Beatty leads the conference in home runs

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va., May 8, 2007 – One of the most highly recruited players in the history of the North Carolina A&T baseball program has not disappointed in his first season.

C.J. Beatty went 5-for-12 last week and scored four times to earn MEAC Rookie of the Week honors. Beatty’s week included a double, a triple and a home run as the Aggies went 3-1 last week. Beatty helped the Aggies sweep Coppin State over the weekend, which improved them to 11-7 in the MEAC.

Beatty’s recognition as MEAC Rookie of the Week caps off an impressive two-week stretch for Beatty. In the last two weeks, he is hitting .417 with three home runs and seven RBI. On April 30, he was named the N.C. A&T Department of Athletics’ Male Freshman Athlete of the Year. Beatty leads the conference in home runs with 10.  

“C.J. is a remarkable young man who we are very fortunate to have playing here at North Carolina A&T,’’ said head coach Keith Shumate. “But the most important thing about C.J., is that he has a great personality and is a very good teammate. Those are the things we love about him.”

Beatty, a former all-state performer at Kernersville Glenn High School, was recruited by several top Division I programs throughout North Carolina. He chose N.C. A&T, and looks to be a key part of the Aggies future, defensively (.989 fielding percentage) and offensively.

He is second on the team in hitting with a .340 batting average. He also has 34 RBI and a .605 slugging percentage. Beatty hopes to help the Aggies win the MEAC Baseball Tournament, which will be held May 17-19 at Norfolk State University’s Marty L. Miller Baseball Field.

The Aggies conclude their home schedule this week when they host Jackson State in a three-game series at War Memorial Stadium. On Wednesday, N.C. A&T plays the Tigers at 7 p.m., and on Thursday the Aggies and the Tigers are scheduled to play a doubleheader starting at noon. The Tigers are 31-18 and ranked third in the blackcollegebaseball.com poll.

On May 15, the Aggies close out the regular-season with a non-conference road game against Duke at 3 p.m.