NORFOLK, Va. — The Norfolk State softball team was picked to finish third in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) in the 2026 MEAC Softball Preseason Poll, as announced by the league office Thursday afternoon.
Voted on by the conference's head coaches and sports information directors, the Spartans totaled 80 points. Howard was selected as the preseason favorite with 116 points and 12 first-place votes, while Delaware State finished second with 94 points and two first-place votes.
North Carolina Central placed fourth with 64 points, followed by South Carolina State in fifth with one first-place vote. Coppin State, Morgan State and Maryland Eastern Shore rounded out the poll.
Norfolk State placed three student-athletes on the preseason All-MEAC teams, led by first-team selection Maya Johnson. Kailey Bryant and Madison "Maddy" Morris earned second-team honors.
Johnson, a catcher/infielder from Salt Lake City, Utah, started 42 of 43 games for the Spartans last season. She finished the year batting .176 with 16 hits, including four doubles, one triple and three home runs, while driving in 15 RBIs and scoring nine runs. Johnson added 10 walks, was hit by pitch three times and went a perfect 5-for-5 on stolen base attempts.
Defensively, Johnson posted a .973 fielding percentage across 297 chances, recording 282 putouts and seven assists. She was part of nine double plays and threw out one would-be base stealer. One of the MEAC's most efficient defenders, Johnson ranked among the conference's top five in fielding percentage, putouts and double plays turned. She also led Norfolk State in home runs (3).
Bryant appeared in all 45 games last season and posted the second-highest batting average on the team at .328. In 137 at-bats, she collected 45 hits, including eight doubles, seven triples and one home run, while driving in 23 RBIs and scoring 21 runs. Bryant also excelled on the basepaths, going 19-for-21 in stolen base attempts. Her triple and RBI totals both led the Spartans.
In the circle, Bryant logged 49.1 innings, striking out 22 batters while posting a 4.74 ERA and a 4-3 record.
Morris enters the season as a versatile two-way contributor after making 15 pitching appearances, including two starts, and totaling 42.2 innings last year. She recorded 20 strikeouts, posted a 1.92 WHIP and limited extra-base damage throughout the season.
At the plate, Morris appeared in 34 games with 16 starts, batting .241. She tallied 14 hits, including three doubles and two home runs, drove in eight runs and recorded a .343 on-base percentage with a .397 slugging percentage. Morris also went 2-for-2 on stolen base attempts and added two sacrifice hits.
Norfolk State is coming off a strong 2025 campaign in which the Spartans finished 14-7 in MEAC play, earning a second-place finish in the conference standings and a No. 2 seed in the MEAC Tournament. The Spartans collected seven postseason honors and return All-MEAC selections Johnson, Qween Edmonds and Bryant, along with third-team honoree Amaya McPherson.
The Spartans open the 2026 season at home on Friday, Feb. 13, hosting the Spartan Clash at the NSU Softball Field. Norfolk State will face Rider at 1 p.m. before taking on Central Connecticut State at 3 p.m.
2026 MEAC Softball Predicted Order of Finish
School (First-place votes), Points
- Howard (12) - 116
- Delaware State (2) - 94
- Norfolk State - 80
- North Carolina Central - 64
- South Carolina State (1) - 57
- Coppin State - 55
- Morgan State - 50
- Maryland Eastern Shore - 24
2026 MEAC Softball Preseason All-Conference Teams
Preseason Player of the Year: Taylor Ames-Alexander, Howard
Preseason Pitcher of the Year: Julia Holt, Howard
First Team
|
Name
|
Pos.
|
Yr.
|
School
|
Hometown
|
|
Kristin White
|
P
|
Jr.
|
Delaware State
|
Crofton, Md.
|
|
Destiny Calloway
|
P
|
Sr.
|
Howard
|
Evington, Va.
|
|
Merci Hart
|
C
|
Jr.
|
Howard
|
Los Angeles, Calif.
|
|
Maya Johnson
|
1B
|
Sr.
|
Norfolk State
|
Salt Lake City, Utah
|
|
Taylor Ames-Alexander
|
2B
|
Gr.
|
Howard
|
Lancaster, S.C.
|
|
Julianna Mejia
|
3B
|
Jr.
|
Howard
|
Lincoln Heights, Calif.
|
|
Tonya Marks
|
SS
|
So.
|
Morgan State
|
Whitehall, Md.
|
|
Lauryn Jones
|
OF
|
So.
|
Howard
|
Denton, Texas
|
|
Aniyah Haley
|
OF
|
Sr.
|
Coppin State
|
Indianapolis, Ind.
|
|
Angel Riggins
|
OF
|
Jr.
|
Howard
|
San Diego, Calif.
|
|
Clarke Calvin
|
UTL/DP
|
So.
|
Md. Eastern Shore
|
Woodbury, Minn.
|
|
Julia Holt
|
RP
|
Sr.
|
Howard
|
Tucson, Ariz.
|
Second Team
|
Name
|
Pos
|
Year
|
School
|
Hometown
|
|
Serena Rodriguez
|
P
|
Jr.
|
Morgan State
|
Simi Valley, Calif.
|
|
Kailey Bryant
|
P
|
Jr.
|
Norfolk State
|
Moyock, N.C.
|
|
Paige Perkins
|
C
|
Sr.
|
Md. Eastern Shore
|
Waterford, Conn.
|
|
Kylie Nelson
|
1B
|
Sr.
|
South Carolina State
|
Sacramento, Calif.
|
|
Clarke Calvin
|
2B
|
So.
|
Md. Eastern Shore
|
Woodbury, Minn.
|
|
Karly Cain
|
3B
|
Sr.
|
Delaware State
|
Felton, Del.
|
|
Alyssa Stanford
|
SS
|
So.
|
South Carolina State
|
Ellenwood, Ga.
|
|
Giselle Ulloa
|
OF
|
Jr.
|
Coppin State
|
Norco, Calif.
|
|
Maryn Jordan
|
OF
|
Sr.
|
Howard
|
San Diego, Calif.
|
|
Jamaria Charley
|
OF
|
R-Jr.
|
South Carolina State
|
St. Matthews, S.C.
|
|
Madison Morris
|
UTL/DP
|
Jr.
|
Norfolk State
|
Hampton, Va.
|
|
Simone Mack
|
RP
|
So.
|
North Carolina Central
|
Cornelius, N.C.
|
