PRINCESS ANNE, Maryland – Following five straight out-of-conference games on the road, the University of Maryland Eastern Shore baseball team is back to Northeast Conference play starting on Friday (April 28) at longtime Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference rival Norfolk State.
 
Historically the Spartans (8-30, 5-13 NEC) have had the Hawks (13-26, 9-9 NEC) number, but UMES was solid in 2022, going 7-4 during the season against Norfolk – including a 12-5 win to eliminate the host squad from the MEAC Tournament.
 
The Hawks currently hold a position in the NEC Tournament as the sixth seed in the conference, Norfolk sits tied in 10^th with work to do in the upcoming weeks.
 
Honing on the Hawks
 
It was a huge win for the Hawks on Wednesday (April 26) during their midweek meeting at Navy in Annapolis for the back end of a home-and-home. Down early, yet holding late into extras, UMES delivered a 9-7 twelve inning win against the Midshipmen.
 
Over the Hawks 2-3 stretch of out-of-conference games the offense was led by Brian Cordell and Brantley Cutler, combining for 18 hits, 11 RBIs, three home runs, three triples and two doubles. Cordell has a 1.242 OPS over his last eight games and was named an NEC Prime Performer this past week.
 
For the season Cutler has been the top hitter at .356/.395/.582 and a team leading 52 hits, 40 RBIS and seven home runs. Cutler has moved to 191^st in the nation, seventh in the conference, with his batting average and has a 1.174 OPS in his last 38 at bats.
 
Alex McCoy, despite his 6'6" frame, continues to grow as a player and is leading the team with 16 stolen bases in 19 attempts – the 16 have him third in the conference – while holding a .269/.376/.358 line.
 
On the bump the Hawks weekend rotation has turned into a steady flow of Kyle Speas, Noah Covington, and Evan Nibblett.
 
The freshman Speas holds a 4.23 ERA in his five starts this season, going six innings in four of those appearances, since becoming part of the rotation against Sacred Heart. He's holding opposing batters to just a .212 average against in those games.
 
One of the nation's leading control men, Covington ranks third in the nation in strikeout-to-walk ratio at 9.80 and allows just .65 walks-per-nine, second in the nation. He has a 4.06 ERA against conference only opponents and leads the conference with 69 innings pitched.
 
Rounding out the rotation on Sunday is expected to be Nibblett, currently sitting at a 3.32 ERA, second best in the conference and has a team leading six wins – his 1.16 WHIP is first in the NEC.
 
Behind the rotation is one of the best one-two punches in the conference with Caden Parker and Nick Gatton coming out of the pen, as proven against Navy on Wednesday. Gatton worked three scoreless innings to take the Hawks into the 12^th, then Parker shut down the Midshipmen with his NEC leading eighth save.
 
Gatton has a 2.35 ERA against conference opponents and is holding them to just a .205 batting average against; Parker is now 11^th in the nation for saves.
 
Defensively the Hawks continue to be a gauntlet up the middle, sitting at sixth in the nation in total double plays at 41 and third in double plays turned per game at 1.05, rooted from the infield combination of Dillon Oxyer and Luke Myers.
 
Behind the plate Kyle Cincinnati has thrown out 16 runners, good for second in the conference at a 36% rate.
 
Scouting the Spartans
 
It hasn't been the season Norfolk State was looking for, picked to finish just ahead of the Hawks in ninth during preseason NEC polling but currently sit tied with Stonehill in last. Currently the Spartans are on an eight-game skid, all on the road, culminating in a 16-1 seven inning loss to VMI on Wednesday.
 
Since arriving in Norfolk in 2019, the Spartan offense has been led by a thorn in the Hawks side, Dionte Brown. The outfielder enters the series with a career .311/.372/.400 line and has been right in stride during his senior year at .331/.372/.364 and twelve stolen bags in 2023.
 
The usual suspects of Brandon Cleveland, Steven Shaffer and Raphael Rodriguez will be in the lineup against the Hawks, helping keep a young roster afloat.
 
New face Justin Journette has been solid in his freshman year for the Spartans, hitting .262/.358/.454 with a team leading six home runs and 22 RBIs. Cam Mazell is the other new regular at first base.
 
Eleven different starters have taken to the mound for the Spartans, led by Antonio Velasquez (9 starts), Zac Capps (8), Donovan Whitfield (6) and Dalton Barham (5). Velasquez, Capps, and Barham would be the expected starters after Whitfield threw in relief against VMI.
 
The best pitcher on paper for Norfolk has made most of his appearances out of the pen, freshman Max McCrary holds a 4.03 ERA.
 
Overall, the Norfolk State staff has an 8.47 ERA, 6.84 ERA in conference, and have not been aided by the defense. The Spartans hold a .939 fielding percentage, ranked 293^rd in the nation, and the catching has allowed 23 passed balls and 88 stolen bases at an 88% clip.
 
Norfolk leads the conference with 244 walks allowed and is also sixth in the nation in hitting batters with 78, which has led to additional traffic on the bases.
 
How to Follow
 
First pitch of the three-game series is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. on Friday (April 27), with game two at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday and the getaway on Sunday at noon from Marty L. Miller Field in Norfolk.
 
Live Stats will be provided by the Spartans with a link available on the University of Maryland Eastern Shore Athletic Department website, as well as updates provided on Twitter via @ESHawksBase.