Norfolk State Baseball
Saturday: NSU vs. Delaware State (DH), 1 p.m., Marty L. Miller Field
Sunday: NSU vs. Delaware State (DH), 12 p.m., Marty L. Miller Field
Live Stats | Live Video (Same links for all 4 games)

NORFOLK, Va. – The Norfolk State baseball team plays host to its final MEAC home series of the season this weekend as Delaware State comes to Marty L. Miller Field for a four-game series.

The teams will play a doubleheader on both days. Saturday's action starts at 1 p.m., and Sunday's double-dip begins at noon. The teams are playing four games instead of the normal three in order to make up March 20's rained out contest.

The Spartans (20-17, 13-4 MEAC North) have won seven of their last eight games and sit in first place in the conference's Northern Division. NSU holds a two and a half game lead over second-place DSU (10-29, 10-6), which has won three of the five games between the teams this year.

In the second of the teams' three series this year, NSU won two of three games against the Hornets on April 10-11 in Dover. NSU swept an April 10 doubleheader from the Hornets by scores of 6-0 and 6-2 behind the strong starting pitching of Matt Outman and Jonathan Mauricio. DSU rallied from a 3-0 deficit to avoid the sweep and win game three, 6-5, on April 11.

The Spartan pitching staff has been a key reason for the team's recent success. NSU has posted four shutouts in its last six MEAC games and has seven on the year, which ranks seventh in all of Division I. The Spartans also broke the single-season school record for strikeouts by their pitchers on Tuesday. NSU has 318 on the year and is 10th nationally in punchouts per nine innings (9.3). The Spartans have three of the MEAC's top five in ERA this season, led by league leader Mauricio (4-2, 2.53), Outman (fourth, 2.91, 6-2 record) and reliever Cooper Jones (fifth, 3.28 ERA, 2-3 record).

At the plate, senior first baseman/DH Kyle Vaas continues to lead the team with a .340 batting average, 11th-best in the MEAC. Junior infielder Roger Hall is fourth in the conference with 12 doubles while batting .326, while junior outfielder Denathan Dukes has a league-best 20 stolen bases.

Right handers Lane DeLeon and Sean McGrath pace the DSU pitching staff. DeLeon has pitched a team-high 51.1 innings with a 4.38 ERA and 53 strikeouts. McGrath has a team-best three wins (3-4), with a 4.93 ERA and 52 strikeouts in 45.2 innings pitched. Freshman Todd Henry sets the table for DSU's offensive attack with a .339 average.