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| HEAD COACH CLAUDELL CLARK NSU SPARTANS |
Of the 15 players, five are full-time pitchers while three others will see time on the mound in addition to their primary position in the field. The recruiting class also includes four infielders, three outfielders, two catchers, and another who can play both infield and outfield. All told, 12 new players join early signees Nick Faison, Corey Haynes and Nik Milvo in this year's class.
"We are very excited about this year's incoming recruiting class," Clark said. "It is our largest class to date and will enable us to add depth at every position on the field. My coaching staff did a tremendous job throughout the grueling recruiting process that it took to put together a class of this caliber and size."
Due to injuries and attrition, the Spartans used just six primary pitchers last season, so adding depth to both the starting rotation and bullpen was a priority for Clark in this year's recruiting class. Clark also said that adding depth in the infield and behind the plate was also a focus of the late signings.
"This group will allow us to begin our fall workouts with 14 pitchers, an area where we were decimated by departures and injury during the past season," Clark said. "The class has also allowed us to add depth and experience to the catching position to more effectively handle a talented pitching staff and limit the opposition's aggressiveness on the base paths.
"Lastly, the class adds to our team speed and it also allows us to improve our infield and outfield defense with the addition of a number of talented defensive players."
In addition to the 15 below, the Spartans also welcome in transfer left-handed pitcher Matt Outman (Chesapeake, Va./Lynchburg College/Grassfield HS) and welcome back first baseman Ross Cardwell and right-handed pitcher Jeff Di Fulgo, who missed last season due to illness and injury, respectively.
Following is a look at each member of the class:
Justin Burrell, 3B, Newport News, Va./Woodside HS
Burrell was first-team All-Peninsula District for the district regular-season and tournament champion Wolverines. He batted .423 with a .510 on-base percentage and 29 RBI as a senior, striking out just three times all year. He was also selected to play in the VHSCA state all-star game.
Stephen Butt, OF/P, Portsmouth, Va./Lenoir CC
Butt was a first-team NJCAA All-Region X pick as a sophomore this past spring, when he batted .416 with five stolen bases and 18 RBI. Butt, who originally signed with West Virginia out of Churchland High School, was a first-team All-Eastern District and All-Tidewater performer as a prep senior with the Truckers. He batted .446 with 32 RBI, 33 runs and 16 steals. He also went 9-1 with a 1.15 ERA and 87 strikeouts in 51 innings on the mound.
Jordan Carter, 2B/RHP, Newport News, Va./Woodside HS
Carter was named to the All-Peninsula District, All-Eastern Region and Daily Press All-Star first teams at second base after helping the Wolverines win the district regular-season and tournament titles. Carter batted .359 with a .505 on-base percentage and 16 stolen bases offensively, and also went 7-1 on the mound with a 2.43 ERA for Woodside.
Michael Cendrowski, LHP, Smithfield, Va./Southwestern CC (Iowa)
Cendrowski played two years at Southwestern CC in Iowa, where he was teammates with fellow NSU recruit Omar Hotusing. Cendrowski played the outfield and pitched for Southwestern, and was a .279 hitter in two seasons there. He will likely be used as a left-handed pitching specialist out of the bullpen. He struck out roughly a batter per inning as a senior at Davenport Central HS.
Denathan Dukes, OF/SS, Manassas, Va./Osbourn Park HS
Dukes was a first-team all-district and all-region outfielder for Osbourn Park. He also earned honorable mention all-state accolades after batting .338 with 24 stolen bases in 22 games. The recruiting service Perfect Game listed him among the top 1,000 senior high school prospects in the nation.
Nick Faison, SS/RHP, Virginia Beach, Va./Landstown HS
Faison was a first-team All-District shortstop and also earned second-team All-Eastern Region and All-Tidewater accolades. He batted .352 with one home run, 23 runs scored and 24 RBI. Faison, who is also expected to see time on the mound at NSU, also struck out 17 in 10.2 innings as a senior. Perfect Game listed him as a "high follow."
Austin Frangoules, OF, Virginia Beach, Va./Ocean Lakes HS
The left-handed hitting Frangoules was a three-year letterwinner at Ocean Lakes. He hit .320 and earned All-Beach District honorable mention as a senior.
Corey Haynes, RHP, Fredericksburg, Va./Patrick Henry CC
Haynes notched an 8-4 pitching record with a 3.28 ERA over 82.1 innings pitched last year at Patrick Henry CC, the same school that produced Chris Horne, the Spartans' No. 1 starter the last two seasons. Haynes struck out 43 batters and tossed five complete games as a sophomore.
Devin Hemmerich, LHP, Norfolk, Va./Atlantic Shores Christian
Hemmerich earned first-team All-Metro Conference, All-Tidewater and VISAA All-State Division 2 accolades as a senior, helping ASC to its first-ever state championship. Hemmerich, who was the winning pitcher in the state title game, went 8-0 with a 1.65 ERA and 56 strikeouts in 55 innings. He also batted .402 with 24 stolen bases out of the lead-off spot. The Seahawks went 33-2 and were ranked No. 39 nationally by MaxPreps.
Omar Hotusing, C, Miami, Fla./Southwestern CC (Iowa)
Hotusing received All-Region XI honorable mention as a sophomore at Southwestern CC. He batted .310 with 18 RBI and threw out nearly 50% of base stealers. He was listed by Perfect Game as a "high follow" and a
Florida Region honorable mention pick out of G. Holmes Braddock High School in Miami two years ago.
Noah Johnson, OF, Suffolk, Va./King's Fork HS
Johnson was a second-team All-Southeastern District pick as a sophomore and senior and was a four-year starter in center field. Johnson batted .396 with a .475 on-base percentage as a senior and was a perfect 21-of-21 on stolen base attempts.
Jonathan Mauricio, RHP, Midlothian, Va./Manchester HS
Mauricio went 2-0 with a 3.38 ERA as a senior at Manchester. He was a second-team All-Dominion District selection as an outfielder after batting .328 with 21 RBI and nine stolen bases. He was also an all-district volleyball player.
Nik Milvo, C, Chesapeake, Va./Indian River HS
Milvo was a first-team All-Southeastern District and honorable mention All-Eastern Region selection as a senior at Indian River. He batted .435 with 22 RBI and 18 stolen bases in his final prep season.
Hunter Triplett, 2B, Isle of Wight, Va./Isle of Wight Academy
Triplett was a first-team All-Metro Conference and VISAA All-State Division 3 selection at shortstop as a senior. He batted .432 with 25 RBI and 30 runs scored. He tallied 15 extra-base hits, including 12 doubles, helping him post a .479 on-base percentage.
Josh Vales, RHP, Currituck County, N.C./College of the Albemarle
Vales went 6-8 with a 3.16 ERA as a sophomore at COA, the same school which produced current Spartan Ross Cardwell. Vales yielded just 60 hits and fanned 68 batters in 74 innings pitched and pitched six complete games.
COURTESY NORFOLK STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION
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