Saturday, May 21, 2016

BCU Athletics Will Not Retain Services of Tim Pleasant

TIM PLEASANT
DAYTONA BEACH, Florida -- The contract of Bethune-Cookman Men’s and Women’s Tennis Head Coach Tim Pleasant will not be renewed past the current 2015-16 athletic year, it was announced Friday, May 20, by Lynn W. Thompson, B-CU Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics. The current contract for Pleasant expires at the end of June.

“We would like to thank Tim [Pleasant] for all he has contributed to the success of our men’s and women’s programs at Bethune-Cookman University,” stated Thompson. “However, we felt that new vision and leadership is what is required now to elevate our program to its highest level.”

In five years at the helm in Daytona Beach, Pleasant – the 2014-15 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Coach of the Year, helped the Wildcats women’s tennis team to back-to-back first place finishes in the league’s Southern Division in 2015 and 2016, respectfully. In 2015, B-CU amassed an overall record of 22-7, and won the first MEAC Tournament title in more than a decade, advancing the Cats to the NCAA Regionals in Gainesville, Florida.

Women’s Tennis fell to South Carolina State in the 2016 MEAC title match in April. The team finished the year with a 12-13 overall mark. On the men’s side, Bethune-Cookman claimed the 2016 top seed from the Southern Division in the MEAC Championships, but eventually fell in the semifinals to South Carolina State.

“As we continue to build a comprehensive athletics program which develops the total student-athlete experience, we must be creative and bold in our process, continued Thompson. “The ground work laid by Pleasant is one the next staff will truly be able to follow, and further enhance what we have going for us in Daytona Beach.”

The search for a new coach will begin immediately, led by a committee consisting of Bethune-Cookman Department of Athletics senior staff members.

For more information, please contact Bryan J. Harvey in the B-CU Office of Athletic Communications.

Follow Bethune-Cookman Athletics on Facebook (www.facebook.com/BCUathletics), Twitter (www.twitter.com/BCUathletics) and Instagram (www.instagram.com/BCUathletics) for all of the latest news and updates. Fans also receive timely information, including special offers and giveaways throughout the year, via the social media outlets or www.BCUathletics.com.

COURTESY BETHUNE-COOKMAN COLLEGE ATHLETICS SPORTS INFORMATION

2 years after City's title, Grant twins sign with DI school, Savannah State



BALTIMORE, Maryland -- They were the big men and unsung heroes on one of Baltimore’s most accomplished high school basketball teams. The 6-foot-6 transfers provided toughness in the paint, allowing guards Kamau Stokes, Timmy Bond and Omari George to flourish and lead City to a 27-0 record that culminated with the Class 3A state championship. Stokes (Kansas State), Bond (Eastern Michigan) and George (Bowie State) have all since gone on to successful college careers. But whatever happened to John and Juwan Grant?

Two years since the Knights’ undefeated run to the state title, Baltimore basketball fans have their answer. The Grant twins signed this month with Savannah State, a Division I program that finished 8-7 in the MEAC this season.

“It feels great,” Juwan said. “It’s something that me and my brother have wanted for a long time. It just feels so surreal. Everything has fallen into place. Having the opportunity to play Division I ball is out of this world for us. Everything just feels really good right now.”

After the euphoria of City’s title wore off, the Grants buckled down to find a college program where they both could play. They settled on Washington Adventist, an NAIA Division II school in Takoma Park. One year there was enough for John and Juwan to decide they wanted to take another shot at playing Division I basketball.


Juwan Grant, 6'6, 2014, #22

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Bethune-Cookman Continue MEAC Run With NSU Win

SALISBURY, Maryland -- Bethune-Cookman posted its second 10-run victory of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference tournament Friday with a 14-4 victory over Norfolk State at Perdue Stadium.

Danny Rodriguez went 3-5, homered and scored three runs while Alex Seibold threw 5 2/3 innings of shutoff relief as the Wildcats (27-25) advanced to meet Florida A&M Sunday at noon. Games will not be played Saturday due to expected inclement weather in the area.

Jameel Edney also homered for the Wildcats, who opened tournament play with a 10-0 victory over Coppin State Thursday.

“The energy we’ve played with the last two days has been electric,” said B-CU coach Jason Beverlin. “We’re playing with such a sense of purpose and passion for the game. When we play like we are now, we’re an extremely dangerous team.”

Down 2-0, the Wildcats scored four in the second to take the lead.

Rodriguez scored on an error after Edney singled, then Josten Heron had an RBI single and Nate Sterijevski and Rakeem Quinn produced RBIs on fielder’s choices.

After Rodriguez’ solo shot – the ninth of the season for the MEAC Rookie Of The Year -- in the third made it a 5-2 game, Norfolk State (27-20) chased started Tyler Krull with two runs in the bottom half of the inning. Seibold (5-4) eliminated the Spartan threat with a double play and would then proceed to all but shut down the Spartans the rest of the way.

Seibold didn’t give up a hit until the eighth as he picked up his fourth consecutive win in a relief appearance.

Edney homered to lead off the fourth, but the Wildcats wouldn’t pull away until scoring three in the seventh and five in the eighth.

Edney and Heron each had two hits and two runs for the Wildcats, while Nathan Bond went 2-4 and Demetrius Sims and Sterijevski each scored twice. Quinn stole two bases.

BOX SCORE

COURTESY BETHUNE-COOKMAN UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION 

XU tops No. 14 Westmont, reaches quarterfinals again

Results
MOBILE, Alabama — Adam Albrecht and Thomas Setodji won in doubles and singles Wednesday to lead Xavier University of Louisiana to a 5-1 men's tennis victory against Westmont in the second round of the NAIA National Championship.
     

The Gold Rush (15-7) — ranked third in the most recent coaches poll and seeded third in the tournament — advanced to the quarterfinals for the fifth consecutive year. Xavier will play sixth-ranked Keiser, a 5-1 winner against William Carey, at 1 p.m. Thursday.
     

Westmont, ranked and seeded 14th, finished 10-9.
     

Xavier won 2-of-3 doubles matches and dominated in singles, dropping only one set. When Setodji clinched with his 6-1, 6-2 victory against Luke Whalen, teammates Kyle Montrel and Tushar Mandlekar still were on court — both led 6-1, 5-0.
     

Albrecht and Mandlekar won eight straight games in an 8-1 victory against Tommy Nightingale and Jordan Strandness that gave Xavier the first point of the dual. The Warriors evened when Whalen and Christian Mathis beat Montrel and Karan Salwan 8-5, but Setodji and Kevin Chaouat put the Gold Rush ahead to stay, rallying from a 4-2 deficit for an 8-5 victory against Carl-Philip Lindqvist and Travis Kimsey.
     

Salwan gave the Gold Rush a 3-1 lead by winning eight consecutive games in a 6-2, 6-1 victory against Lindqvist, the ITA's 12th-ranked NAIA singles player. Albrecht rolled to a 6-0, 6-2 victory against Jordan Strandness, then Setodji produced his team-leading seventh clincher of the season and sixth in Xavier's last nine victories.
     

Setodji, a freshman, is 15-0 in singles. His opponent, Whalen, was ranked 32nd.
     

Xavier and Westmont were the last teams to finish on a day when the NAIA shoehorned the round-of-16 matches and Tuesday's washed-out first round. The Gold Rush and Warriors started at 9:30 p.m. and did not finish until 12:05 a.m.
     

Xavier will get a rematch with Keiser. The Gold Rush won 7-2 March 23 at Keiser. The Gold Rush are 0-4 in the quarterfinals, including a 5-4 loss to Vanguard a year ago. However, this will be the first time that Xavier is the higher seed in the quarterfinals.
     

The top eight seeds advanced, including two-time defending champion Georgia Gwinnett. The Xavier-Keiser winner will play the Auburn Montgomery-Lindsey Wilson winner in the semifinals at 1 p.m. Friday.

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
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Thursday, May 19, 2016

Jackson State rallies to stay alive in SWAC Tournament

NEW ORLEANS -- The prospects of Jackson State getting eliminated in the SWAC Tournament early on seemed better than those of the Tigers advancing to another game.

But JSU exploded for 14 runs in the final three innings to earn a 15-3 victory against Alabama A&M in an elimination game in the conference tournament on Thursday at Wesley Barrow Stadium in New Orleans.

The loser of the of Texas Southern/Arkansas-Pine Bluff matchup will face the Tigers at 9 a.m. Friday. Texas Southern defeated JSU 10-2 in the opening round on Wednesday.

The Tigers trailed 3-1 heading into the fifth inning when the rally began. Lakon Wilson tied the game with a bunt single, and Sam Campbell gave JSU a 4-3 lead with an RBI single.

The Bulldogs helped the Tigers by walking in a run. Wilson added two more RBIs to the stat sheet with a single in the sixth.

JSU scored seven runs in the seventh, highlighted by a three-run double by Campbell, which ended the game because of the run rule.

CONTINUE READING

Pagan Drives In Seven Runs As Hornets Pound Alcorn State

NEW ORLEANS – Yamil Pagan went 4-for-4 with a grand slam and drove in a career-high seven runs as Alabama State moved to the SWAC Tournament semifinals with a 16-3 win over Alcorn State in seven innings.
 
Ray Hernandez hit a solo homer, his third of the tournament and ASU record 15th of the season as the Hornets (36-15) move to Friday's 6 p.m. game against the winner of Alcorn State – Southern. Alabama State is in the SWAC Tournament semifinals for the third time in four years with another total team effort.
 
Hernandez, Diandre AmionCarlos OcasioHunter Allen and Eriq White each had two hits as every Hornet starter had at least one hit or one run in the 15-hit attack.
 
The Hornets started fast as they have all season, scoring in the first inning for the 31st time this season. Pagan, Amion and Ocasio reached with singles to load the bases. Dillon Cooper, who drove in seven runs last night, hit a two-run double off the right field wall to give the Hornets a 2-0 lead.
 
Leading 3-0 in the third, the Hornets again loaded the bases with no one out. Oscar Prioleau's safety squeeze bunt scored Hernandez. Pagan's sacrifice fly scored Hunter Allen for a 5-0 lead.
 
The Hornets added four runs in the fourth, taking advantage of two Alcorn State (16-35) errors. Allen reached on a two-out throwing error, scoring Cooper and Chris Biocic. After Eriq White reached on an error and Prioleau walked to load the bases, a two-run single by Pagan to right center extended the Alabama State lead to 9-0.
 
In the sixth, Hernandez led off with a single to third base and advanced to third on a double by Allen. After White reached on an infield single to load the bases, Prioleau was hit by a pitch to score Hernandez. Pagan then hit a 2-1 pitch over the left field wall to cap the five-run inning and give the Hornets a 14-0 lead.
 
Tyler Howe (10-2) went six innings, allowing six hits, three runs, walking two and striking out eight to win his 10th straight decision.
 
All Hornet SWAC Tournament games will be broadcast on bamastatesports.com.

COURTESY ALABAMA STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS MEDIA RELATIONS

NSU Basketball and Football Future Looks Bright

NORFOLK, Virginia -- March Madness has long gone and I wait for next year. Norfolk State University (NSU) men had a good year in the Mid Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) with a 12 and 4 Record that earned them second place in the conference at year end. They were defeated by South Carolina State in the semi-finals, which was a disappointment to me, but I got over it. Hampton University became the victors of the tournament.

Although the Spartans lost three star players, Jeff Short, D’Shon Taylor, and Charles Oliver to graduation, the team still seems strong for next year. Returning next season are Jordan Butler, Zaynah Robinson, Jonathan Wade, Brian Kelly, Devonte Banner, and Alex Long who made strong showings last season. According to the local media, Coach Robert Jones has recruited two new shooting guards with respectful 16.5 and 8.4 points scoring averages. The prospect of a good year in the MEAC next season looks bright. Larry Vickers Associate Head Coach for the men has been selected as Head Coach for the NSU Women’s basketball team. Coach Vickers took over the Women’s team late in the season and brought a new spirit to the team. With that new spirit I look forward to a winning season for the women’s team also.

My focus now is on NSU football. Under the leadership of one-year head Coach Latrell Scott, the outlook for the upcoming season appears favorable. Coach Scott has brought a new twist to the team’s recruiting efforts. He is doing something that coaches in the recent past did not do much of. He’s recruiting studious and talented players from local high schools and prep schools throughout the State. I was told by an NSU fan that Scott invites local high school football players out to watch NSU spring training football practices. That is certainly a new recruitment twist for NSU football.

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Wednesday, May 18, 2016

Golden Lions roll past Bulldogs in SWAC tournament opener

NEW ORLEANS -- The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff Baseball advances in the 2016 Southwestern Athletic Conference Baseball Tournament with a 16-6 win over Alabama A&M in seven innings, here Wednesday afternoon at the Wesley Barrow Stadium.

In a contest that saw three, three-run homers with both Aderly Perez and Jaqueese Moore belting homers for the Golden Lions. Perez's three-run shot came in UAPB's half of the second inning, while Moore's came in their half of the sixth.

Cornelius Woods' three-run shot for AAMU came in the top of the first inning for the Bulldogs.

UAPB finished the contest with 17 hits, where AAMU recorded six.

Both Michael Bradley and Perez finished the contest with four hits apiece to lead the Golden Lions from the plate. Also Bradley finished the contest with six RBIs and scoring two runs for UAPB.

Carlton Pepper finished the contest with three hits to lead the Bulldogs.

Humberto Medina (6-5) received the win for UAPB. This Golden Lion hurler pitched five innings, allowing five hits, five earned runs and striking out three in the 25 batters he faced. Blake Estep also toed the rubber for UAPB. He pitched two innings, allowing four hits, one earned run and striking out one in the 10 batters he faced.

Brandon Marsonek (4-12) the AAMU starter went two and two-third innings, allowing 11 hits, 11 earned runs and striking out one in the 20 batters he faced. Caleb Roberts also took to the hill for the Bulldogs. He pitched four innings in relief, allowing eight hits, five earned runs and striking out three in the 23 batters he faced.

AAMU took an early 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning on the Wood homer.

Moore cut AAMU's lead to 3-1 as he scored on a Perez single to left field.
The Golden Lions would then score six runs in their half of the second inning, five in their half of the third, three in the sixth and one in the seventh.

AAMU scored one run in the third, one in the fourth and one in the sixth for the 16-6 finale.

With the win, UAPB raises their record to 22-23, whereas AAMU lowers their record to 13-43.

UAPB will return to action tomorrow, May 19 against Texas Southern in a 3 p.m. winner's bracket game. In their game, TSU defeated Jackson State, 12-2 in their 9 a.m. matchup.

COURTESY UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS SPORTS INFORMATION

Pitchers with common name leading Bethune-Cookman into postseason

DAYTONA BEACH, Florida -- Bethune-Cookman may be at its strongest when Tyler is on the mound.

The question is: which one?

“Tyler Norris has been solid all year and Tyler Krull, a freshman, has stepped up and is doing a great job for us,” said B-CU coach Jason Beverlin as the Wildcats prepared for this week’s MEAC Tournament.

Norris goes into the tournament with a 5-3 record, 5.07 ERA and a team-high 55 strikeouts. The sophomore jumped out to a 3-0 record, but got roughed up in back-to-back starts against North Carolina A&T and Ohio State. He allowed nine earned runs in 3 1/3 innings against the Aggies and seven earned runs in two innings against the Buckeyes.

“I struggled against N.C. A&T and Ohio State, in those two outings, but after that I was able to push through it,” Norris said. “I made a goal to myself and said, ‘That’s not going to happen.’ I just tried to work my ass off the rest of the year and made a point that I wasn’t going to let my team down again.”

He bounced back with two straight wins, including a 6-5 decision over Florida A&M, the defending MEAC Tournament champions.

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Enjoy Jamey Shouppe while you have him, FAMU

COURTESY FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION
Jamey Shouppe Named MEAC Coach of the Year, Dylan Dillard Player of the Year
SAINT PETERSBURG, Florida -- The Florida A&M baseball program hired the right guy to lead their baseball program three years ago. For the second time in his three-year stint with the Rattlers, Jamey Shouppe has been named the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Coach of the Year.

Shouppe’s Rattlers won 30 games this year for the first time since 2003. They head into this weekend’s MEAC Conference Tournament as the number one seed after winning more conference games (19) than at any time in program history.

Though their sights are set much higher, If FAMU can win two games this weekend, Shouppe will have won more games in a three-year period than any coach in program history. They are 79-70 since 2014.

Success in any college sport requires two interacting components. First is recruiting quality players (and individuals) to a program. Second is to exert leadership to get talented players to work together toward a common goal.

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2016 FCS vs. FBS: MEAC


PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania -- Cinderella is allowed out more often than in the month of March. During college football season, FCS programs are adept at drawing national attention as they seek upsets of the larger FBS.

Many of the games are played during the first few weekends of the season. This year, there are 113 FCS vs. FBS matchups, and the FCS hopes to exceed their nine combined wins from last season.

Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference teams will be involved in 17 of the matchups:

The Matchups - Bethune-Cookman: North Texas (Sept. 10); Delaware State: Missouri (Sept. 24); Florida A&M: Miami of Florida (Sept. 3); Hampton: Old Dominion (Sept. 3); Howard: Maryland (Sept. 3) and Rutgers (Sept. 10); Morgan State: Marshall (Sept. 10) and Army West Point (Nov. 19); North Carolina A&T: Kent State (Sept. 10) and Tulsa (Sept. 17); North Carolina Central: Duke (Sept. 3) and Western Michigan (Sept. 10); Savannah State: Georgia Southern (Sept. 3) and Southern Miss (Sept. 10); South Carolina State: UCF (Sept. 3), Louisiana Tech (Sept. 10) and Clemson (Sept. 17).

Glamour Game - South Carolina State at Clemson. With two NFL Draft selections, SCSU tied for the most from an FCS school this year. But for a gut check, Clemson had nine selections, the second-most in the nation to Ohio State.

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Tuesday, May 17, 2016

XU's Green chosen ITA/NAIA National Coach of the Year

MOBILE, Alabama — Xavier University of Louisiana's Alan Green was named Monday the Intercollegiate Tennis Coaches Association/NAIA Men's National Coach of the Year for 2016.
     
Green, in his 13th year at Xavier, has led the Gold Rush to a 14-7 record and its highest-ever national ranking, third. The Gold Rush are 4-1 against NAIA top-10 opponents and have a school-record five victories against NCAA Division I opponents, including first-time decisions over Nicholls State and Troy.
     
"I'm very surprised to have won this," Green said. "This award wasn't made possible without the team putting in the work and working hard and all the support staff that we have."
     
This is Green's second ITA National Coach of the Year Award. He won with Xavier's women in 2013.
     
Green received his honor at a banquet honoring the 24 men's teams and 24 women's teams which qualified for the NAIA National Championships. The Gold Rush have a first-round bye and will play at 1 p.m. Wednesday in the round of 16 against Bethany (Kan.) or Westmont. The Gold Nuggets will play in the first round at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday against Northwestern Ohio. Copeland-Cox Mobile Tennis Center is the site of all matches, and admission is free.
     
Xavier's three other ITA Region IV (South) recipients — Loic Didavi (Men's Assistant Coach of the Year), Kyle Montrel (Men's Senior Player of the Year) and Charlene Goreau (Women's Rookie of the Year) — were recognized at the banquet. Those awards were announced April 29. Receiving NAIA Champions of Character awards were Sha'Nel Bruins of the Gold Nuggets and Montrel. Bruins also was recognized as a Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athlete.


Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
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Tuskegee second in attendance in NCAA Division II football

INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana -- For the second consecutive year, and the sixth time in school history, the Tuskegee University football program finished second in attendance in NCAA Division II according to the numbers released by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).

Tuskegee, which finished the season 10-3 overall and in the quarterfinals of the DII playoffs, averaged 10,663 fans per game this year in five home games. The largest home game attendance came against Miles in the final regular season game, which also happened to be homecoming, as 28,765 people were inside the gates at Cleve L. Abbott Memorial Alumni Stadium.



The Golden Tigers have finished second six times since the NCAA began calculating numbers in 2003; finishing runner-up in 2005, 2006, 2007, 2011, 2014 and 2015. They have recorded the highest attendance in the nation three times (2008, 2009 and 2013) and finished in the top three 12 of a possible 13 times.

Tuskegee had two of the highest attended games in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) – which led the country in attendance for the 13th consecutive year - this season. The game against Miles was the highest attended game in the conference, while the second-highest attended game came against Morehouse in Columbus when 23,345 attended the Tuskegee-Morehouse Classic.


YearFinishTotal NumberAverage per Game
20152nd53,31310,663
20142nd49.7999,960
20131st44,86114,954
20123rd43,47710,869
20112nd45,83211,458
20106th59,0019,834
20091st43,65814,553
20081st60,40012,080
20072nd65,59313,118
20062nd55,97911,195
20052nd45,23111,307
2004numbers unavailable
20033rd43,85610,964

For more information on Tuskegee University athletics, visit GoldenTigerSports.com. Fans can also find the Golden Tigers on Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube and Facebook by searching for Tuskegee University Athletics. 


COURTESY TUSKEGEE UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS MEDIA RELATIONS

Former Jackson State football coach Bob Hill dies

JACKSON, Mississippi -- The roll call of Jackson State players who played for Robert "Bob" Hill is quite extraordinary.

There's Walter Payton, Jackie Slater and Robert Brazile just to name a few. They were all Tigers legends in their own right.

And they were developed under Hill, who died Tuesday morning, according to a Jackson State spokesperson. The cause of his death wasn't immediately known.

"I think in our lifetime, the measure of a man is if at the end you could say you made a difference in one person's life, then your life wasn't in vain," said JSU golf coach Eddie Payton, who also played for Hill. "Bob Hill made a difference in hundreds of young men's (lives). Hopefully he'll never be forgotten. I know he'll never be forgotten in the Payton family and shouldn't be here at Jackson State, which was his second family."

Hill, 81, served as JSU's coach from 1971-76 and won 44 of his 60 games as head coach. His 74 percent winning percentage is the best of any coach in program history.

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MEAC Announces 2016 Baseball All-Conference Honors

NORFOLK, Virginia  — Florida A&M infielder Dylan Dillard was named the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Baseball Player of the Year, the conference announced on Tuesday.Danny Rodriguez, of Bethune-Cookman, was selected Rookie of the Year, while Norfolk State’s Matt Outman earned Pitcher of the Year honors. Florida A&M’s Jamey Shouppe received Coach of the Year accolades.

All awards are voted on by the conference’s head baseball coaches and sports information directors.

Dillard started 48 games and batted .335 in 167 at-bats. He finished the season with 56 hits, including eight doubles, six triples, six home runs, 53 runs batted in and 46 runs scored. He led the conference in RBIs and triples. Dillard was a two-time MEAC Player of the Week honoree.

Rodriguez, a two-time MEAC Rookie of the Week honoree, led the Wildcats in RBIs (40). He recorded 60 hits, including nine doubles and seven home runs, with 29 runs scored. Defensively, he notched a .988 fielding percentage.

Outman, the 2015 Pitcher of the Year and 2016 Preseason Pitcher of the Year, appeared in 12 games and registered seven wins, including five shutouts, in 79.0 innings pitched. He led the conference in innings pitched, batters struckout looking (30) and wins. He ranks second in the MEAC in earned run average (2.62) and runs allowed (26).

Shouppe earned Coach of the Year honors after leading the Rattlers to a 19-5 conference mark and 30-19 overall, along with clinching the number one seed from the southern division in the upcoming 2016 MEAC Baseball Championship. This season marks Florida A&M’s first 30-win season since 2003.


Joining Dillard and Outman on the first team are Jonathan Mauricio (NSU), Andrew Vernon (NCCU), Alex Mauricio (NSU), Clay Middleton (B-CU), Brian Davis (FAMU), Alec Wong (FAMU), Ben Ellzey (FAMU), Milton Rivera (NCAT), Nathan Bond (B-CU), Carlos Ortiz (NCCU) and Michael Cruz (B-CU).

The 2016 MEAC Baseball Championship tournament gets underway Thursday, May 19 beginning at 12 p.m. at Arthur W. Perdue Stadium in Salisbury, Maryland. A complete tournament bracket can be found on www.MEACsports.com.

2016 Baseball All-MEAC Teams
As voted on by the conference’s head baseball coaches and sports information directors
Player of the Year: Dylan Dillard, Florida A&M
Rookie of the Year: Danny Rodriguez, Bethune-Cookman
Pitcher of the Year: Matt Outman, Norfolk State
Coach of the Year: Jamey Shouppe, Florida A&M

First Team

Pos.NameSchoolClassHt.Wt.Hometown
PMatt OutmanNorfolk Stater-Sr.6-3210Chesapeake, Va.
PJonathan MauricioNorfolk StateJr.6-2175Midlothian, Va.
RPAndrew VernonNorth Carolina CentralSr.6-4240Raleigh, N.C.
RPAlex MauricioNorfolk StateSo.6-0175Midlothian, Va.
CClay MiddletonBethune-Cookmanr-Jr.6-0205Oviedo, Fla.
1BBrian DavisFlorida A&MSo.5-10195Pensacola, Fla.
2BAlec WongFlorida A&MSr.5-6160Rockledge, Fla.
3BBen EllzeyFlorida A&MJr.6-0205Ocala, Fla.
SSMilton RiveraNorth Carolina A&T StateSo.5-9175Humacao, Puerto Rico
OFNathan BondBethune-CookmanSr.6-2195Orlando, Fla.
OFDylan DillardFlorida A&MGr.6-1205Kissimmee, Fla.
OFCarlos OrtizNorth Carolina CentralJr.5-9197Cleveland, Ohio
UTLMichael CruzBethune-CookmanJr.5-11210Aguadilla, Puerto Rico

Second Team

Pos.NameSchoolClassHt.Wt.Hometown
PRicky PageFlorida A&MSr.5-11185Ocala, Fla.
PTyler NorrisBethune-CookmanSo.6-1160Coral Springs, Fla.
RPJoseph CalamitaBethune-CookmanSo.6-0175Lake Worth, Fla.
RPMichael ParmentierNorfolk StateSo.6-0170Suffolk, Va.
CAdan OrdonezNorth Carolina A&T StateSo.5-7185Clermont, Fla.
1BDanny RodriguezBethune-CookmanFr.6-3240Pembroke Pines, Fla.
2BMike EscanillaMaryland Eastern ShoreSr.5-7150Waldorf, Md.
3BEllington HopkinsNorth Carolina CentralJr.5-6174Lansing, N.Y.
SSTom ProsperoNorth Carolina CentralJr.6-0180Batavia, N.Y.
OFAustin BentleyDelaware StateSo.5-11205Waldorf, Md.
OFDenathan DukesNorfolk StateJr.6-2180Woodbridge, Va.
OFMarlon GibbsFlorida A&Mr-Sr.5-9185Orange Park, Fla.
UTLJames DeyNorth Carolina CentralSr.5-10198Charlotte, N.C.

Third Team


Pos.NameSchoolClassHt.Wt.Hometown
PAlex DandridgeNorth Carolina CentralSr.6-3204Arlington, Texas
PChase JarrellFlorida A&MJr.6-3175Winter Springs, Fla.
RPDevin RepineMaryland Eastern Shorer-Sr.6-9250Salisbury, Md.
RPRyan McCranieSavannah StateSr.6-2220Covington, Ga.
CJacky Miles, Jr.Florida A&MJr.6-0205Graceville, Fla.
1BKyle ClaryNorth Carolina A&T StateJr.5-11175Lakewood, Calif.
2BJonathan MooreSavannah StateSr.6-1160Cairo, Ga.
3BBryant MirandaCoppin StateJr.5-10175Cidra, Puerto Rico
SSDemetrius SimsBethune-Cookmanr-So.6-2200Ann Arbor, Mich.
OFGeorge DragonCoppin StateSr.6-0215Ashtabula, Ohio
OFZachary MarszalNorth Carolina CentralJr.6-0211Cary, Ill.
OFRakeem QuinnBethune-CookmanSr.5-10205Port St. Joe, Fla.
UTLKyle VaasNorfolk StateSr.6-0205Chesterfield, Va.


MEAC MEDIA RELATIONS