SB: DSU RETURNS HOME FOR THE FIRST TIME OF 2016 TO FACE NORFOLK STATE

Softball 5/6/2015 3:44:00 PM DSU Athletic Media Relations

MEAC CHAMPIONSHIP QUEST FOR NO. 1 DSU BEGINS THURSDAY AGAINST NO. 4 AGGIES

The Game

For the second straight season, the number one seeded Delaware State softball team (20-21), who are winners of 13 in a row, will open the MEAC Tournament Thursday morning (10 a.m.) in Ormond Beach, Fla. against No. 4 North Carolina A&T (14-29) out of the southern division.

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The Opponent

» North Carolina A&T Aggies (14-29)

Entering postseason play, the Aggies have dropped five out of their last six games, including losing two out of three at North Carolina Central last weekend to close the regular season. Boasting NCAT's offensive attack is Raven Gray, who leads her squad in batting (.326), on-base percentage (.405), hits 42) and walks (16). In the circle, Maiven McKnight (8-12) holds a team-best 4.27 ERA with 47 K's, whereas Janika May (6-17) leads the Aggies in strikeouts (67) with 5.85 ERA.

» The All-Time Series: DSU is 10-10 all-time against North Carolina A&T. In last season's opening round matchup, the Hornets came away with a 7-1 victory. At the plate, the Hornets registered 12 hits, led by catcher Sandy Hawthorne and infielder Chloe Oro both going 3-for-3 with two runs scored.

A Win Would Mean…

» DSU would play the winner of No. 2 Florida A&M and No. 3 Norfolk State on Thursday (7 p.m.).

» The Hornets would extend their program-best winning streak to 14.

Last Time Out…

The Hornets ended the regular with a three-game series at home over the UMES Hawks, concluding with a 3-1 victory Sunday afternoon. Throughout the series, utility player Vanessa Washington batted a team-best .667 with four hits, three runs, two RBI, two doubles, a walk and a 1.000 slugging percentage, as she went to earn MEAC Rookie of the Week honors for a third time. Sophomore Tara Tursellino (14-14), meanwhile, went 2-0 with a save and 12 strikeouts in 14 innings of work. With these numbers, she went on to earn MEAC Pitcher of the Week recognition.

Stingers

Outfielder Nicole Gazzola is currently riding a 17-game hit streak, the longest of any Hornet this season… DSU leads the MEAC in batting (.319), hits (346) and sits second in slugging (.446), on-base percentage (.375), runs (244), RBI (214), doubles (59), total bases (494) and fielding percentage (.958)… Pitcher Tara Tursellino leads the MEAC in strikeouts (124).

Milestone Watch, Moving Up the Career List

Junior Nicole Gazzola (201) needs hits eight hits to move into third on DSU's career list… Sophomore Tara Tursellino is now DSU's all-time leader in saves with nine… Junior Jordan Stamps is now third (16) all-time on DSU's home run list, in addition to only needing one RBI to reach 100 for her career.

Washington Named MEAC Rookie of the Year, Six Hornets Garner All-Conference Honors

The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) announced its yearly awards for the 2015 season Tuesday afternoon, as DSU featured a conference-best six players garnering recognition, headlined by freshman sensation Vanessa Washington earning MEAC Rookie of the Year and Second Team All-Conference (Utility Player) honors. Earning First Team All-MEAC recognition for the second time in a row were juniors Nicole Gazzola (outfield) and Sandy Hawthorne (catcher), while Tara Tursellino (pitcher), along with juniors Jordan Stamps (infield) and Chloe Oro (infield) earned Second Team honors.

A Look Inside Washington's Stellar Rookie Season

Starting all 41 games between first base and the designated player spot, the Elk Grove, Calif. native, received MEAC Rookie of the Week recognition three times, including a stretch of back-to-back weeks. Washington's numbers, meanwhile, include the third highest batting average (.383) on the squad, whereas leading DSU in doubles (14), total bases (87) and fielding percentage (.985). Washington also sits second on the team in hits (49), RBI (42), homers (8) and slugging percentage (.680), along with scoring 30 runs. Her game best occurred in DSU's 20-4 five-inning win at Coppin State on April 12, going 2-for-3 with six RBI, three runs, a homer and a double.

Strong Junior Core

The 2015 version of the DSU softball team features no seniors, but a stellar group of juniors, led by Nicole Gazzola, Sandy Hawthorne, Chloe Oro, Rochelle Sablay and Jordan Stamps. In 2014, Gazzola followed up her stellar freshman campaign earning First Team All-MEAC honors, leading the Hornets in batting (.404), hits (67), at-bats (166) and stolen bases (17). Hawthorne, on the other hand, who was also a First Team All-MEAC selection last season, batted .403 leading DSU in doubles (22), walks (23), slugging (.646) and on-base percentage (.486). As for Oro, she along with Gazzola and Hawthorne, started all 52 games last season while batting .355 and leading the Hornets in runs (45). Sablay (6) and Stamps (7), meanwhile, returns as DSU's top home run hitters, in addition to driving in at least 35 RBI in 2014. Rounding out the junior group is Nkili Matthews, who will look to continue her solid contributions as an outfielder and base runner.

Tursellino Aiming for Repeat Success

Pitcher Tara Tursellino's first season in a Hornet uniform was one to remember, posting a team-best 13-6 record with a 1.97 ERA, which was second best in the MEAC and 55th in the country. The Moreno Valley, Calif. native, also led the nation in saves (7), totaled 72 K's and limited opponents to a .264 batting average. With these numbers, Tursellino earned MEAC Rookie of the Year, Second Team All-MEAC and NFCA (National Fastpitch Coaches Association) Mid-Atlantic All-Region Third Team honors.

Year One for Jackson

Replacing the reigning MEAC Coach of the Year and DSU Hall-of-Famer Janice Savage, who is now the head coach at Appalachian State, Amber Jackson spent the previous three seasons at Maryland under now Bethune-Cookman head coach Laura Watten. Jackson also starred at Bethune-Cookman for three seasons (2002-05), where she earned All-American honors each year. “I'm very excited to be back in the MEAC, and this position here at Delaware State is pretty much a dream come true,” said Jackson when she accepted the position. “It was very unexpected, but God has some interesting plans in store for this program.”

What a Year '14 Was

Coming off its best overall finish (35-17) since 2004, in addition to a 15-3 MEAC mark en route to clinching the number one overall seed in the conference tournament, the Delaware State softball team will aim for repeat success, this time under first-year head coach Amber Jackson in 2015. Also, the Hornets wrapped up the regular season with the highest RPI ranking out of any team in the MEAC at 158th, finished Top 25 in the country in batting (16th - .321) and ERA (25th – 2.12), held a season-long nine-game winning (second longest in team history) and saw eight players receive All-MEAC Academic honors. In the MEAC tournament, however, the Hornets' season ended with a 9-2 loss to No. 1 Bethune-Cookman out of the south.

Fresh Faces

The newbie's for Delaware State this season feature six freshmen in Khaliyah Flournory, Dominique Little, Mika Lumsden, Jessica Shalongo, Vanessa Washington and Daisjah Williams. Slated to battle for playing time in the infield will be Flournory and Little, whereas Lumsden and Williams will look to make an impact at one of three outfield spots. Shalongo, on the other hand, will serve as the number two pitcher behind Tursellino, while Washington will see time in the infield and as a catcher.

California Love

Five out of the 14 players for the Hornets this season hail from California in Vanessa Washington (Elk Grove), Jordan Stamps (Torrance), Tara Tursellino (Moreno Valley), Danielle Velez (Chino Hills), Chloe Oro (San Pedro) and Rochelle Sablay (La Mirada), in addition to head coach Amber Jackson (Fontana).