Three weekends of non-conference play in the rearview mirror, the Sacred Heart University baseball team dives headlong into Northeast Conference play this weekend, as the Pios pay a visit to Norfolk State for a three-game series. First pitch is set for 3 p.m. on Friday, 1 p.m. on Saturday, and noon on Sunday at Marty L. Miller Field in Norfolk, Va. It is the first of 10 straight weekends of league play that make up the 2023 NEC schedule.

Norfolk State is one of four schools to join the NEC as associate members from the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) for the 2023 baseball season. Along with the Spartans, Coppin State, Delaware State and Maryland Eastern Shore all join the NEC, to put the league's baseball membership at 11 teams. Norfolk State was the 2021 MEAC champion.

Friday brings the possibility of rain showers through the afternoon, but the remainder of the weekend looks relatively clear. A video stream will not be available for any of the three games, but NSU will provide live stats throughout the weekend. 

LAST TIME OUT
Following a sweep at the hands of Wofford over the weekend, SHU found itself in need of some good vibes ahead of opening NEC play later this week. The vibes were found on Tuesday afternoon at Cleveland S. Harley Baseball Park in Spartanburg, S.C., where the Pios used a five-run sixth to turn the tables on the way to a 10-6, non-conference victory at USC Upstate. 

A LOOK AT THE PIOS
Sacred Heart (4-6) already has some signature wins to its credit in 2023, with a sweep of defending Atlantic-10 champion Virginia Commonwealth, plus a midweek victory over a USC Upstate team which has won 35 or more games each of the last two seasons. The Pios will hope to carry their success into NEC play, where the team looks to bounce back from a 9-18 campaign a year ago. Sam Mongelli has headed up the offense with a .514/.550/.730 slash line and a 1.280 OPS through 37 at-bats (19-for-37), while Dante D'Amore has chipped in a .924 OPS over 30 at-bats (11-for-30). The Pios are averaging 5.7 runs per game, but are also conceding 8.1, as the pitching staff still sports an ERA north of 7.00.

SCOUTING THE SPARTANS
Norfolk State (2-9) is off to a bit of a sluggish start and dropped two of three each of the last two weekends, against Niagara and Binghamton, respectively, before suffering a midweek defeat against intrastate rival Old Dominion on Tuesday. The Spartans make their NEC debut this weekend after a 12-18 conference campaign in 2022, which saw them finish fourth and last in the MEAC. NSU has seen early trouble on both sides of the ball, as it is averaging less than four runs per game while conceding more than eight. Raphael Rodriguez has been a bright spot at the plate, with a .407/.448/.667 slash line for a 1.115 OPS through 27 at-bats (11-for-27).

ON THE MOUND
Sacred Heart projected starters:
Friday: Jake Babuschak (RHP)
            Season stats: 8.0 IP, 13 H, 9 R (7 ER), 10 BB, 9 K, 7.88 ERA, 2.88 WHIP
            Last start: March 4 at Wofford (ND), 3.0 IP, 4 H, 4 R (3 ER), 6 BB, 6 K
Saturday: Michael Boyian (RHP)
            Season stats: 6.1 IP, 6 H, 4 R (3 ER), 1 BB, 3 K, 4.26 ERA, 1.11 WHIP
            Making his first start of 2023.
Sunday: Jack Kramer (RHP)
            Season stats: 11.1 IP, 12 H, 9 ER, 11 BB, 12 K, 7.15 ERA, 2.03 WHIP
            Last start: March 4 at Wofford (L), 4.0 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 5 BB, 5 K 

Norfolk State projected starters:
Friday: Zach Capps (RHP)
            Season stats: 11.2 IP, 11 H, 5 R (4 ER), 2 BB, 12 K, 3.09 ERA, 1.11 WHIP
            Last start: Feb. 24 vs. Niagara (ND), 3.0 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K
Saturday: Donovan Whitfield (RHP)
            Season stats: 9.2 IP, 10 H, 8 R (6 ER), 6 BB, 7 K, 5.59 ERA, 1.66 WHIP
            Last start: March 5 vs. Binghamton (ND), 4.0 IP, 2 R (1 ER), 2 BB, 2 K
Sunday: Antonio Velasquez (RHP)
            Season stats: 10.2 IP, 11 H, 12 R (11 ER), 7 BB, 18 K, 9.28 ERA, 1.69 WHIP
            Last start: March 4 vs. Binghamton (ND), 1.0 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 1 BB, 0 K 

LAST MEETING
The two teams last met in the 2018 season opener in late February at Miller Field in Norfolk. The Pios used one in fifth and three more in the sixth to open a 7-2 lead through the middle innings en route to a 9-4 victory over the Spartans. Kyle Oliver went 3-for-5 with a double and scored three times for SHU, while Brent Teller struck out seven over seven innings of work on the hill. 

ALL-TIME SERIES
The Pios and the Spartans have previously played five games against each other, with SHU holding a 3-2 edge, but had not met in more than a decade prior to the 2018 contest. Norfolk State took two out of three in a series at Miller Field in late February of 2007, while the Pios chalked up a 15-2 win in a neutral-site contest in Savannah, Ga., in March of 1994. 

NEXT UP
SHU is finally New England-bound after this weekend. Next week features a midweek contest at Rhode Island on Wednesday, before the Pios host another new NEC team, Stonehill, in a three-game series over the weekend. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m. on Friday and 1 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday at Veteran's Park in Bridgeport.