Delaware State third baseman Trey Paige (so.; Reading, Pa.) has been selected as the 2022 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Baseball Preseason Player of the Year, in voting by league head coaches and sports information representatives.
Also, Delaware State has been picked to finish second in the four-team 2022 MEAC baseball regular season race. Defending champ Norfolk State is predicted to win this year’s regular season race, tallying three first place votes and 25 total points.
The Hornets are a close second with two first place votes and 22 points.
Paige, a 2021 All-MEAC First Team honoree, was tops on the Hornets and tied for third in the MEAC with a .371 batting average last season. In addition, he was second in the MEAC with 91 total bases and the Hornets’ leader in hits (52), doubles (13), home runs (5), walks (29) and runs batted in (32) during the 2021 campaign.
Paige was second in the MEAC in doubles, eighth in hits and tied for fifth in home runs a year ago.
This is the second preseason honor for Paige, who was also selected as the MEAC Preseason Player of the Year by the Perfect Game baseball publication.
Joining Paige on the 2022 Preseason All-MEAC Baseball Team are outfielder Miguel Rivera (sr.; Dover, Del.) and starting pitcher Jordan Haddaway (jr.’ Salisbury, Md.)
Rivera was 10th among MEAC regulars with a .301 batting average, seventh in on-base percentage (.432), third in runs scored (43), sixth in doubles (10) and sixth in stolen bases (10-for-11) during the 2021 season.
Haddaway appeared in 12 games, starting 11 for the Hornets last season. He was Delaware State’s leader with four wins (4-4) and ranked 10th in MEAC with .289 opponents’ batting average. In addition, Haddaway was second on the Hornets with 33 strikeouts and No. 2 on the team with 56.0 innings pitched.
Delaware State will open its 2022 season with a four-game series at Charleston Southern Feb. 25-27. The home opener is set for Mar. 4 against Lehigh (3:00 pm). The Hornets will play their home games this season at the Delaware State Downtown Campus on the former Wesley College baseball field.
2022 MEAC Baseball
Preseason All-MEAC Team
As voted by the league’s head baseball coaches and sports information directors
Preseason Player of the Year: Trey Paige, Delaware State
Preseason Pitcher of the Year: James Deloatch, Norfolk State
Pos. Name Ht. Class School Hometown
SP James Deloatch 6-0 r-Jr. Norfolk State Norfolk, Va.
SP Jordan Haddaway 6-1 Jr. Delaware State Salisbury, Md.
RP Nolan Manzer 6-6 So. Norfolk State Norfolk, Va.
C Mike Dorcean 5-11 r-So. Coppin State Bellerose, N.Y.
1B Sebastien Sarabia 5-11 So. Coppin State Simi Valley, Calif.
2B Miguel Rivera 6-0 Sr. Delaware State Dover, Del.
SS Dillon Oxyer 6-0 Gr. Maryland E. Shore Pasadena, Md.
3B Trey Paige 6-0 So. Delaware State Reading, Pa.
OF Marcos Castillo 6-1 Sr. Coppin State Bellerose, N.Y.
OF Dionte Brown 5-7 r-Jr. Norfolk State Smithfield, Va.
OF Darren Hagan 5-11 So. Coppin State Chichester, Pa.
UTL Jordan Hamberg 5-9 r-Jr. Coppin State South Plainfield, N.J.
Predicted Order of Finish
School (First-Place Votes) Points
- Norfolk State (3) 25
- Delaware State (2) 23
- Coppin State (3) 22
- Maryland Eastern Shore 10