A&T Aggies Open Baseball Season Against Campbell

CollegeBaseballInsider.com recently released its 2011 Players to Watch in the MEAC List, and the North Carolina A&T baseball team was well represented.

The Aggies start the 2011 season Friday afternoon at 1 against Campbell University from War Memorial Stadium. The program is coming off of one of its best seasons ever. N.C. A&T (31-26, 15-3) won 30-plus games for the first time in school history, and set a school record for conference wins. In the process, head coach Keith Shumate advanced the Aggies to their fourth MEAC Championship Game in six years.

Baseball insiders are recognizing the outstanding job Shumate is doing with the Aggies program. CollegeBaseballInsider.com named him the best "in-game" coach in the MEAC. Other Aggies receiving top honors included junior second-baseman Marquis Riley. He was recognized as the toughest hitter in the conference to strikeout. Riley struck out only five times last season, second fewest in the nation.

Junior outfielder Xavier Macklin, who has mostly played in left field during his career, was voted as the best defensive outfielder in the league. The acknowledgement shows that he is an all-around outstanding player. Macklin was voted as one of the three best pure hitters in the conference as well as being named as one of the three best power threats.

Junior Esterlin Paulino closed out the honors for N.C. A&T. He was voted as one of the three best starting pitchers. Paulino was the 2010 MEAC Pitcher of the Year after posting a 9-2 record and a league-best 3.38 ERA.

The Aggies are picked to finish second in the MEAC behind perennial champion Bethune-Cookman. Riley, Macklin and Paulino made the MEAC's preseason all-conference team. Paulino was predicted to win MEAC Pitcher of the Year. The Aggies also return leading hitter and 2010 MEAC Rookie of the Year Kelvin Freeman.

By Courtesy: NC A&T Sports Information                                Release: 02/17/2011