NORFOLK, Va. – The Norfolk State baseball team puts its six-game winning streak on the line as it battles its closest competitor in the MEAC's Northern Division standings, Delaware State, in a four-game series at Soldier Field in Dover, Delaware, this Friday and Saturday.
The teams will play a pair of doubleheaders each day starting at noon. The series schedule was altered due to the threat of inclement weather later in the weekend.
The four-game set features the top two teams in the conference's Northern Division standings at the halfway mark of MEAC play. The Spartans are in first with an 11-5 MEAC mark and 15-20 overall record after taking all four games from Coppin State last weekend at Marty L. Miller Field in Norfolk. DSU, meanwhile, split four contests with North Carolina Central and sits in second at 9-6 in the MEAC, 11-14 overall.
This is the second of three series between the Spartans and Hornets this year. They split four games at Marty L. Miller Field on April 1-3, and play another series at NSU on May 13-15.
NSU won at least a share of two of the conference's three weekly awards this week, as
Danny Hosley picked up his third straight Pitcher of the Week honor and fourth of the season, while freshman pitcher
Dalton Barham earned his second Rookie of the Week honor. Hosley (8 innings, 1 run, 10 strikeouts) and Barham (7 innings, 1 earned run, 10 strikeouts) were part of a pitching staff which fanned 41 hitters over 32 innings in the CSU series while compiling a 1.69 ERA.
Hosley continues to rise up the national leaderboards with his performance of late. The right hander is tied for first in the country with five complete games, all coming in his last six starts. He is also 32nd in WHIP (0.90), 40th in wins (five) and 58th in ERA (2.15).
NSU continues to be among the nation's top teams in stolen bases, ranking third in total steals (86) and sixth in steals per game (2.46).
Dionte Brown is 19th in stolen bases, with a MEAC-leading 16, and
Alsander Womack is 50th with 13 thefts. The two and teammate
Ty Hanchey (10) rank first, second and third in the conference in steals.
NSU has also played well defensively of late, and ranks first in the MEAC and 12th in the country with 30 double plays turned on the year.
The Hornets boast the MEAC's top three hitters in John Weglarz (.402), Trey Paige (.378) and Cole Garey (.337). Miguel Rivera is tied for fifth, at .333. Paige, a sophomore, paces all conference players with a .695 slugging percentage of .485 on-base percentage.
As a team, DSU tops the MEAC in team batting average (.286) but ranks last in ERA (8.04).
