Games 52-53
MEAC Softball Championship
#1 Morgan State (33-18, 18-3 MEAC) vs. #3 Coppin State (23-20, 15-6 MEAC)
May 8, 2024 | 12 pm./3 pm
Norfolk, Va. | NSU Softball Field | Norfolk State University
Watch: ESPN+
Listen: HSRN
Live Stats: Here
Websites: www.MorganStateBears.com | www.coppinstatesports.com
MEAC Championship Central | MEAC Tournament Bracket
 
NORFOLK, Va. (May 11, 2024)--The Morgan State softball team will look to claim its second Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) softball championship when it takes on crosstown rival Coppin State on Saturday, May 11 at noon with a second game to follow at 3 p.m. if necessary. The top-seeded Lady Bears will need to beat #3 Coppin State twice in order to secure the championship crown. The Eagles, who are making their second consecutive trip to the tournament title game, fell to North Carolina Central in last year's final. Morgan State is making its fourth championship appearance and the third in the last four years.
 
BEAR CLAWS: The Lady Bears (33-18) began the tournament falling to fourth-seeded North Carolina Central in the opener. Morgan State then had to defeat #6 Maryland Eastern Shore, #5 South Carolina State and then #4 North Carolina Central in a rematch in the consolation final to advance to the championship game out of the consolation bracket. Morgan State captured its fourth straight MEAC regular season crown dating back to the 2021 season when Morgan State won the MEAC Northern Division title in the league's final season of division play. Morgan State entered this week's tournament as the No. 1 seed for the fourth consecutive year. The Lady Bears closed out the regular season defeating crosstown rival Coppin State in two of the three games of the series. Morgan's Game 1 victory over the rival Eagles helped the Lady Bears claim the regular season crown, before taking the second game, which allowed Morgan State to tie the school record for MEAC victories in a season at 18. Morgan State would drop the finale to the Eagles, 3-0.
 
EAGLE TALONS: Coppin State (23-20), last year's runner-up, returned to the MEAC championship game after going 3-0 in the winner's bracket. The Eagles would defeat Maryland Eastern Shore in the opener, before needing 10 innings each to defeat both Howard and North Carolina Central. Like Morgan State, the Eagles also set the school record this season for most wins in program history with 23 when they defeated North Carolina Central in the winner's bracket finale. Seryna Esparza would hit a walk-off single to center field against NCCU to send Coppin to the MEAC title game. The Eagles are coached by first-year head coach Mercedes Hargett, who was named MEAC Co-Coach of the Year along with Morgan State head coach Larry Hineline. Coppin State would place six players on the All-MEAC teams, including senior Vanessa Carrizosa, who was named MEAC Pitcher of the Year.
 
WE'RE BACK, MSU HEADS TO MEAC TITLE GAME: The Morgan State softball team will make its fourth appearance in the MEAC softball championship game on Saturday, May 11, 2024. Morgan State reached the title game after coming-from-behind to defeat defending champion North Carolina Central, 5-3 in the consolation bracket final on Friday. The Lady Bears last appeared in the 2022 title game, where they dropped two games to rival Howard on Championship Saturday. The year before, Morgan State captured the program's first MEAC softball title with a 10-5 victory over North Carolina Central. Morgan's first championship appearance came in the 1999 season, where it fell to Florida A&M.
 
ALL BALTIMORE MEAC FINAL: Saturday's MEAC softball championship game will mark just the second time in MEAC history that Morgan State and Coppin State will meet for a title and an NCAA Championship bid in any sport. The last time this happened was in the men's basketball tournament final in 2008 when Coppin State defeated the Bears, 62-60 at the buzzer.
 
MORGAN SETS SCHOOL RECORD FOR WINS: The Lady Bears set the school record for wins in a season with 32 when they came-from-behind to defeat South Carolina State, 3-2 in eight innings on Friday in a consolation game. The 32 wins broke the previous mark of 31 wins set by the 2022 team. The 30-plus wins marks the second time in program history a Morgan squad has recorded 30 wins. Morgan enters Championship Saturday with 33 wins.
 
PARTY LIKE IT'S YOUR BIRTHDAY: Morgan State graduate player Victoria Fletcher celebrated her birthday on Friday, May 10 by going a combined 4-for-6 with 2 RBI. In the first game against S.C. State, Fletcher went 2-for-3 with 2 RBI, including the game winning single in the eighth inning to send Morgan to the consolation bracket final against defending champion North Carolina Central. Against NCCU, Fletcher would again go 2-for-3 at the plate. Senior outfielder Mia Ewell celebrated her birthday the day before on May 9 and would go 1-for-3 with a run and RBI and had a stolen base in the win over Maryland Eastern Shore.
 
RAUBUCH GOES 2-0 ON FINAL DAY OF CONSOLATION GAMES: Senior pitcher Emily Raubuch improved to 9-2 on the year after entering both of Morgan State's games on Friday, May 10 in relief. In the first game of the day against South Carolina State, Raubuch entered in the third inning with one out and pitched the final 5.1 innings, surrendering no runs on two hits and striking out a game-high four batters. In the consolation bracket finale, she surrendered a run and a walk, while striking out a game-high three batters in 3.2 innings.
 
LADY BEARS SECURE 4TH STRAIGHT MEAC REGULAR SEASON TITLE, NO. 1 SEED: Morgan State wrapped up the 2024 MEAC regular season crown following a 2-0 series opening win over rival Coppin State (4/27) in the season ending series finale. The win helped Morgan State claim its fourth straight regular season crown and the sixth in program history.
 
LADY BEARS TIE SCHOOL MARK FOR MEAC VICTORIES: For the second time in three seasons, Morgan State recorded 18 conference victories. The Lady Bears' 18-3 league record tied the school record for most MEAC wins in a season with the 2022 team, which finished 18-3 to set the mark. Prior to the 2022 season, the school record for MEAC wins was set by the 1998 team, which went 16-0.

TOUGH AT HOME: Morgan State went 21-5 at Lois T. Murray Field this season, including 10-2 against MEAC foes. The Lady Bears began the season 8-0 at home and closed out the season going 7-2 in their final home contests. Morgan State has gone 57-16 at Lois T. Murray Field since the 2021 season, following the return from the shortened Covid-19 season in 2020.
 
RIVAS FALLS SHY OF CYCLE: Freshman Amber Rivas showed out in Morgan State's ESPNU contest at Norfolk State (4/13), as she nearly hit for the cycle, falling a homerun short in the series opener. The West Hills, Calif., native finished 3-for-3 with a single, double and triple, two runs and 2 RBI in the win over the Spartans.

NINE AND COUNTING: Morgan State has gone unbeaten in its last nine MEAC series dating back to last season. The Lady Bears have won eight of those nine series outright, including five series by way of sweep. The ninth series ended in a doubleheader split with South Carolina State last season. The third game was canceled and was not made it. The Lady Bears last MEAC series lost came last season on the road at Maryland Eastern Shore, when the Hawks won the doubleheader (4/15/22).
 
MORGAN PLACES NINE ON MEAC ALL-ACADEMIC TEAM: Morgan State had nine players (Madison Bolyea, Anaya Hunte, Alison Keener, Ky'Anah Lake, Nia Lewis, Melissa Paz, Emily Raubuch, Cassie White, Maia Wilkins) named to the MEAC Softball All-Academic Team as announced on Monday (5/6).
 
HINELINE NAMED CO-COACH OF THE YEAR: Morgan State head coach Larry Hineline was named MEAC Co-Coach of the Year. It was his second coach of the year award and the first since 2018. Hineline guided the Lady Bears to their fourth consecutive MEAC regular season championship and the No. 1 seed in this week's tournament. The Lady Bears finished 30-17 overall, one win shy of tying the school record for wins in a season. Their 18-3 MEAC record ties the school mark with the 2022 team for most MEAC wins in a season. 
 
FLETCHER NAMED MEAC PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Morgan State graduate player Victoria Fletcher repeated as the MEAC Player of the Year after earning the award during the 2023 season. Fletcher, playing as a pitcher and infielder, collected a 2.44 ERA with a 0.96 WHIP throwing 62.2 innings. In 16 appearances, she has recorded a 7-4 record with three complete games and five shutouts. She has struck out 26 batters and was named MEAC Pitcher of the Week three times throughout the season. At the plate, Fletcher had a .331 batting average with a slugging percentage of .517 and an on-base percentage of .404. In 118 at-bats, she registered 39 hits with 10 doubles and four homeruns driving in 25 RBI and crossed home plate 12 times. 
 
RIVAS NAMED MEAC ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Morgan State freshman Amber Rivas was named MEAC Rookie of the Year. A native of West Hills, Calif., Rivas was the only Lady Bear to appear in all 46 games for Morgan State and collected a .317 batting average. In 142 at-bats, Rivas registered 34 runs on 45 hits with 10 doubles and three triples with 17 runs batted in. Rivas has tagged 61 total bases, stealing 14 and walking 13 times. She has a .430 slugging percentage, a .378 on-base percentage and an .808 on-base plus slugging percentage. 
 
SIX LADY BEARS NAMED TO ALL-MEAC TEAMS: Morgan State had a total of six players earn 2024 All-MEAC team honors. Along with being named MEAC Player of the Year, graduate player Victoria Fletcher was named to the All-MEAC first team at third base. Freshman Amber Rivas along with earning MEAC Rookie of the Year honors was named All-MEAC first team outfielder, while fellow freshman Ellie Bostedt was a Second-Team All-MEAC selection at pitcher. Seniors Emily Raubuch (pitcher), Ky'Anah Lake (shortstop) and Mia Ewell (outfield) all received Third-Team All-MEAC honors.
 
FLETCHER EARNS THIRD STRAIGHT MEAC PITCHING HONOR: Graduate player Victoria Fletcher was named MEAC Co-Pitcher of the Week. It is the third straight weekly honor this season for Fletcher. A native of Huntington, Md., Fletcher went 1-1 for the week, collecting an 0.00 ERA and giving up no earned runs on five hits. She would strike out seven batters through 10 innings pitched. In the series opener against Coppin State, Fletcher struck out six batters and allowed no runs on two hits.  

FLETCHER, BOSTEDT EARN MEAC HONORS AGAIN: Morgan State's Victoria Fletcher received the honor of Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Pitcher of the Week, while teammate Ellie Bostedt was named the MEAC Rookie of the Week (4/25). It marked the second weekly honor this season for Fletcher and the fourth for Bostedt. Fletcher showcased exceptional dominance on the mound throughout the recently concluded series against Howard. Her remarkable performance earned her an impressive 0.44 ERA. In the series opener, Fletcher took the mound and delivered a complete game, striking out six batters while allowing only three hits. In the second game of their series against Howard, the Bears' pitching ace, Bostedt, delivered a dominant performance against the Bison. She took the mound and proceeded to throw a complete game shutout, a feat that left her opponents without a single run.

LADY BEARS SWEEP HOWARD IN BATTLE FOR FIRST: Morgan State defeated Beltway rival Howard 2-1 in the series finale (4/21) to complete a three-game series sweep and move into sole possession of first place in the MEAC standings. It was the first three-game series sweep by either team since Morgan swept Howard in back-to-back seasons in 2017 and 2018.
 
FLETCHER, BOSTEDT EARN MEAC WEEKLY HONORS: Morgan State graduate player Victoria Fletcher was named MEAC Softball Pitcher of the Week, while freshman Ellie Bostedt was named MEAC Rookie of the Week (4/17). Fletcher went 2-0 for the week and posted an 0.86 ERA. Fletcher would give up just one run on three hits, while striking out six batters in 8.1 innings. She began the week striking out five batters and surrendering one-hit in a complete game five inning victory in the series opener at Norfolk State. At the plate, Fletcher added two hits including her team-leading fourth home run and had four RBI in eight at-bats. Bostedt tallied five hits, three runs, four RBI and batted .455 for the week. She hit .750 with three hits, two RBI and a run in the Game 2 victory over Norfolk State. She also pitched a complete game shutout in the series finale, giving up only four hits in seven innings with five strikeouts in 25 batters faced.
 
MORGAN TO MAKE DEBUT IN MEAC'S ESPNU CONTEST: The Morgan State softball program will make history this weekend when it travels to Virginia's Tidewater area to take on Norfolk State in a three-game Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) series. Morgan State and the host Spartans will get underway with a doubleheader on Saturday, April 13 beginning at noon, which will air live on ESPNU. It will be the first time in school history that Morgan State will play in the MEAC's regular season ESPNU softball contest.
 
HUNTE, BOSTEDT EARN MEAC WEEKLY HONORS: Morgan State senior Anaya Hunte was named MEAC Pitcher of the Week, while freshman Ellie Bostedt was named MEAC Rookie of the Week (4/2). It is the second weekly honor this season for both Hunte and Bostedt. Hunte went 1-0 in the circle with a complete game victory in Game 2 at South Carolina State. She pitched a total of 10.0 innings, allowing no runs on five hits for an ERA of 0.00 and threw three strikeouts in two games pitched against Towson and South Carolina State. In the win over S.C. State, she pitched all seven innings, surrendering four hits and striking out three. As a batter, Hunte recorded a hit, RBI and had a stolen base. Bostedt went 2-1 for the week with an ERA of 1.05 and one complete game in the series finale at South Carolina State. She pitched 13.1 innings, giving up three runs, two earned on 10 hits, a walk and struck out seven batters. Bostedt would go the distance and allowed one run on two hits and struck out four batters in the finale against South Carolina State. As a batter, Bostedt recorded two hits, a run and 2 RBI.
 
HUNTE NAMES MEAC PITCHER OF THE WEEK: Morgan State senior Anaya Hunte was named Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Softball Pitcher of the Week (3/21) presented by Coca-Cola. It was the first weekly honor this season for Hunte. The two-time reigning MEAC Pitcher of the Year and 2024 MEAC Preseason Pitcher of the Year selection, pitched a total of 13.2 innings in three games, throwing 15 strikeouts to go 2-1 for the week. She began the week, throwing a season-high eight strikeouts in a non-conference loss to Niagara. The Burlington, N.J. native opened up MEAC play going 2-0 in the season opening series at Delaware State to help the Lady Bears to a 2-1 series win. Hunte tallied an ERA of 1.70, scattering two runs on 10 hits and recorded seven strikeouts. In the series opener against the Hornets, Hunte struck out three batters in 4.1 innings of work to help the Lady Bears to a 1-0 win.
 
BOSTEDT NAMED MEAC ROOKIE OF THE WEEK: Freshman Ellie Bostedt was named MEAC Rookie of the Week, presented by Coca-Cola (3/5). Bostedt pitched the Lady Bears' series opener at No. 17 Baylor and collected an ERA of 1.17, while pitching 6.0 innings. She surrendered two runs on six hits with two walks and one strikeout in a 2-0 loss to the host Bears.
 
MORGAN PICKED FIRST IN MEAC PRESEASON POLL: Morgan State was picked to finish first in the MEAC Preseason Poll with 119 points, including 10 first-place votes. Defending champion North Carolina Central, which received 108 points and five first-place votes was picked to finish second, followed by Howard, which received 90 points and one first-place vote for third.
 
FIVE LADY BEARS EARN PRESEASON ALL-MEAC HONORS: Graduate student Victoria Fletcher was named MEAC Softball Preseason Player of the Year, while fellow Lady Bear senior Anaya Hunte was named MEAC Preseason Pitcher of the Year. Fletcher and Hunte, who were both named to the Preseason All-MEAC First Team as pitchers, were joined by teammates graduate utility player Melissa Paz and sophomore outfielder Nia Lewis on the first team. Senior outfielder Mia Ewell was named to the Preseason All-MEAC Second Team, while Fletcher also earned second team honors at first base.
  
2024 MEAC SOFTBALL TOURNAMENT: The 2024 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Softball Championship Tournament is scheduled for May 8-11, 2024 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-six seeds out of the league's eight teams.


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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.