Bethune-Cookman Wins 2016 MEAC Baseball Tournament Title

SALISBURY, Md. – Bethune-Cookman won the 2016 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Baseball Tournament championship on Tuesday with a 1-0 victory over Norfolk State at the Arthur W. Perdue Stadium.

The Wildcats (29-25) clinched and posted an undefeated mark throughout the double-elimination tournament.

The championship is the first for Bethune-Cookman since 2014 and 18^thoverall. [easyazon_infoblock align=”right” cart=”y” identifier=”B01FABJI74″ locale=”US” tag=”hbcusports-20″]

Wildcats head coach Jason Beverlin was named the tournament’s Outstanding Coach, while Bethune-Cookman first baseman Danny Rodriguez was selected the Outstanding Performer.

“We came into the tournament extremely focused and played every game with a lot of energy,” Beverlin said. “We just didn’t let anything stand in the way of our goal of winning the MEAC championship.”

In a scoreless game in the sixth inning, Bethune-Cookman loaded the bases with one out, but Norfolk State starter Matt Outman got two strikeouts to end the Wildcat threat.

The game remained tied at 0-0 until the bottom of the eighth as Jameel Edney belted his seventh homer of the season over the left field wall to give the Wildcats a 1-0 advantage.

Bethune-Cookman pitchers Tyler Norris and Alex Seibold (6-4) combined for a one-hitter, with nine strikeouts and six walks.

Norfolk State’s Roger Hall broke up the combined no-hit bid with a base hit in the top of the ninth.

Rodriguez and Edney paced the Wildcat offense with two hits each.

Bethune-Cookman, which earned the conference’s automatic berth to the NCAA Division I Regionals, awaits its opponent that will be announced during the NCAA Baseball Selection Show Monday, May 30 at Noon on ESPNU.

2016 MEAC All-Tournament Team