NORFOLK, Va. – The trio of senior outfielder Danielle Wright, senior third baseman Whitney Holland and sophomore catcher Kathy Cortez was named to the 2012 softball preseason All-MEAC team Friday afternoon in voting done by the conference's head coaches and sports information directors and announced by the conference office.

NSU was selected to finish third in the MEAC Northern Division by the narrowest of margins and picked up two first-place votes. NSU collected 194 points, finishing just ahead of fourth-place Howard by one point and just behind second-place Coppin State by one point as well.

Wright was named to the All-MEAC First Team in 2011 after having a breakout junior campaign. She ranked in the top 6 in the MEAC in batting average (.383), runs (46), hits (59), home runs (8), total bases (92), slugging percentage (.597), on-base percentage (.442) and stolen bases (28), including first overall in stolen bases. She also added seven doubles and 33 RBI, hitting primarily at the leadoff position.

In her first year with the Spartans in 2011, Cortez batted .307 on her way to being named to the All-MEAC Second Team. She started all 48 games for the Spartans and added 24 runs, 42 hits, two doubles, 15 RBI and seven sacrifice bunts. She finished seventh in the nation in toughest-to-strikeout, fanning once every 34.3 at bats.

A junior college transfer last year, Holland finished just short of qualifying for All-MEAC status after missing the first part of the 2011 season. Despite missing slightly more than 25 percent of the regular season, Holland batted .333 with 14 runs, 37 hits, four doubles, three home runs and 36 RBI. She finished eighth in the conference in RBI and would have finished first in RBI per game had she reached the 75 percent threshold.

Delaware State finished atop the Northern Division poll with 290 points and 19 first-place votes. Bethune-Cookman, last year's MEAC Champion, garnered 282 points and 16 first-place votes in the Southern Division. Delaware State's Jordan Reid was named the preseason Player of the Year, while Paige Arnold of Coppin State earned preseason Pitcher of the Year honors.

NSU will kick start its 2012 season next Thursday with a doubleheader at North Carolina Central at 2 p.m., followed by the team's home opener on Feb. 18 at noon against Marist.

2012 MEAC Preseason Predictions
As voted on by the MEAC's Head Softball Coaches and Sports Information Directors
(First Place Votes in Parenthesis)

Northern Division
School.................................................................. Pts.
1. Delaware State (19).......................................290
2. Coppin State (1)..............................................195
3. Norfolk State (2).............................................194
4. Howard (3).......................................................193
T5. Hampton........................................................174
T5. Morgan State (1)...........................................174
7. Maryland E. Shore..........................................106

Southern Division
School.................................................................. Pts.
1. Bethune-Cookman (16)................................282
2. Florida A&M (10)............................................ 264
T3. South Carolina State...................................175
T3. North Carolina A&T......................................175
5. Savannah State...............................................167
6.  North Carolina Central..................................139

 
2012 MEAC Preseason All-Conference Team

Name                         School                         Pos.   Ht.    Cl.     Hometown
Paige Arnold             Coppin State              P        5-7    Sr.     Detroit, Mich.
Stephanie Sarris      Delaware State          P        5-6    So.    Rohnert Park, Calif.
Kathy Cortez             Norfolk State             C        5-3    So.    Pomona. Calif.
Stephanie Martello  Delaware State         1B       5-6    So.    Oxnard, Calif.
Tera Gainer               Florida A&M               2B       5-7    Sr.    Crestview, Fla.
Whitney Holland      Norfolk State            3B       5-11  Sr.    Suffolk, Va.
*Aurelia Gamch        Bethune-Cookman  SS       5-4    Jr.    Madera, Calif.
*Hope Fletcher         North Carolina A&T  SS       5-4    Jr.    Cincinnati, Ohio
Jordan Reid              Delaware State         OF       5-8    Sr.    Accokeek, Md.
Danielle Wright       Norfolk State             OF       5-3    Sr.    Safety Harbor, Fla.
Detavia Kenan         North Carolina A&T   OF       5-7    So.   Raleigh, N.C.
Rachel Carroll         Delaware State          UTL     5-7    Sr.    Oxnard, Calif.
*Indicates Tie

Preseason Player of the Year: Jordan Reid, Delaware State
Preseason Pitcher of the Year: Paige Arnold, Coppin State