NORFOLK, Va. - A new era begins for Norfolk State softball in 2018, as James Inzana takes over the reins of a program coming off an uncharacteristic season last year. After finishing either first or second in the MEAC Northern Division five straight years, the Spartans fell to 5-13 in the league last year, failing to advance to the MEAC tournament for the first time in seven years.
 
But there is a renewed sense of hope as the first year of Inzana's tenure takes shape. Eight new players arrive on a team that, by the end of last season, was down to just one or two players left on the bench and only one healthy pitcher. But with a roster of 17 now, competition has sprung back up as the starting lineup begins to take shape. And with Inzana still yet to complete his first recruiting class – his hiring was complete in October – the sun is shining again on NSU's future.
 
Of the team's regular starting lineup last year, only first base and center field were vacated by the graduation of last year's senior class. That leaves plenty of experience, but also plenty of room for improvement for a team that hit .249 while finishing 12-24 overall. The newcomers bring plenty of competition at every position, so with eight starters back, the question then becomes how similar or not similar will the lineup look and how improved will it be compared to a season ago.
 
Infield
Three of the four positions return starters from last year, with sophomore Meaghan Barfield at third base and seniors Jaylene Pryor and Seana Moriarty up the middle. Barfield was one of four players to hit four home runs last season for NSU. She also added 17 RBI and 15 runs scored, anchoring the middle of the lineup. A player with plenty of potential, she returns ready to take the next step in her development and hold on to her starting spot at third.
 
Like Barfield, Pryor and Moriarty started every game last season. And like Barfield, it was at the same position all 36 times – Pryor at shortstop and Moriarty at second base. But with a new coaching staff comes new ways of thinking. This season, Moriarty could see more time at shortstop, and Pryor could see the majority of her playing time at second base. It would continue a trend, as NSU has not had a constant presence at shortstop for more than one year at a time since Gipsy Ramirez finished her career in 2013.
 
Pryor finished the 2017 campaign second on the team in batting at .293 with a team-leading eight doubles. Moriarty provided some pop in the lineup but overall struggled to maintain her numbers from her first two seasons. Can Pryor build off her first year with the program after arriving from junior college, and can Moriarty bounce back under the new staff? Or will a newcomer challenge for the middle infield spots?
 
One of the biggest positions up for grabs is at first base, where a handful of players could see time in replacing four-year starter Kayla McNair. Both of last year's pitchers, Megan Przeslawski and Hunter Halford, could see time at first. Halford brings a big bat to the lineup, .295, four home runs and a team-leading 18 RBI to be exact, but as one of NSU's starting pitchers, her time at first base could be limited. That leaves Przeslawski to hold off any newcomers for the majority of games at first.
 
Przeslawski is looking to bounce back after struggling at the plate last year but showing promise as a hitter earlier in her career. She was forced to pitch every inning of every game late in the year after Halford got hurt but will have a chance to concentrate on her hitting more. Freshman Allison Mulvihill, one of three left-handed hitters on the team, could also see time at first base after earning second-team all-conference honors her last two seasons of high school. NSU has the DP spot out there as well to potentially use as it looks to mix and match lineups and get its best bats going.
 
Junior Kylee Lopez returns to her place behind the plate after leading the team in runs with 17 to go along with four home runs. After starting the year strong, Lopez' bat cooled as the 2017 campaign wore on. She was forced to play every inning last year as the only true catcher on the team, but this year she will need to hold off freshman Tuli Iosefa. Another local product like Mulvihill, Iosefa was a three-time first-team all-conference player in high school. She could see time behind the plate, either spelling Lopez at times or even challenging for a starting spot, and is capable of playing third as well.
 
Outfield
With the center field spot vacated by last year's leading hitter, Devon Bitler, NSU's first priority will be to fill that position. Will one of the newcomers come in and take over, and will the Spartans do what they've done successfully the past several years and move one of the previous year's starting left or right fielders to center? Junior Shelby DesChamps gets first crack after starting in left a year ago. After returning from a freshman year injury, DesChamps came on strong as her sophomore season wore on, hitting .400 in MEAC games and posting a .416 on-base percentage for the entire year. Another lefty, DesChamps also has the ability to replace Bitler's production at the top of the lineup.
 
NSU's other starting outfielder back is senior Julianne Gillo, who started 32 of 36 games in right field. She and DesChamps are the only returning players with any experience in the outfield. That means several newcomers will be challenging for and could (and will) see significant playing time this year.
 
Freshmen Jazzmaine Hammond and Jade Dixon could see their names written on the lineup sheet fairly often. Hammond was an all-district and all-region player in the Detroit area and could see time in left field should DesChamps make the permanent move to center field. Dixon started her career at second base at Deep Creek High School in Chesapeake before moving to the outfield. She could challenge Gillo for the starting right field spot after earning all-conference honors all four years of high school.
 
Sophomore transfer and local native Cher Jamison is also in the mix in the outfield rotation. She arrived at NSU this semester from NAIA Bluefield College, where she hit .242 in her freshman campaign. Sophomore Keira Randolph, who played in 10 games in a reserve role last year for the Spartans, is another option as well.
 
Jamison and Randolph (shortstop) and Dixon (second base) could also spell Moriarty and Pryor from time to time as the next players in line to fill those middle infield spots.
 
Pitching
Halford enters the year as NSU's No. 1 option at pitcher. In addition to her strong hitting, she posted a 7-9 record and a 3.68 ERA in the circle before missing the last quarter of the season due to injury. Halford ranked in the top 50 in the nation in fewest walks per nine innings. This year, she could prove to be NSU's most important player because of her ability to hit in the middle of the lineup while anchoring the pitching staff.
 
Przeslawski started the rest of the games last year, and like at the plate, she is also looking to bounce back in the circle and return to the form that showed plenty of promise earlier in her career. To do so, she will have to fend off several newcomers.
 
Freshman Skylar Swain, a high school teammate of Jamison, is looking to take over one of the starting spots in the circle. The Conference 17 Pitcher of the Year as a senior at Wilson HS in Portsmouth, she finished with a sub-1.00 era while striking out 181. An all-region honoree as well, Swain will challenge for plenty of time in the circle as she gets her feet wet at the next level.
 
Freshman Kayla Porter, a tall right-hander at 5-foot-10, is also looking to challenge Przeslawski and Swain for a good number of innings. Like Halford, Porter brings plenty of high school success both at the plate and in the circle. Porter played first base at West Carteret HS in North Carolina, earning all-district honors as a junior, but can also flash the glove at third. She could potentially make a bigger impact early on in her NSU career in the circle, though, either challenging for a starting spot or serving as one of the team's main relief pitchers.
 
Junior Shannon Buffington attended Richard Bland College, where she was an all-region honoree in the circle as well. Her best season came as a freshman, when she held a 2.80 ERA with a 14-10 record. Another option in NSU's outfield rotation, Buffington hit .262 as a freshman before seeing limited at bats her second year. With several players in front of her in the outfield, though, Buffington could see more time in the circle, especially in relief.
 
Schedule
NSU will kick off its season this weekend at Savannah State, playing the Tigers and South Carolina State three times each. The Spartans will also host S.C. State the following weekend for three games as well as Davis & Elkins for a doubleheader during the opening home weekend. Tournaments at Winthrop and College of Charleston highlight the third and fourth weekends of the 2018 season for the Spartans.
 
Norfolk State also hosts Appalachian State for doubleheaders on back-to-back days on March 5-6, in addition to twinbills at the NSU Softball Field against North Carolina Central, Radford and Longwood in April. NSU's only away non-conference doubleheader takes place on March 7 at North Carolina A&T.
 
Norfolk State gets to host Coppin State, Morgan State and Hampton in MEAC play. The CSU series will take place at the beginning of league play on March 17-18, and Hampton will close out the year on April 28-29. The Spartans also make trips to Delaware State (March 24-25), Maryland Eastern Shore (March 30-31) and Howard (April 14-15), in addition to the home series against MSU on April 7-8.
 
This year's MEAC tournament takes place on May 10-12 in its usual spot in Ormond Beach, Florida.