Delaware State (15-20, 10-8 MEAC North) at Norfolk State (21-15, 14-3 MEAC)  |  Marty L. Miller Field  |  Norfolk, Va.
NORFOLK, Va. – The Norfolk State baseball team hosts its final MEAC home series of the year this weekend, seeking to wrap up its third straight conference Northern Division crown when second-place Delaware State visits
Marty L. Miller Field. The teams play a doubleheader at 1 p.m. Saturday and a single game at noon on Sunday.
The Spartans (21-15 overall, 14-3 MEAC) have won seven straight conference games and nine of their last 10 overall to take command of first place in the division. NSU is four and a half games up on DSU (15-20, 10-8) in the MEAC North with six scheduled conference games remaining to play over the next nine days. The Spartans would secure the regular-season divisional title for the third straight year and receive a first-round MEAC Tournament bye with two wins this weekend, but the Hornets could force things to go down to the final weekend of the season if they can win the series from NSU.
NSU closes its MEAC slate next Friday and Saturday at Maryland Eastern Shore, while DSU hosts Coppin State that same weekend.Â
The teams have split their first six games of the season so far. DSU won two of three at NSU on March 19-20, but the Spartans took two of three from the Hornets in Dover on April 8-9 to even the season series.
No Spartan has been hotter at the plate as the weather has warmed up than junior
Alex Mauricio. He is batting .537 (22-for-41) this month and has hit safely in his last eight games. He is first in the MEAC in slugging (.600), third in batting (.380) and fourth in on-base percentage (.446).Â
Senior infielder
Roger Hall has the longest current hitting streak on the team, a nine-gamer. He's raised his average to .279 during that stretch. Freshman
Stephen Baughan (.365 average) has also been hot lately, with nine RBI in his last six games. Senior
Brian Beard checks in at eighth in the conference in batting, at .348, and tied for first with 15 stolen bases.
Senior left hander
Devin Hemmerich (8-2), the reigning MEAC Pitcher of the Week, has won his last seven starts and continues to pace the conference in every major pitching category. He is 6-0 with a 1.46 ERA in conference play this year and ranks among the top five in the nation in wins (8), complete games (5) and strikeouts (a school-record 95). Senior right hander
Jonathan Mauricio has also fared well of late, winning his last three decisions with a 1.80 ERA in 20 innings during that span.
Delaware State had a six-game winning streak snapped in a 12-4 mid-week loss to George Washington, but the Hornets have won their last five MEAC games. Senior first baseman Evan Regez leads the Hornets with a .363 batting average, fifth-best in the MEAC. DSU has also gotten a lift from freshmen Ciaran Devenney and Jared Gillis, the team's top two RBI men with 24 and 22, respectively.
The series with also feature the top two pitching teams in the MEAC. NSU leads the way among conference teams with a 3.44 ERA, while DSU is second at 4.33. Hornet right hander Lane DeLeon (3-3) is second behind Hemmerich among MEAC hurlers with a 2.63 ERA.
Live stats and live video for all three games will be available through the links at the top of the page.Â
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