BALTIMORE – Since winter refused to acknowledge the first day of spring on Friday dumping 2-3 inches of snow on the Baltimore region, Coppin State and Delaware State will play its scheduled weekend series in Dover instead of Joe Cannon Stadium.
The critical Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) series begins with a Saturday doubleheader at 1:00 p.m. The series concludes Sunday at 12:00 p.m. The two teams will play at Joe Cannon Stadium on April 11 and 12.
This will be the third straight home series moved because the field at Joe Cannon Stadium isn't ready. Their previous scheduled home games against Army and Saint Bonaventure were moved to North Carolina earlier this month.
Coppin State (1-12 overall, 0-3 MEAC) went 3-6 against the Hornets in the regular season last year, but won the game that mattered the most. Coppin State eliminated Delaware State in the MEAC Tournament last season with a thorough 6-1 decision in Norfolk last year. The Hornets (2-11, 2-1) are seeking their first road victories of the season as they are 0-7 overall away from Dover.
Last weekend, in conference opening series, Coppin State lost all three games to Maryland Eastern Shore, including a tough 4-3 setback in 11 innings on Monday. The Eagles led twice in the game in the late innings only to have the Hawks rally in each instance. Meanwhile, Delaware State won two out of three games over Norfolk State.
With only three of the four teams in the Northern Division qualifying for the MEAC Tournament in May, this series takes on extra importance especially for Coppin State. UMES visits Norfolk State this weekend.
Lately, Coppin State has been led by
George Dragon's sizzling bat. He has an eight-game hitting streak, has reached base in every game this season and has a team best .304 batting average. In its 12-7 loss to Wofford on Wednesday night,
Bryant Miranda had his second three-hit game of the season. Michael Wright and
Lance Montano also had two hits each for the Eagles.
Randal Mendez and Dragon are tied for the team lead with 14 hits each. Mendez leads Coppin State with three doubles. Jack Kraft collected his 100th career hit as an Eagle on Wednesday and hit his first home run of the season Tuesday. As a team, Coppin State is hitting .223.
Delaware State dropped a high-scoring 20-14 affair to La Salle on Wednesday afternoon. The Hornets slugged seven home runs against the Explorers. Delaware State's Ron Farley had four hits, including two solo home runs, in five at bats. Charles Dailey hit his second home run of the season, while Justin Allen, Jaylen Zielecki, Sam Barber and Jake Bartlett also went deep for the Hornets.
The top offensive threats for the Hornets include Chris Gonzalez (.372 average, team-high 16 hits), Zielecki (.342), Farley (.324, team-high 10 RBIs), Charles Dailey (.319) and David Kimbrough (.313). As a team, the Hornets have a .276 batting average.
Coppin State will host a pair of mid-week games on Tuesday against George Washington and Wednesday against Lehigh. Both contests will begin at 3:00 p.m. and be played at Joe Cannon Stadium.
