NORFOLK, Va. – After a week on the road to start the 2019 season, the NSU baseball team will have to wait at least one extra day before making its home debut.

Due to inclement weather in the Southeastern Virginia area, the Spartans' first home games of the season, against NJIT, have been pushed back a day. No games will be played on Saturday as originally scheduled. The teams will make a determination about Sunday's games during the day on Saturday.

Once the series begins, fans can find live statistics and live video for each game through NSUSpartans.com.

Scouting Norfolk State
The Spartans have gotten off to an 0-4 start on the year, which includes a pair of one-run defeats in their last two games. NSU led North Carolina Central 4-1 into the later innings on Tuesday, but gave up a run in the seventh and three in the ninth, including the deciding run on a balk with the bases loaded. In the previous game, it was the Spartans who rallied late, scoring four times in the ninth inning at James Madison, only to fall 6-5.

NSU has been led at the plate so far this year by Alsander Womack, who boasts a MEAC-best .529 average (9-for-17) through four games. He has three doubles, a home run and five runs batted in. Freshman Dionte Brown (.444) and sophomore Korey Singh (.400) are both hitting at a .400 clip or better. Brown has scored a team-high four runs, and Singh hit a three-run homer to account for much of the offense at NCCU Tuesday.

Scouting NJIT
NJIT is off to a 3-0-1 start after a successful four-game season-opening series against Eastern Michigan last weekend at a neutral site in Alabama. The Highlanders hit .310 and belted seven homers in the four games. Preseason All-Atlantic Sun pick Julio Marcano led the way with a .500 weekend (7-for-14) with five RBI. Paul Franzoni hit three homers and drove in eight for NJIT, which was picked to finish ninth in the preseason ASUN poll.

Preseason Picks
NSU placed four players on the preseason All-MEAC team. Senior outfielder Justin Hayes and junior first baseman/DH Stephen Baughan were named to the All-MEAC first team, and sophomore second baseman Alsander Womack and senior pitcher Chase Anderson were voted to the second team.

Hayes ranked third in the MEAC in batting (.347) and first in steals (28) last season, when he earned first-team All-MEAC and second-team ABCA All-East Region honors. Baughan smashed nine home runs, most in the MEAC and tops in NSU's Division I history, in 2018.

Womack batted .314 with 13 doubles, five homers and a team-high 31 RBI last year, and ranked among the MEAC's top 15 in batting, slugging, doubles and total bases. Anderson, meanwhile, tied for second in the league in wins (7-5) and was fourth in both ERA (3.12) and strikeouts (78).

NSU was picked to finish second in the MEAC Northern Division behind Coppin State.

Pop at the Plate
NSU hit 26 home runs last season, its most since also hitting 26 way back in 2010. Returning Spartan players accounted for 16 of those bombs last year, led by Baughan with nine and Womack with five. Leadoff man Hayes also hit one last season.

The Spartans also welcome several newcomers with power potential, including first base/DH Korey Singh and outfielder Caleb Ward.

Speed on the Bases
NSU led the MEAC by a wide margin while ranking sixth in the nation last year in stolen bases per game. The Spartans swiped 2.06 bases per game last season and had 21 more thefts than the next-closest MEAC team. Leading the way was speedy center fielder and leadoff man Hayes, who stole a MEAC-high 28 bags a year ago. Hayes was seventh in the nation in steals per game last season, at 0.62.

Fresh Faces
The Spartans have a revamped roster in 2019, with 14 new players joining the squad. The list includes six junior college transfers and a Division I transfer, Ward, who sat out last season at NSU after previously playing at Richmond in 2016-17.

Welcome Back
The Spartan roster this year also features four players who missed most or all of last season due to injury: shortstop Adam Collins, pitcher Tyrin Everette, infielder Jaran Davis and catcher Kam Holland. Collins is the team's starting shortstop, while Holland and Davis are in the mix for time at their respective positions. Everette will compete for key innings in the Spartan rotation.

Right of Way
NSU returns its entire weekend rotation from last season with a trio of right handers: Chase Anderson, Jonathan Mahoney and Trey Hanchey. Anderson and Mahoney each notched seven wins last season, tying for second in the league. The trio combined for 246 innings pitched and six complete games last season.

Anderson and Mahoney will again factor into the weekend rotation while Hanchey has already made a successful move to the bullpen, where he has tossed 2.2 scoreless innings in two appearances to start the year.

That trio will be joined by a bevy of newcomers to fill out the rotation and bullpen this year. Of the team's 14 newcomers, eight are pitchers.

Schedule Notes
Some news and notes on this year's schedule:

• After beginning the year with a road series at JMU, the Spartans play four straight weekends at Marty L. Miller Field. Following the NJIT series, NSU also welcomes Quinnipiac (March 1-3) and Savannah State (March 9-10) for three-game series before opening MEAC North play at home against Delaware State on March 15-17.
• The Spartans have a total of 11 games against in-state Division I foes JMU, Longwood, William & Mary, VCU, Old Dominion, Richmond and the University of Virginia.
• All MEAC series, with the exception of Easter weekend, will now be three-day affairs this year. Instead of playing doubleheaders on Saturdays and a single game on Sundays, MEAC teams will now play single games on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, aligning the conference with what other Division I leagues do nationally.