NORFOLK, Va. – The Norfolk State baseball team renews its quest for the program's first-ever MEAC title when the Spartans host the 2021 MEAC Baseball Championship Thursday through Saturday at Marty L. Miller Field.

The four-team double-elimination tournament begins at noon Thursday as MEAC South No. 1 seed North Carolina Central meets North No. 2 Delaware State. The Spartans, the top seed from the North, face South No. 2 Florida A&M at 3:30 p.m. Games continue at noon, 3:30 and 7 p.m. Friday, with the championship round set to begin at noon on Saturday.

Based on recent COVID-19 guidelines, NSU can host up to 50 percent capacity at Marty L. Miller Field. Fans can purchase a day pass for $10 per day, or a tournament pass for $25, at NSUSpartansTickets.com. Saturday's championship round will be broadcast live on FloBaseball and live stats for all games will be available through the tournament central page at MEACSports.com. 

Scouting the Spartans
NSU comes into the tournament on a high note, having won three of its last four conference games in a series win over Delaware State last weekend. The series included two walk-off wins for the Spartans (22-26 overall), who secured their fifth MEAC North title in the last five completed seasons.

The Spartans had six All-MEAC selections when the postseason All-MEAC award voting. SS/RHP Danny Hosley became the Spartans' second-ever MEAC Player of the Year and became NSU's first player ever to earn All-MEAC honors at two different positions. He was a first-team All-MEAC choice at shortstop and second-team All-MEAC at pitcher. 2B Alsander Womack, 1B Mason Velasquez and OF Dionte Brown were all voted to the first team and LHP James Deloatch was named to the third team.

NSU by the Numbers
Several Spartans rank highly in the latest MEAC statistics. They include:

IF Alsander Womack
•    1st in hits (60) and runs (45)
•    3rd in batting (.345) and total bases (79)
•    T-4th in doubles (10)

SS/RHP Danny Hosley
•    1st in batting (.387) – 34th in Division I
•    2nd in innings pitched (66.1)
•    3rd in opp. batting avg. (.213) and T-3rd in wins (6)
•    4th in ERA (2.98) and strikeouts (70)
•    T-8th in steals (9)

LHP James Deloatch
•    3rd in ERA (2.98)
•    4th in opp. batting avg. (.225)
•    6th in strikeouts (58)
•    8th in innings pitched (57.1)

OF Dionte Brown
•    1st in steals (19) – 37th in Division I
•    2nd in triples (3)
•    T-5th in hits (51)
•    T-6th in runs (35)
•    7th in batting average (.325)

DH Korey Singh
•    T-3rd in homers (7)

Hosley on National Watch List
In addition to his MEAC Player of the Year honor, Hosley was also named earlier this week as one of 10 semifinalists for the John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year Award. The award is given to the top Division I player who pitches and also plays the field. It is named after the former Washington State star who went onto an all-star career for the Toronto Blue Jays. The College Baseball Hall of Fame has awarded the honor each year since 2010. Former Spartan star Alex Mauricio, NSU's only other MEAC Player of the Year winner (2017), was the last Spartan to earn a spot on the watch list.

Career Milestones
Alsander Womack notched his 200th career hit in last Saturday's win over Delaware State. He is tied for eighth in school history in that category. He also recorded two doubles in that game and has 38 in his career, tied for ninth in program annals.

Tournament History
NSU is still seeking its first-ever MEAC baseball title. The Spartans have reached the tournament's championship round nine times previously, including in three of the last four tournaments that have been played (2016, '17, '19). The Spartans are hosting the MEAC Tournament for the seventh time, following stints from 2006-08 and 2012-14. NSU advanced to the tournament final out of the losers' bracket in both 2008 and 2014.

Scouting the Field
N.C. Central is the South No. 1 seed. The Eagles (25-18) swept a four-game series from Florida A&M to earn the top spot in their division. They are led by MEAC Pitcher of the Year Ryan Miller (10-0) and fellow All-MEAC first-team pitcher Austin Vernon (5-3). NSU played NCCU in a pair of three-game series in February, with the Eagles winning four of the six games.

Florida A&M is the South No. 2. The Rattlers (21-32) had a trio of second-team All-MEAC selections in pitcher Kelyn Fox and outfielders L.J. Bryant and Seyjuan Lawrence. FAMU won five of eight games against NSU this season. The Rattlers are second in the MEAC in team ERA and fielding percentage.

Delaware State is the North No. 2 seed. The Hornets (15-26) are paced by Trey Paige, the MEAC's No. 2 hitter, who is batting .381 and was a first-team All-MEAC selection. DSU is the top hitting team in the tournament, with a .277 team average. NSU went 8-4 against the Hornets this year.

Making the Grade
Seventeen members of the NSU baseball team were named Wednesday to the MEAC Baseball All-Academic Team. To be honored, players must be sophomores, juniors or seniors and have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher.

Dalton Barham 
Dionte Brown 
James Deloatch 
Dylan Flint 
Seth Hockett 
Danny Hosley 
Scott Mahoney 
Michael Portela 
Mike Pyers 
Khie Simms 
Korey Singh 
Rhay Street 
Mason Velasquez 
Ridge Walker 
Justin Walton 
Alsander Womack 
Alex Wright