MEAC ANNOUNCES BASEBALL WEEKLY HONORS Sahar Abdur-Rashid 05/04/09 NCAT’s Neal, B-CU’s Simpson, and UMES’ Vasko Earn Weekly Accolades VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (May 4, 2009) - North Carolina A&T’s Jaron Neal earned MEAC Player of the Week honors in baseball, the league announced on Monday. Bethune-Cookman’s Ali Simpson was named the Pitcher of the Week, while Maryland Eastern Shore’s Ben Vasko earned Rookie of the Week accolades. Neal (1B, 5-11, Sr., Asheboro, North Carolina) aided the Aggies to a 4-2 mark last week. He hit .440 from the plate with three home runs, one triple, one double and eight RBI. Neal tallied a .920 slugging percentage and posted 11 hits in 25 at bats. Defensively, he added 50 putouts from the first base position. Simpson (LHP, 6-3, Fr., Campbell River, British Columbia) struck out 11 batters in seven innings of play last week for the Wildcats. Against Jacksonville he allowed just one hit and one walk, while retiring four of the eight batters faced. He followed with a 1.29 ERA to earn the victory over Delaware State. Vasko (C, 6-3, Fr., San Diego, California) hit .333 (2-of-6) with one double for the Hawks last week. He recorded nine putouts, three assists and only one error from behind the plate. Other Top Performers: Jason Barker (NSU) struck out four and did not allow Florida A&M to score in the final five innings of play to help the Spartans win the MEAC series against the Rattlers. Anselmo Cantu (NSU) tallied a home run and six RBI to aid the Spartans to a 2-2 mark last week. Emmanuel Castro (B-CU) hit .647 with one home run, one triple, one double and seven RBI in five games last week for the Wildcats. Bryan Chaikowsky (UMES) recorded a .615 hitting percentage with one triple, three doubles and one RBI in four games for the Hawks. John DesChamps (UMES) struck out four batters in two innings of relief for the Hawks. Jordan Elliott (DSU) struck out six and allowed just two walks to pick up the win against Bethune-Cookman. Jared Jeffries (FAMU) hit .692 (9-of-13) with one RBI in three games for the Rattlers last week. Mike Rizzuto (DSU) finished 7-of-17 from the plate with one double and four RBI in five games for the Hornets. Harry Williams (CSU) recorded a .583 batting average (7-of-12) with three doubles and four RBI in three games for the Eagles.