Game: North Carolina A&T (18-35) vs. Coppin State Eagles (1-52)

When: Thursday, May 17 at 4:30 p.m. (approximate)

Where: Marty L. Miller Field, Norfolk Va.

Must See
Rainy weather and wet field conditions have forced several schedule changes for the 2012 MEAC Championship Tournament, and the Aggies will be taking on Coppin State at approximately 4:30 p.m. on Thursday instead of the originally scheduled 9 a.m. start time.  But the change in time does not change the importance of this game for the Aggies.  A&T will be fighting to stave off elimination from the tournament in this afternoon contest.  The Aggies will look to starter sophomore RHP Tyler Boone and to their veteran hitters to help lead A&T to victory in Thursday's contest. If the Aggies defeat the Eagles on Thursday afternoon, they will face the loser of the Norfolk State/Bethune-Cookman game, Friday afternoon. 

Coppin State Scouting Report
The Eagles enter the MEAC tournament the No. 4 seed from the Northern Division.  Coppin State lost to Bethune-Cookman 10-4 in Game 2 of the tournament. Coppin State is a young team with just two seniors.  The Eagles are led offensively by Ian Acriaga, who is batting .268.  Alex Brown leads the team with 10 doubles and 23 RBI.  The Eagles are hitting .205 as a team with 141 runs scored on 315 hits. Coppin State's pitching staff holds a 9.08 ERA this season and have allowed 587 hits and 283 walks this season.  Opposing batters are hitting .335 against the Eagles pitchers.                  

Aggies vs. Eagles
The Aggies are 22-5 against Coppin State since 2004, and have a 16-game winning streak against Coppin State entering today's contest.  This will be their first meeting this season, following the separation of the MEAC into two divisions.  The Aggies won their last meeting 9-1 on May 8, 2011.  LHP Brent Moore earned the win in that tilt.  Since 2005, the Aggies are 1-1 against the Eagles in the MEAC tournament.  The Aggies defeated CSU in 2010 and lost to them in 2006 in tournament play.      

Aggies in the Tournament:  The Aggies have posted a 17-13 record in the MEAC Baseball Championship Tournament in the last seven seasons.  A&T reached the championship game in four of those seven seasons, including winning the crown in 2005.  The last time the Aggies were in the championship game was in 2010, when they fell to Bethune-Cookman by a 7-4 final score.