The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) is prepared to announce the four remaining baseball programs (Coppin State, Delaware State, Norfolk State, and Maryland Eastern Shore) will depart from the MEAC and join the Northeast Conference (NEC).
The four baseball programs that have competed in the MEAC since its inception will move into the Northeast from what sources are stating is baseball only.
The parting by the remaining four teams will be the ninth baseball program to have left the MEAC since Winston-Salem State in 2010 and Savannah State in 2019. Bethune-Cookman, Florida A&M, and North Carolina A&T departed in 2021. North Carolina A&T joined the Big South, Bethune-Cookman and FAMU became members of the SWAC.
The MEAC has automatic qualifying for NCAA Division I postseason play in baseball since 1994. When Savannah State, NC A&T, Bethune-Cookman, North Carolina Central, and FAMU left the conference, the MEAC was in jeopardy only four members under the requirement per the NCAA qualifying guidelines.
The number of participating teams decreased from 9 to 4, including North Carolina Central canceled the baseball program after the 2021 season concluded.
To keep its NCAA qualifications, the MEAC had a two-year window to find a sixth member that would allow the league to keep its automatic NCAA Tournament bid. But that never materialized.
Recent reports that Delaware State was in talks to move to the NEC, which is more northeastern-friendly. After the five MEAC baseball teams departed, there was no plan to keep more members from leaving.
Coppin State, Delaware State, Norfolk State, and Maryland Eastern Shore baseball programs will compete against Long Island University (LIU), Bryant University, Central Connecticut, Fairleigh Dickinson University (FDU), Merrimack College, Wagner College, Sacred Heart, and Mount St. Mary’s.
The move becomes final and leaves only one Historically Black College and University (HBCU) NCAA Division I conference with baseball, the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC).
An announcement is this Thursday, sources report.