NORFOLK, Va., — North Carolina Central second baseman Corey Joyce was named the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Baseball Player of the Year, the conference announced today. Bethune-Cookman sophomore Anthony Maldonado earned Pitcher of the Year honors, while Derek Lohr of Coppin State was named Rookie of the Year. Coppin State head coach Sherman Reed received Coach of the Year accolades.
All awards were voted on by the conference’s head coaches and sports information directors.
Joyce, the 2017 MEAC Rookie of the Year, led the MEAC in batting average (.358), hits (64) and walks (32) this season and his 27 stolen bases were tied for the league lead and ranked 14th in the nation. He also ranked second in the conference in slugging percentage (.542), on-base percentage (.456), runs scored (43), doubles (15) and total bases (97). Joyce’s six home runs were tied for fourth in the MEAC, and he tied for sixth in the league with 37 RBIs. Joyce had a 10-game hitting streak that ran from Feb. 24 through March 9, before adding a seven-game streak from April 25 through May 6.
Maldonado, the Preseason Pitcher of the Year, made 10 starts this season, tossing three complete games in compiling a record of 5-2 and a 2.87 ERA. The right-hander tied for the MEAC lead in runs allowed (23) and earned runs allowed (19), and he was second in the league in opponents’ batting average (.214) and third in ERA. His 68 strikeouts ranked sixth in the conference, and he gave up just 47 hits in 59.2 innings pitched. Maldonado was named MEAC Pitcher of the Week three times this season.
Lohr was an important part of Coppin State’s resurgence this season, batting a team-best .357 and reaching base nearly 45 percent of the time. A two-time MEAC Rookie of the Week, Lohr ranked second in the league in batting average this season, and his .446 on-base percentage was third-best in the MEAC. In conference play, Lohr led the league in hitting at .434, and he was on base nearly 53 percent of the time in MEAC games. Lohr’s 33 hits in conference play were tied for the most in the league.
Reed led the Eagles to the Northern Division regular-season title this year, their first since 1996, despite being picked to finish third in the preseason poll. Coppin State was 18-4 in conference play this season, including a 6-2 mark against three-time defending division champion Norfolk State. Under Reed’s guidance in 2018, the Eagles came within one win of the single-season program record. In addition, Reed became the program’s all-time winningest coach.
Joining Joyce, Maldonado and Lohr on the All-MEAC First Team are Nazier McIlwain of Coppin State, Dylan Carlson, Jacky Miles, Jr, Jordan Curtis and Dallas Oliver of Florida A&M, Justin Hayes of Norfolk State, Michael Johnson, Perry “AJ” Hunt and Dawnoven Smith of North Carolina A&T State, and Zach Michalski of North Carolina Central.
2018 All-MEAC Baseball Teams
As voted on by the league’s head coaches and sports information directors
Player of the Year: Corey Joyce, North Carolina Central
Pitcher of the Year: Anthony Maldonado, Bethune-Cookman
Rookie of the Year: Derek Lohr, Coppin State
Coach of the Year: Sherman Reed, Coppin State
FIRST TEAM
| Name | Pos. | Ht. | Class | School | Hometown |
| Michael Johnson | SP | 5-11 | So. | North Carolina A&T State | Lexington, N.C. |
| Anthony Maldonado | SP | 6-4 | So. | Bethune-Cookman | West Palm Beach, Fla. |
| Dylan Carlson | RP | 6-4 | So. | Florida A&M | Tallahassee, Fla. |
| Jacky Miles, Jr. | C | 6-0 | r-Sr. | Florida A&M | Graceville, Fla. |
| Zach Michalski* | 1B | 6-7 | Sr. | North Carolina Central | Bellews Creek, N.C. |
| Nazier McIlwain* | 1B | 5-11 | Jr. | Coppin State | Passaic, N.J. |
| Corey Joyce | 2B | 6-1 | So. | North Carolina Central | Lexington, N.C. |
| Perry “AJ” Hunt | 3B | 5-10 | r-Jr. | North Carolina A&T State | Chesapeake, Va. |
| Derek Lohr | SS | 6-0 | Fr. | Coppin State | Bothell, Wash. |
| Dawnoven Smith | OF | 6-1 | Jr. | North Carolina A&T State | Jacksonville, N.C. |
| Jordan Curtis | OF | 5-10 | Jr. | Florida A&M | Tallahassee, Fla. |
| Justin Hayes | OF | 5-8 | r-Jr. | Norfolk State | Chesapeake, Va. |
| Dallas Oliver | UTL | 6-0 | Sr. | Florida A&M | Chipley, Fla. |
*indicates tie
SECOND TEAM
| Name | Pos. | Ht. | Class | School | Hometown |
| Jahmon Taylor | SP | 6-0 | Jr. | Coppin State | Altamonte Springs, Fla. |
| Devin Sweet | SP | 5-10 | Sr. | North Carolina Central | Greensboro, N.C. |
| Ivan Coutinho | RP | 6-1 | Sr. | Bethune-Cookman | Winter Park, Fla. |
| Dominic DeBlasie | C | 6-0 | Jr. | Maryland Eastern Shore | Tilton, N.H. |
| Brian Davis | 1B | 5-10 | Sr. | Florida A&M | Pensacola, Fla. |
| Erik Crossman | 2B | 6-1 | Jr. | Coppin State | Anaheim, Calif. |
| Andrew Valichka | 3B | 6-0 | Sr. | North Carolina Central | Pedricktown, N.J. |
| Nate Sterijevski | SS | 5-10 | Jr. | Bethune-Cookman | Clermont, Fla. |
| Caleb Duhay | OF | 6-0 | Sr. | Coppin State | Waipahu, Hawaii |
| Adonis Lao | OF | 6-0 | Sr. | Bethune-Cookman | Elmhurst, N.Y. |
| Carter Williams | OF | 6-3 | So. | North Carolina Central | Brown Summit, N.C. |
| Allen Saar | UTL | 5-9 | So. | Coppin State | Jersey Shore, Pa. |
THIRD TEAM
| Name | Pos. | Ht. | Class | School | Hometown |
| Thomas Nicoll | SP | 6-0 | Sr. | Florida A&M | Tallahassee, Fla. |
| Chase Anderson | SP | 5-9 | Jr. | Norfolk State | Norfolk, Va. |
| Josh Stikeleather | RP | 6-0 | Sr. | North Carolina A&T State | Kenly, N.C. |
| Adan Ordonez | C | 5-8 | Sr. | North Carolina A&T State | Clermont, Fla. |
| Danny Rodriguez | 1B | 6-3 | Jr. | Bethune-Cookman | Pembroke Pines, Fla. |
| Joseph Fernando | 2B | 6-0 | Jr. | Bethune-Cookman | Brooklyn, N.Y. |
| Freddie Landers | 3B | 6-2 | Jr. | Savannah State | Grayslake, Ill. |
| Dominic Cuevas | SS | 5-11 | Sr. | North Carolina Central | Gurnee, Ill. |
| Darnell Maisonet | OF | 5-10 | Jr. | Delaware State | Tall Pines, N.J. |
| Zach Spivey | OF | 5-9 | r-Jr. | Bethune-Cookman | Ormond Beach, Fla. |
| Greg White | OF | 6-1 | Sr. | North Carolina A&T State | Greensboro, N.C. |
| Cole Garey | UTL | 5-11 | Fr. | Delaware State | Felton, Del. |
Courtesy: MEAC
