In the team's first season under head coach James Inzana two years ago, the Norfolk State softball program completed a big turnaround, tying for third place in the MEAC Northern Division. The Spartans followed that up last year by winning the division crown for the first time ever. Now, with a good chunk of the team back and a freshman class looking to compete right away, can they take the next step and inch closer to their first-ever tournament title?
 
NSU only lost a few pieces from last year's team that finished 25-20 overall, although two were all-conference performers in pitcher Hunter Halford and catcher Kylee Lopez. With 10 total freshmen, and 11 active newcomers altogether, competition will be fierce as the 2020 season gets underway. And with only two seniors on the 24-player roster, the Spartans are primed for a multi-year run.
 
The road to the MEAC tournament will not be an easy one. Aside from sorting out a lineup that has options at numerous positions, NSU now must navigate a conference schedule that has abandoned divisions. As a result, this year the Spartans will transition from a favorable home non-conference schedule in the early part of the season to a conference slate that includes two former Southern Division teams that have dominated the MEAC the last several years.
 
As they gain experience, are the Spartans ready to be the hunted after being picked third in the league?
 
Infield
Norfolk State's two losses in the infield were Lopez at catcher and Halford, who started part-time at first base when she wasn't pitching or at the DP spot. The Spartans could see some shuffling around, however, especially at the corner positions.
 
Junior Tuli Iosefa started 44 of the 45 games at third base last year, while sophomore Gabby Vaughan held down first base for most of the year. Iosefa belted eight home runs with 10 doubles and 27 RBI, and Vaughan also hit 10 doubles with 22 RBI. But Iosefa could see more time at the DP spot this year, and maybe even start at first or behind the plate. That would free up Vaughan to play more at third.
 
The Spartans have the ability to juggle different lineups, thanks in part to players who could play multiple positions. Iosefa has seen time at third and behind the plate in the past, and Vaughan of course spent much of her freshman season at first. At that catcher position, meanwhile, freshman Loren Hudson arrives with a rocket arm and a bat to match. A local product, she has the ability to keep opposing runners at bay while providing plenty of pop in the lineup.
 
At first base, sophomore Brooke Bond and freshman Elizabeth Ritchie could split time, although Bond is also expected to shore up NSU's pitching staff after the program lost two of its three regular pitchers from a season ago. She transferred in from Radford, where she played in 24 games her freshman season. With a strong bat and a good arm, Bond can play a big role for the Spartans no matter where she's at.
 
Ritchie also has some pop in her bat and brings size to the first base position as she and Bond battle for time there. Ritchie is also capable of starting behind the plate or at third, and freshman Morgan Johnson is in the running for playing time at either third base or catcher.
 
As for the middle infield, any number of options exist. Junior Jade Dixon held down the shortstop position last year but struggled at times both at the plate and in the field. After a strong finish in the last few games of the 2019 campaign, Dixon had one of the best fall seasons of any player on the team. Can she hold off any and all challengers at short?
 
The same goes for sophomore Denisha Megginson, who played solid defense at second base but also saw her production at the plate dip at season's end. She too is trying to hold on to her spot after making 28 starts at second. She finished with 15 RBI last year, while fellow sophomore Lily Potter had 12 RBI in just 69 at bats. She played some second base but also saw time in right field. After hitting .333 in limited action, Potter is looking to find a permanent place to park her bat in the lineup.
 
Two freshmen in Raven Blair and Morgan Hatcher are also competing for time at middle infield. Blair has a mixture of power and speed that NSU would love to utilize, as she is capable of playing middle infield and outfield if need be. Hatcher is an instinctual, intelligent player who also has a strong bat, and she and Blair add to the puzzle the coaching staff must put together when it comes to those two middle infield spots.
 
Walk-on Kirsten Greene is another option for the Spartans at second base after earning all-region honors there in high school. She also adds to the much-needed depth in the circle, another position she was named all-region at during her high school career in the Northern Hampton Roads area.
 
Outfield
Three different players started at least 10 games in right field last year for Norfolk State, while left and center field did not see any turnover. Senior left fielder Shelby DesChamps earned first-team All-MEAC honors after hitting .383 with 42 runs, 16 RBI and 22 stolen bases. Arguably the anchor of this NSU team after being named the MEAC Preseason Player of the Year, DesChamps is one of the most vital players in the lineup.
 
Junior Jazzmaine Hammond started all but two games in center field. She hit .270 with 30 stolen bases, three home runs and 14 RBI, ranking 10^th in the nation in stolen bases per game. Her bat, speed and glove (seven outfield assists) make her another valuable commodity for the Spartans.
 
Can NSU find someone to permanently take over right field, a position that has not had consistent play for a number of years? Several newcomers will try, led by freshmen Imani Moore and Lacey Beale. Moore adds left-handed power and speed to the lineup with an ability to slap the ball, while Beale is another left-handed slapper with speed and a little bit of power. Beale is a solid, instinctual outfielder who will battle it out with Moore and maybe one or two others for the starting spot in right.
 
Sophomore left-handed hitting outfielders Mia Holmes and Kiiya Favors saw limited time last year, while senior Keira Randolph is back after sitting out the season. She played in 28 games in 2018 and has seen time both at shortstop and in the outfield during her Spartan career. Freshman walk-on Yrral Davis cannot be counted out either due to a solid bat, while sophomore Alison Guckin is not ready to give up her spot after making 19 starts between right field and second last year. She went 8-for-8 in stolen base attempts.
 
Pitching
With Halford and Shannon Buffington gone, NSU needs arms in the circle. Junior Skylar Swain is one of those arms after leading the MEAC in ERA while earning third-team all-conference accolades, second-team preseason this year. She and Halford were one of the best tandems in the league. Although not an overpowering pitcher – 36 strikeouts in 95 innings – Swain will be counted on to be one of the anchors in the rotation after going 9-7 with a 2.36 ERA last year.
 
Bond was an all-state pitcher coming out of high school but did not see time in the circle at Radford. But with a big need at Norfolk State, she could ultimately prove her worth both in the circle and at the plate as one of the team's most multi-dimensional players.
 
Freshman Alexis Robinson had a solid fall, and like Bond, was also an all-state pitcher from Virginia. As a junior at Kempsville High School, Robinson held a 0.56 ERA. Can her play in fall ball translate to the spring as a freshman, and can she, Swain and Bond form one of the best pitching rotations in the league?
 
Potter and Greene both have the ability to step into the circle should NSU's pitching depth become an issue.
 
Schedule
NSU will be home for 32 out of the 56 total regular season games, including a good portion of the non-conference schedule. The Spartans will play five times during each of the three weekends it will host games as part of the Pirate Classic run by Hampton. They will also host Radford for a pair of doubleheaders at the NSU Softball Field, including the first one on Feb. 20 that will serve as the home opener and lead into the first weekend of the Pirate Classic.
 
NSU also hosts Maryland Eastern Shore and North Carolina Central for non-conference doubleheaders. North Carolina A&T, Morgan State and Florida A&M all come to NSU during official MEAC play. The Spartans travel to Bethune-Cookman, South Carolina State and Howard for three-game conference series for a total of 18 MEAC games. With divisions a thing of the past, the top eight teams in the league will advance to the conference tournament in May in Ormond Beach, Florida.
 
Other non-conference road games include doubleheaders at North Carolina State, Maryland Eastern Shore and Hampton, as well as tournaments at Presbyterian to start the year and at Mount St. Mary's in mid-March.