By Andy Walter

There may be only four baseball teams in the MEAC this spring but Delaware State would still like to finish first.

With that in mind, the Hornets are hosting Coppin State in a big four-game series, which started on Friday. The two squads play a doubleheader on Saturday, beginning at noon on Bob Reed Field on its Downtown campus.

DelState (14-16 overall) and the Eagles (15-22) are tied for first place in the MEAC at 11-9 in the league.

Starting with Saturday’s twinbill, seven of the Hornets’ remaining 15 games are against Coppin State. DSU lost three of four to the Eagles in March but all four contests were decided by four runs or less.

The Hornets went into the weekend having won five of their last seven contests.

DSU’s Trey Paige currently sits atop the MEAC leader board in five different categories. The sophomore infielder is first in batting average (.398), slugging percentage (.757), OPS (1.269), doubles (11) and home runs (8).

He also is tied for the league lead in hits (41).

Carr lining up visits

Andrew Carr, the Delaware basketball standout who is in the NCAA Transfer Portal, is narrowing down his list of possible new schools.

In an interview with The Portal Report, the 6-foot-9 forward said he has visits lined up with Davidson and Witchita State. Carr also said he’s had contact with Virginia Tech and VCU.

The Blue Hens opened last season with a 93-71 loss at Davidson. Carr had nine points and four rebounds in the game.

“I definitely did not think that I was going to be in the transfer portal during the first game of the season,” Carr was quoted. He was recruited by Davidson out of high school.

Hornet men add four

Delaware State men’s basketball coach Stan Waterman has signed four players as he tries to improve off of last year’s 2-25 campaign.

The newcomers include Kareem Ewell (6-7, 190, forward), who was a second-team All-Stater at Dickinson before playing his senior season at the Patrick School, N.J.; California State-Bakersfield transfer Ray Somerville, Jr. (6-10, 240, forward); Arion Lewis (6-2, 175, guard) from Laramie County Community College; Aaron Lemon-Warren (6-5, 200), from Archbishop Ryan, Pa. High.

“Together, they will help provide a new foundation for our program,” said Waterman. “We are excited by what we believe they will bring to the university and the team. There is nothing more important for us right now than recruiting and developing people.”

The Hornets have seven players in the NCAA Transfer Portal.

DSU women sign 11

After going 0-24 last winter, the Delaware State women’s basketball team will have a much different look next season.

Second-team coach E.C. Hill has announced the addition of 11 new players, including five Division I transfers.

The group of transfers includes Jayla Johnson (5-8 guard, North Carolina Greensboro); Denijsha Wilson (5-4 guard, South Carolina Upstate); Jessica Martino (5-10 guard-forward, Texas Rio Grande); Paula Weekes (5-10 guard-forward, Iona); and Brishonne Tollie (6-0 forward, SMU).

Brishonne’s younger sister, Tyshone Tollie, has also signed with the Hornets after previously playing at Florida Southwest State CC.

Hill has also signed two in-state players: Julia Saleur (5-10, guard-forward) from Cape Henlopen and Breionna Dodson (6-0 forward, Tatnall).

The remaining DSU recruits are Deyonce Thompson, (5-10 guard-forward, Grand Rapids, Mich.); Naomi Gonzalez (5-11 guard-forward, Lancaster, Pa); and Savannah Brooks (5-9, guard-forward from Taneytown, Md.).

“This group has the experience, size and speed to allow us to be more competitive the MEAC and against our non-conference opponents right next season,” said Hill.

Notes

The Wilmington University softball team (24-16), led by former Caesar Rodney High coach Mike Shehorn, is ranked fifth in its region. ...Former Delaware women’s basketball coach Natasha Adair is bringing four former Blue Hen staff members with her to Arizona State: Assistant coaches Mykala Walker, Darrell Mosley and Bob Clark along with director of operations Carter Caplan. ... Chris Cheeks, a former VCU basketball standout who was an assistant coach on UD’s men’s NCAA Tournament team in 2014, died this week at the age of 54. ... The CAA issued one-game suspensions to three men’s lacrosse players — two from Towson and one from Delaware — from two incidents that occurred during their game on Saturday. Senior Demetrius Stevenson (Caesar Rodney) was the player suspended for the Blue Hens.

Sports editor Andy Walter can be reached at 741-8227 or walter@iniusa.org.
Follow on Twitter at @DSNSports.