NORFOLK, Va. – Senior shortstop
Jaylene Pryor earned a spot on the preseason all-conference team, and the Norfolk State softball team was voted fifth in the Northern Division as the MEAC office announced its preseason softball accolades on Thursday.
Pryor grabbed a spot on the preseason All-MEAC second team. As a team, NSU finished just behind Coppin State in the preseason predicted order of finish as voted on by the league's head coaches and sports information directors.
Pryor batted .293 last year in her first season with the program and led the Spartans with eight doubles. She added nine runs on 29 hits with one home run, 11 RBI and two stolen bases. A native of Tampa, Fla., Pryor started all 36 games at shortstop in 2017.
The Spartans garnered 80 points in the preseason voting, just behind Coppin State's 84. The Eagles were selected fourth in the Northern Division, with Hampton (157), Delaware State (153) and Morgan State (113) ahead of them. Hampton had 12 of the first-place votes to earn the preseason No. 1 spot, and Delaware State had 10 first-place votes to finish in a close second.
The Southern Division was just as tight, with Florida A&M (13 first-place votes, 134 points) and Bethune-Cookman (10, 130) finishing a close No. 1 and No. 2.
NSU's season kicks off in two weeks when it travels to Savannah State for a tournament beginning on Feb. 16.
2018 Predicted Order of Finish
(First-Place Votes In Parenthesis)
| Northern Division |
Points |
| Hampton (12) |
157 |
| Delaware State (10) |
153 |
| Morgan State (2) |
113 |
| Coppin State |
84 |
| Norfolk State |
80 |
| Howard (1) |
59 |
| MDES |
54 |
| Southern Division |
Points |
| Florida A&M (13) |
134 |
| Bethune-Cookman (10) |
130 |
| North Carolina A&T (1) |
97 |
| North Carolina Central |
72 |
| Savannah State (1) |
61 |
| South Carolina State |
31 |
2018 Preseason All-Conference Teams
First Team
| Position |
Name |
School |
Class |
Hometown |
| P |
Amy Begg |
Morgan State |
Sr. |
Christchurch, New Zealand |
| P |
Allyson Babinsack |
Hampton |
Jr. |
Hampton, Va. |
| C |
Desiree Moreno |
Delaware State |
So. |
Carson, Calif. |
| 1B |
Toni Anderson |
Florida A&M |
Sr. |
Dothan, Ala. |
| 2B |
Kailey Richard |
Bethune-Cookman |
Sr. |
Highland, Calif. |
| SS |
Jamesia Stoudemire |
Florida A&M |
So. |
Lake Wales, Fla. |
| 3B |
Samantha Casarez |
MDES |
Sr. |
Sylmar, Calif. |
| OF |
Mariah Davis |
Bethune-Cookman |
Sr. |
Madera, Calif. |
| OF |
Alexis Day |
Florida A&M |
Jr. |
Ocala, Fla. |
| OF |
Ryan Jackson |
Bethune-Cookman |
So. |
Chino Hills, Calif. |
| UTL |
Zadaisha Waddell |
North Carolina A&T |
Jr. |
Troy, N.C. |
Second Team
| Position |
Name |
School |
Class |
Hometown |
| P |
Adrienne Guerra |
MDES |
Sr. |
Monrovia, Calif. |
| P |
Zadaisha Waddell |
North Carolina A&T |
Jr. |
Troy, N.C. |
| C |
Taylor Sherritt |
Bethune-Cookman |
So. |
Ridgecrest, Calif. |
| 1B |
Iesha Waters |
Bethune-Cookman |
Sr. |
Riverside, Calif. |
| 2B |
Jasmine Melgoza |
Delaware State |
So. |
Huntington Beach, Calif. |
| SS |
Jaylene Pryor |
Norfolk State |
Sr. |
Tampa, Fla. |
| 3B * |
Cortni Jones |
Savannah State |
Jr. |
Snellville, Ga. |
| 3B * |
Cloe' Ochoa |
Coppin State |
So. |
Covina, Calif. |
| OF |
Damali Young |
Morgan State |
Jr. |
Westhampton, N.J. |
| OF |
Taylor Warrick |
Hampton |
So. |
Mount Laurel, N.J. |
| OF |
Mika Lumsden |
Delaware State |
Sr. |
Fort Lauderdale, Fla. |
| UTL |
Adrienne Guerra |
MDES |
Sr. |
Monrovia, Calif. |
*Indicates tie
Preseason Player of the Year: Ryan Jackson, Bethune-Cookman
Preseason Pitcher of the Year: Amy Begg, Morgan State
