NORFOLK, Va. – The Norfolk State baseball team plays its second straight home MEAC series this weekend when Delaware State comes to Marty L. Miller Field for a four-game set.
The Spartans (7-14 overall, 4-4 MEAC) have opened conference play by splitting each of their first two series, at Maryland Eastern Shore March 18-20 and home last weekend against Coppin State. The Hornets (6-11, 3-5) split a four-game set with UMES last week after dropping three of four against Coppin State the weekend prior.
In a tightly contested league so far, Coppin (5-3) enters this weekend with a slim lead in the standings over NSU and UMES (both 4-4), with the Hornets only two games behind first place.
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Live stats and live video will be available through the NSU athletics website,
NSUSpartans.com.
On Deck
- Spartan shortstop Raphy Rodriguez enters the weekend tied for fourth in the MEAC with a .333 batting average. He has seven multi-hit games this year, four coming in the last two weeks.
- Jacob Council is the other Spartan to rank in the MEAC's top 10 in average. He checks in at .315 entering the weekend, good for ninth in the MEAC.
- Center fielder Dionte Brown ranks fourth in the country and first in the MEAC with four triples this year.
- NSU boasts four of the top eight in the MEAC in ERA, led by sophomore Nolan Manzer (2.78, second in MEAC). Dalton Barham is sixth (4.20), Justin Walton seventh (4.44) and James Deloatch eighth (4.55).
- Deloatch is the only MEAC pitcher with three wins this season. He also is tied for second with 30 strikeouts.
- Barham and Deloatch have combined to win three MEAC Pitcher of the Week honors this season, including each of the last two (Barham – March 21; Deloatch – March 28).
- The Hornets have hit 12 home runs in their first 17 games this year, with Alan Alonso, MEAC Preseason Player of the year Trey Paige and Krew Bouldin leading the way with three apiece.
- Bouldin homered twice in a 15-5 loss to Villanova on Tuesday in the Hornets' last outing.
- Six different Hornet pitchers have accounted for the team's six wins this year. DSU enters the weekend with a 7.33 team ERA.
- Delaware State was picked to finish second in the MEAC this year and had three preseason All-MEAC picks: starting pitcher Jordan Haddaway and infielders Paige and Miguel Rivera.
- Paige led the MEAC in batting last season, with a .371 mark.
