NORFOLK, Va. – The Norfolk State baseball team will try to gain ground on division-leading Coppin State when the Spartans play a three-game series against the Eagles this Saturday and Sunday in Hanover, Md.

The teams will play a 1 p.m. doubleheader Saturday and a single game at noon on Sunday, all at Joe Cannon Stadium.

The Spartans are 12-21 overall, 9-6 in the MEAC's Northern Division, solidly in second place. The Eagles are 13-17-1 overall and 12-2 in the division. The teams play a total of six more games against each other, including a May 5-6 series at NSU.

In the first of the three series meetings between the two teams, CSU took two of three from the Spartans on March 31-April 1. Two of the three meetings were decided by one run, with NSU winning the first game 6-5 on a walk-off sacrifice fly by Alejandro Pelaez before seeing two late rallies fall short in a 7-5, 12-inning loss in the series finale. The Eagles won the middle game, 10-0.

The Spartans won at least a share of all three weekly MEAC awards this week. Outfielder Justin Hayes (Co-Player) and right hander Chase Anderson (Co-Pitcher) won their second MEAC accolades this season, while second baseman Alsander Womack picked up his third MEAC Rookie of the Week honor of 2018.

Hayes is the MEAC's No. 3 hitter heading into the weekend, with a .365 average. He also paces the MEAC with 20 stolen bases and a .463 on-base percentage. Hayes is the only Spartan ranked in the top 10 in hitting, but the Spartans now rank fourth as a team with a .258 average and have five other members of the current lineup batting at least .280: new starting shortstop Mikey Delgado (.318), Womack (.307), first baseman Aaron Robinson (.302), DH Stephen Baughan (.295) and outfielder Tony Leite (.280). NSU also has a MEAC-high 60 stolen bases and ranks 19th in the nation in steals per game (1.82).

Anderson (5-3) is tied for first in the MEAC in victories, with five, and is tied for second with 55 strikeouts. Freshman Joey Santos is tied for the MEAC lead with four saves.

Coppin State enters the weekend as the MEAC's top hitting team at .289. Five Eagles rank among the conference's top eight in batting, led by shortstop Derek Lohr (.385, first), DH Allen Saar (.368, second), first baseman Nazier McIlwain (.357, fourth), outfielder Caleb Duhay (.340, seventh) and infielder Eric Crossman (.337, eighth). McIlwain has a team-best 30 runs batted in to go with one homer and nine doubles.

The much-improved Eagles' pitching staff is led by right hander Jahmon Taylor, who leads the team in wins (4-3) and strikeouts (46).