The Morgan State University softball team has opened their 2024 season 6-0 after winning three two-game series against the Bowie State Bulldogs, Virginia Union Panthers and Lincoln University Lions.
The Bears have been selected as the preseason favorite to win the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) regular season title — a title they have won for the past three consecutive years.
The Bears’ roster has 13 returning players and added five new freshmen: five returning players are preseason all-MEAC selections — sophomore outfielder Nia Lewis, graduate student pitcher Melissa Paz, reigning MEAC player of the year graduate student pitcher Victoria Fletcher and senior pitcher Anaya Hunte — two-time pitcher of the year — are on the first team. Fletcher is also preseason player of the year and second team all-MEAC, along with senior outfielder Mia Ewell.
The Bears outscored their opponents 48-2 in their first six games. This comes from Ewell leading the team with eight RBIs, Fletcher hitting a team leading two home runs and senior outfielder Mitchell Chandler putting up a batting average of 1.000 without being struck out.
Head softball coach Larry Hineline said the Bears’ pitching is an advantage that other MEAC teams should worry about.
“We’ve been practicing just the fundamentals — just knowing where you’re supposed to be on the field and where to throw the ball and where to back up,” Hineline said. “I think we are just as good as any team I had doing that right now.”
The Bears’ pitching has not disappointed as their six pitchers combined for a .21 ERA while only allowing 13 hits and two runs, one of which was scored on a fielding error. Additionally, Fletcher and Paz did not allow any hits in their first game against the Panthers, which was one of four shutouts from the Bears’ pitchers so far.
“Once you start talking and … focusing on stuff that’s not softball, it takes your mind off your game,” Hunte said. “I just focus on practicing, focus on bettering my skill.”
Hineline said he looks to get back to where the team was in 2021 when they won the MEAC tournament and made the NCAA Norman Regional tournament. He said they have what it takes to get back to that point.
“Physically we are as good as anybody in the league and during the year we won the regular season, but in a tournament it’s [about] focus and I think we’re going to get that this year. I think we really will,” Hineline said.
Freshman catcher Amber Rivas said regardless of classification, everyone on the team knows the task at hand, wants to earn a championship ring and make it to the NCAA tournament.
“All these seniors … don’t want to leave college without a ring so I feel like that brings a little more to the table than other schools,” Rivas said.
The Bears lost 11-7 to the University of Maryland Eastern Shore Hawks in the 2023 MEAC tournament, ending their season.
“We got speed and we got smarts and softball IQ,” Hineline said. “I know this team is better than last year’s team.”
The Bears will play the Stony Brook University Seawolves and Holy Cross Crusaders in a Round Robin tournament at University of Maryland Baltimore County today.
