Norfolk State University Athletics

NORFOLK, Va. – After playing 13 of its first 15 games of the season at home, the Norfolk State baseball team plays its first road series of the season and opens MEAC Northern Division play against divisional rival Delaware State this Saturday and Sunday in Dover, Del. The teams play a doubleheader starting at noon Saturday and a single game on Sunday, which also starts at noon.

Since the MEAC split into two divisions for baseball in 2013, NSU and DSU have won all five Northern Division regular-season titles. The Hornets won the first two (2013-14) and the Spartans have captured the last three (2015-17). In each season, the teams finished first and second in some order.

NSU enters the weekend 2-13 overall after splitting a four-game home series with Lehigh last weekend. The Spartans won the first two games of the series 7-3 and 5-3 before Lehigh rallied to take the last two, 11-5 and 19-3. MEAC Player of the Week Justin Hayes went 7-for-13 in the series to increase his team-leading average to .441. Second baseman Alsander Womack won his second straight MEAC Rookie of the Week honor and the third in a row for the Spartans after notching six hits during the weekend. He is tied for second in the MEAC with his .346 season average, while Hayes is one game and four at-bats shy of qualifying.

Junior righty Chase Anderson was named MEAC Pitcher of the Week earlier in the week after earning his first win of the season in game one of the Lehigh series, where he allowed three hits and three runs in seven innings. Anderson leads the conference in innings pitched (27) and is tied for fourth in the league with teammate Jonathan Mahoney and two other MEAC hurlers with 23 strikeouts.

DSU is 2-14 on the season and has dropped 12 straight after a 2-2 start. The Hornets return all three of their weekend starting pitchers from last season, led by senior right hander Lane DeLeon (0-1, 2.21 ERA) and left hander Garrett Lawson (0-3, 4.50, team-high 29 strikeouts). 

Junior outfielder Darnell Maisonet has played in just eight games this season but is batting .350 with a triple and two home runs. He and sophomore Jared Gillis (.304) are the only Hornet regulars batting over .300 this season.

DSU won five of nine games between the two teams last season.

Live stats will be available through the DSU web site at this link.