NORFOLK, Va. – Three Norfolk State players earned All-MEAC accolades on Tuesday afternoon when the conference office announced its postseason softball honors for the 2018 season.
Junior catcher
Kylee Lopez was named to the All-MEAC second team, while junior first baseman
Hunter Halford and senior second baseman
Jaylene Pryor were each named to the third team.
Lopez becomes NSU's first all-conference catcher since Kathy Cortez in 2011. Despite having better stats than any other catcher, both overall and in MEAC play, Lopez was voted to the second team this season while ranking second in the league in doubles (15), home runs (14), RBI (44) and total bases (112). The Norfolk native is hitting .355 this year with 33 runs, 55 hits, 16 walks, a .723 slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .416. She started all 50 games this year at catcher.
She ranks third in the league in hits, fifth in slugging, eighth in runs and batting average and ninth in on-base percentage. Lopez also set the NSU single-season mark for home runs, surpassing Lekita Wilson's previous best of 12 set in 1997. Only Bethune-Cookman outfielder Ryan Jackson, the MEAC Player of the Year, has more home runs, RBI and total bases this season than Lopez.
Halford led the league in walks with 22 while hitting .301 and starting 29 games at first base. She tallied 29 runs on 43 hits with three doubles, one triple, eight home runs and 20 RBI. She ranked sixth in the league in home runs, ninth in total bases (72), 10
th in slugging (.503) and 12
th in runs scored. The native of Jacksonville, North Carolina earned MEAC Co-Player of the Week honors on March 26. Halford started all 50 games, including 18 at pitcher and three games solely at DP.
Pryor batted .308 on the season and ranked ninth in the league in doubles with 10 as well as second in hit by pitches (12). In 46 games, she scored 21 runs on 41 hits with one triple, two home runs, 18 RBI and six stolen bases. The Tampa, Florida native was a preseason all-conference selection this year as well.
All three players earned the first postseason All-MEAC accolades of their careers. They also became the first all-conference honorees for the Spartan program since 2015, while Halford and Pryor became the first infielders for the Spartans since 2014.
In addition to Jackson earning MEAC Player of the Year honors, B-CU's Alexis Bermudez was named the MEAC Rookie of the Year. Morgan State took the other two awards, with Amy Begg tabbed the Pitcher of the Year, and Larry Hineline garnering the Coach of the Year award.
Voting was done by the league's head coaches and sports information directors.
NSU finished its season 21-29 overall and 10-8 in the league. The Spartans tied for third in the Northern Division but lost out on the tiebreaker with Delaware State and Coppin State for the division's third and fourth seeds in the MEAC tournament.
2018 MEAC Softball All-Conference Teams
First Team
| Position |
Name |
School |
Class |
Hometown |
| P |
Courtney Mirabella |
N.C. Central |
Sr. |
Bradenton, Fla. |
| P |
Amy Begg |
Morgan State |
Sr. |
Christchurch, New Zealand |
| C |
Desiree Moreno |
Delaware State |
So. |
Carson, Calif. |
| 1B |
Iesha Waters |
Bethune-Cookman |
Sr. |
Riverside, Calif. |
| 2B |
Jasmine Melgoza |
Delaware State |
So. |
Huntington Beach, Calif. |
| SS |
Jacki Smith |
Bethune-Cookman |
So. |
Mount Vernon, Wash. |
| 3B |
Ava Dolan |
N.C. Central |
So. |
Las Vegas, Nev. |
| OF |
Ryan Jackson |
Bethune-Cookman |
So. |
Chino Hills, Calif. |
| OF |
DaSha Hill |
Hampton |
Jr. |
Williamsburg, Va. |
| OF |
Damali Young |
Morgan State |
Jr. |
Westhampton, N.J. |
| UTL |
Zadaisha Waddell |
North Carolina A&T |
Jr. |
Troy, N.C. |
Second Team
| Position |
Name |
School |
Class |
Hometown |
| P |
Kyaira Brown |
Florida A&M |
So. |
Tallahassee, Fla. |
| P |
Allyson Babinsack |
Hampton |
Sr. |
Hampton, Va. |
| C |
Kylee Lopez |
Norfolk State |
Jr. |
Norfolk, Va. |
| 1B |
Elizabeth Humes |
Savannah State |
Jr. |
Snellville, Ga. |
| 2B * |
Gabriella Gorosave |
Morgan State |
Jr. |
Bellingham, Wash. |
| 2B * |
Kailey Richard |
Bethune-Cookman |
Sr. |
Highland, Calif. |
| 3B |
Cortni Jones |
Savannah State |
Jr. |
Snellville, Ga. |
| SS |
Patricia Soria |
Coppin State |
So. |
Gilroy, Calif. |
| OF |
Tyra Bowers |
Florida A&M |
Jr. |
Eustis, Fla. |
| OF |
Nia Bowe |
Coppin State |
Fr. |
Milford, Del. |
| OF |
Khaliyah Flournory |
Delaware State |
Sr. |
Syracuse, N.Y. |
| UTL |
Cayla Brown |
Coppin State |
Jr. |
Matteson, Ill. |
*Indicates tie
Third Team
| Position |
Name |
School |
Class |
Hometown |
| P |
Stephanie Rundlett |
Morgan State |
So. |
York, Maine |
| P |
Madison Didion |
Coppin State |
Jr. |
Montesano, Wash. |
| C |
Taylor Sherritt |
Bethune-Cookman |
So. |
Ridgecrest, Calif. |
| 1B |
Hunter Halford |
Norfolk State |
Jr. |
Jacksonville, N.C. |
| 2B |
Jaylene Pryor |
Norfolk State |
Sr. |
Tampa, Fla. |
| 3B |
Bryanna Campos |
Bethune-Cookman |
Sr. |
Pico Rivera, Calif. |
| SS |
Alyssa Diaz |
Delaware State |
Fr. |
Fontana, Calif. |
| OF |
Brianna Harris |
Savannah State |
Jr. |
Jacksonville, Fla. |
| OF |
Mariah Davis |
Bethune-Cookman |
Sr. |
Madera, Calif. |
| OF |
Giselle Alvarez |
Morgan State |
Jr. |
Baytown, Texas |
| UTL |
Taylor Rosier |
Florida A&M |
Jr. |
Tallahassee, Fla. |
Player of the Year: Ryan Jackson, Bethune-Cookman
Rookie of the Year: Alexis Bermudez, Bethune-Cookman
Pitcher of the Year: Amy Begg, Morgan State
Coach of the Year: Larry Hineline, Morgan State
