NORFOLK, Va. - Last year, Norfolk State softball was riding high, as a good nucleus of players returned from the 2019 squad that captured the MEAC Northern Division title and posted its first winning record in six years. But before the Spartans could even get a taste of MEAC play, the season was shut down due to COVID-19.
 
As the 2021 campaign gets underway, they are looking to get back to those title ways and compete for their first-ever MEAC postseason championship. They will have plenty of firepower, losing just two players who started more than one game in 2020. With starters back at every position, and with several players ready to put last year's struggles behind them, NSU is therefore ready to make noise once again in the league.
 
"It is a welcome reprieve knowing that you have every starter back. Every position returns a starter," said head coach James Inzana, whose team was picked to finish second in the division this year. "And we are deeper at a few of the positions. It helps, as a coach, because it is like you have 20 coaches out there. The upperclassmen help the new players, the transfers and freshmen. It is a lot of weight off coaches' shoulders. We can sit back and monitor the big picture."
 
A deeper pitching staff, a strong outfield, and an infield ready to turn into a strength all give Inzana hope that the Spartans can pick up where they left off two seasons ago. To be able to compete for a title on their home field is just one more carrot dangling in front of them.
 
It has certainly been a long journey, 11 months of no competition at first and then limited practice between the fall and spring semesters. After all of that, the players are ready to get back to actual games.
 
"It has reinforced their passion for the game and competition," Inzana stated. "When you are absent from it, and you have to work out on your own, swing on your own, it wears you down. It maybe even questions your desire. Once you are away from it, you are going to find out if it is what you truly love, or if it is just something you just like to do. Every one of our players, you can tell it is their passion. They definitely wanted to get back. They were working hard to get back, and they are happy to be back."
 
After having their season openers delayed due to weather, the Spartans can get going this weekend when they host Morehead State. They will play a total of 20 games at the NSU Softball Field this year. The 2021 MEAC Championship will also be held at NSU's home field. To get to that point, the Spartans will rely on plenty of players who bring plenty of experience to the table.
 
Outfield
A good place to start when it comes to NSU's lineup is in the outfield, where two Preseason All-MEAC first team honorees reside. The Spartans will benefit greatly from having graduate student Shelby DesChamps and senior Jazzmaine Hammond roaming the outfield and putting a scare into opposing pitchers.
 
DesChamps returned for another season after the NCAA granted eligibility relief to spring sport student-athletes last year. She was named the 2020 MEAC Preseason Player of the Year and ended up hitting .340 with 11 runs, 11 walks and eight stolen bases. In the last full year in 2019, the left fielder was named first-team all-conference and second-team all-state while hitting .383 with 42 runs, 11 extra-base hits, 16 RBI and 22 stolen bases.
 
Hammond, meanwhile, was on pace to have a big junior season before the season was shut down. She hit .385 with 13 runs, three doubles, three home runs, 15 RBI and nine stolen bases, twice earning the MEAC Player of the Week award. As a sophomore in 2019, the center fielder batted .270 and ranked 10^th in the nation in stolen bases per game as she totaled 30 for the season. Both players will play big roles in NSU's success this year.
 
Sophomore Imani Moore held down right field for most of last year and is ready to join the other two in forming the best outfield in the MEAC. She hit .294 and was also in double figures with 11 runs scored while swiping five bases. The left-hander ranked fourth on the team in hitting and is one more player with speed to burn at the top of the lineup.
 
"Our number one, two and three hitters are our left fielder, right fielder and center fielder," said Inzana. "They are the strength of our team. They have been the strength of our team. I think this year they have got some competition. They are still the dogs in the fight, but the other players are coming up fast. We are looking good in a couple other areas."
 
The only other returning player to see time in the outfield is junior Alison Guckin. She started five games in right field and had a pair of hits while going 3-for-3 in stolen bases. Another left-handed hitter, she will also compete for time in the field after also starting 20 games at several positions during her true freshman season in 2019.
 
Also back is redshirt freshman Yrral Davis, a local product out of Granby High School. She was set to compete for a spot in the outfield last year as well before missing the entire season due to injury.
 
Infield
NSU's infield shook out a little different. But the Spartans return enough experience to have a strong infield to pair with their outfield. If several players can get off to hot starts after struggling last year, NSU's lineup could have a bounce back year after hitting .244 a season ago.
 
Jade Dixon started 16 of the 21 games at short, but with Raven Blair gone, Dixon will look to hold on to her starting spot for the entire 2021 campaign. She hit .250 in 32 at bats with four extra base hits, and like several other players, was ready to take off once conference play started. After improving her average by more than 40 points and playing better defense than the previous year, Dixon will attempt to become a much bigger force in the lineup in her senior season.
 
Junior Denisha Megginson earned a starting nod in 17 games at second base, hitting .244 with two doubles and four RBI. Like Dixon, Megginson was also off to a stronger start than her 2019 campaign. She showed plenty of pop in fall practice as one of the team's leaders in home runs, although Hammond was nipping at her heels as well. Megginson and Dixon potentially solidifying the middle of the infield will help tremendously as NSU gets the corner positions set.
 
Sophomore Morgan Hatcher started the other four games at second base last year and acquainted herself well in her rookie campaign with four hits in 18 at bats. She had a pair of doubles among those four hits. After getting onto the field more and more as 2020 wore on, Hatcher is not ready to cede a starting spot just yet, whether at second or at shortstop.
 
Junior Lily Potter has played at second base in the past and was Preseason All-MEAC second team honoree this year. A true utility player, Potter will vie for time at second and in the outfield if needed after hitting .333 in 69 at bats as a freshman in 2019. She will also make her way into the pitcher's circle as she did last year.
 
Junior Brooke Bond started 19 games at first base while also making six pitching appearances, four in relief. Holding a lot of pop in her bat – she too was one of the team's top home run hitters in the fall – she is one of those players looking to start the year strong after compiling just five hits last year. A transfer from Radford, Bond continues to gain the experience needed to have a solid showing this year after totaling less than 100 bats in her first two collegiate seasons.
 
"We have several hitters who are really strong," said Inzana. "We have several who did their work in the offseason or during the pandemic. They worked hard on their own. They are looking pretty good. I wholeheartedly feel we will lead the conference again in the long ball. I think our run production and our extra base hits should go up. This is the first year where every hitter in BP can take it out."
 
Sophomore Cam Andersen cannot be counted out when it comes to the coaches handing out playing time at first base. The Radford transfer had five hits in 17 at bats in limited action with the Highlanders before the season was shut down. Like Bond, Andersen has also seen time in the pitcher's circle but has a bat that can earn her playing time as well.
 
Third base involved a rotation of three players in the starting lineup, with junior Gabby Vaughan seeing the most time with 10 starts. She also started six times at DP after showing struggles on defense. Her bat was a different story. A Preseason All-MEAC second-team honoree, Vaughan hit .343 with four extra base hits and 10 RBI in 2020. She and Hammond helped solidify the middle of the order with DesChamps and Moore at the top of the lineup. Whether Vaughan stays at third, moves to first, or even sees some time in the outfield will be sorted out as the season gets going.
 
Two of last year's freshmen are back after splitting the other 11 games at third base. Morgan Johnson and Elizabeth Ritchie were inserted into the lineup as the season wore on, but both struggled at the plate. The duo combined for just three hits and three runs in 39 at bats, although both of Johnson's hits went for extra bases. They can put their freshman struggles behind them in the search for more playing time, including at catcher for Ritchie.
 
Senior Tuli Iosefa split time between catcher and DP, but after a solid 2019 campaign with 10 doubles, eight home runs with 27 RBI, she too had her struggles at the plate in 2020. Another name near the top of the fall home run leaderboard, she is one of NSU's most important players going into the season because of her ability to hit for power and provide protection in the lineup. After starting catcher Loren Hudson left, Iosefa could slide back behind the plate or get her bat into the lineup at DP.
 
Freshman Kerris Cameron will battle for time at catcher as well. A native of Texas, she was an honorable mention all-state performer during her career at Longview High School. With Hudson gone, Cameron now has a chance to show what she can do at catcher with one less player in the mix.
 
Pitching
After posting a 2.67 team ERA in 2019, NSU gave up five or more runs in 13 games in 2020. But a deeper pitching staff could allow the Spartans to turn things around this year.
 
All five pitchers who saw action are back, as are two newcomers and another player who missed all of last year. Senior Skylar Swain, who earned second-team preseason accolades, finished with a sub-2.50 ERA as a sophomore in 2019 before getting off to a slower start last year. She and sophomore Alexis Robinson combined to start 17 of 21 games, and each picked up three wins on the year. One of NSU's leaders in the circle since she stepped onto campus, Swain can again help solidify an inexperienced pitching corps with a bounce-back season.
 
Robinson, meanwhile, held a 2.79 ERA in 42.2 innings of work, proving she could have a stellar career at NSU over the next few years. She was named MEAC Pitcher of the Week in early March and threw the team's only shutout a week later. But like Swain, Robinson will face a lot of competition this year.
 
"The strength of any championship team starts in the circle," said Inzana. "Your pitcher is the only player on the team that touches the ball every single play. She has the most opportunity to succeed or fail.
 
"We have eight players who are doing a great job in the circle. We have a good variance in what they can do. It has been exciting. There has been some real good battles between the pitchers and hitters. Our 1 through 8 in the circle has changed from week to week."
 
Bond saw time in the circle to the tune of 18.0 innings pitched, including two starts. She also picked up a save and held a 3.50 ERA. All that came following a year off from pitching during her one season at Radford. A year behind Bond in starting her career at Radford before coming to NSU, Andersen threw a five-inning shutout before the season was shut down in her lone season with the Highlanders.
 
Potter and sophomore Kirsten Greene combined to throw 28.1 innings last year in 16 games, all but two in relief. Greene had the team's highest strikeout ratio, and Potter earned the team's only other win on the year. Like everyone except Swain, neither pitcher has seen extensive action in the circle at the collegiate level, but both find themselves squarely in the mix.
 
Bond, Andersen and Potter all have the ability to hit and pitch. Being able to enter the circle in relief after starting in the field makes them valuable commodities for Inzana.
 
Freshman Kennedy Cameron, twin sister to Kerris, is vying for a big role on the staff. Kennedy was a two-time district player of the year in Texas while also earning second-team all-state accolades in her last full high school year in 2019 as a junior. Cameron could prove to have as strong of a freshman season as Robinson was easily on her way to last year.
 
NSU's last pitcher on the roster is redshirt junior Joanna Holland, who missed all of last season. She was a standout with Richard Bland College before arriving at NSU last year, and the hard-throwing right hander is still looking to stand out among the Spartans' deep lineup now.
 
NSU will play at home for three straight weekends in non-conference play, beginning against Morehead State this weekend. NSU will also have four-game non-conference series at Radford and at North Carolina A&T, the latter of which will not count toward conference records.