NORFOLK, Va. — The Norfolk State baseball team earned the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) Team Academic Excellence Award for the 2025-26 academic year, the organization announced on Monday morning.
 
This year's award recipients include nearly 500 college programs and more than 320 high school programs. To qualify, programs had to meet the following criteria:
• Be a high school or college baseball program
• Have a head coach who is a current ABCA member
• Post a minimum cumulative team GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale for the 2025-26 academic year
 
The ABCA has a long tradition of recognizing the achievements of baseball coaches and student-athletes. The ABCA/Rawlings All-America Teams, established in 1949, represent the nation's oldest All-America program. The ABCA's awards program also includes the ABCA/Rawlings All-Region Awards, the ABCA/ATEC Regional and National Coaches of the Year and other honors, including the ABCA Hall of Fame and the Dave Keilitz Ethics in Coaching Award.
 
First-year head coach M.L. Morgan guided the Spartans to their first 20-win season since 2021, finishing the year with a 20-31 overall record. After the Northeast Conference picked Norfolk State 10th in its preseason poll, the Spartans surged to a sixth-place finish and more than doubled their conference win total from the previous season with 16 NEC victories.
 
For complete coverage of Norfolk State Athletics, follow the Spartans on social media at @nsuspartans on X, /NorfolkStateAthletics on Facebook, @NSUAthletics on Instagram and @nsuathletics on YouTube, or visit NSUSpartans.com.