NORFOLK, Va. – The Norfolk State baseball team has added a game against the University of Kentucky to its already scheduled three-game weekend series at Eastern Kentucky.
Kentucky's originally scheduled series with Bradley was canceled, leaving the Wildcats in search of games. With the Spartans close by at EKU, NSU added a fourth game to its weekend plans.
NSU will still play three games against the Colonels of EKU, with those games set for 4 p.m. Friday, 1 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday at Earle Combs Stadium. Following the 1 p.m. game vs. EKU, the Spartans will make the short drive to Lexington to face the Wildcats at 6 p.m. at Kentucky Proud Park.
Live stats will be available for all four of NSU's games in the Bluegrass state. Saturday's game at UK will also be streamed on the SEC Network + channel.
NSU is 2-9 on the season following a 14-8 setback at Radford on Tuesday. The Spartans posted 13 hits, their second-most of the season, while the eight runs scored are also the second-most by NSU this year.
Caleb Ward and
Mikey Delgado each hit their first home run of the season at Radford, with Delgado's blast being the first of the senior's career.
Alsander Womack and
Ty Hanchey added two hits apiece in the game. Hanchey enters the weekend batting a team-best .425.
Eastern Kentucky is 8-2 on the year and a perfect 4-0 at home following a four-game sweep of Siena College last weekend. The Colonels were picked to finish second in the Ohio Valley Conference preseason poll and are led by outfielder Nick Howie, the preseason OVC Player of the Year. EKU, which has a win over LSU to its credit from earlier in the season, is batting .297 on the season.
The Wildcats have begun the season 7-6 but have won two straight, including a 9-8 win over Murray State on Wednesday. UK has already hit 18 homers as a team, four each by Trae Harmon and T.J. Collett. Collett was a preseason All-SEC first-team selection.
NSU has never faced either EKU or UK before. The Spartans already faced one OVC team earlier this year in Morehead State, but have not faced an SEC team since playing a three-game set at Tennessee in 2017.
