Norfolk State University baseball players Juan Serrano and Darryl Chever were both selected to the All-MEAC first team, and Serrano was named the Baseball Rookie of the Year, the conference announced Monday.

Serrano, a freshman second baseman from Bridgeport, Conn., is second on NSU and seventh in the conference in batting, at .353. He is ninth in the MEAC and second on the team with 36 RBI, and he also has three home runs and 10 doubles. Serrano is NSU's first-ever MEAC Baseball Rookie of the Year.

"I'm very happy for Juan," NSU head coach Marty Miller said. "He has worked very hard, he listens well, and has shown he can really hit well and play a solid second base. He's very deserving of the honor."

Chever, a senior outfielder from Newport News, Va., leads the MEAC in batting at .394. He is tied for first in the MEAC and fifth nationally in triples (8, or 0.2 per game). He is also second in the league in slugging percentage (.669), tied for third in total bases (95), fifth in steals (19), sixth in hits (56) and seventh in on-base percentage (.444) and home runs (6). He leads the Spartans in all those categories except homers.

"Darryl really has gained the respect of the coaches in this conference," Miller said. "He is a dangerous weapon who can beat you many different ways."

NSU (15-28 overall, 8-9 MEAC), seeded fifth, opens play in the 2004 MEAC Baseball Tournament on Thursday at 10 a.m. against No. 4 North Carolina A&T at Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.

The Spartans did not have any softball players named to the All-MEAC teams. The Spartans (8-34-1, 2-14), the fifth-place team in the MEAC's Southern Division, also open play Thursday at 10 a.m., against MEAC North No. 4 Morgan State. Log onto www.meacsports.com for more information.