .325 with 27 hits and 17 runs and had three RBI.
 
Lewis ranked second in the MEAC in sacrifice flies (11), was 10^th in stolen bases (12) and 12^th in hitting.
 
"It honestly was just a huge honor to hear my name and all my teammates yelling, screaming and cheering behind me," said Lewis. "It's a huge accomplishment for my first season, I'm so excited and I couldn't be prouder."

About the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference
The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) is in its 52nd year of intercollegiate competition with the 2022-23 academic school year. Located in Norfolk, Va., the MEAC is made up of eight outstanding historically Black institutions across the Atlantic coastline: Coppin State University, Delaware State University, Howard University, University of Maryland Eastern Shore, Morgan State University, Norfolk State University, North Carolina Central University and South Carolina State University.
  
FOLLOW MORGAN STATE ATHLETICS IN CYBERSPACE 
There are many ways to keep up with MSU athletics online and on the go:
• Visit www.morganstatebears.com, the official web site of Bears athletics, for news, schedules, stats, bios and more. 
• Follow us on social media:
Facebook: /MorganStateBears
Twitter: @MorganStBears
Instagram: /MorganStateBears
 
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.