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Senior Womack propels Norfolk State baseball to MEAC tournament title after 2019 heartbreaker
Norfolk State baseball senior second baseman Alsander Womack used his MVP performance to help the Spartans win their first ever Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference tournament championship, avenging a heartbreaking championship loss in 2019. (Photo: Nick Sutton/Kinetic Stills)

Senior Womack propels Norfolk State baseball to MEAC tournament title after 2019 heartbreaker

NORFOLK, Va. (BVM) — Though nobody would talk about the way the last full season ended for the Norfolk State University Spartans baseball team, it was in the back of the minds of those who had seen this before. That 2019 season marked the closest the Spartans program had ever been to winning the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference tournament, coming into the championship day just one win away from the coveted title and having a two-game cushion to win it all, as the team would have to drop two straight games to championship opponent Florida A&M to lose the title. Unfortunately, the Spartans would lose both critical games to the Rattlers, watching as the championship once again escaped their grasp.

As the top-seed in the winner’s side of the bracket this year, the Spartans were in a similar situation, needing just one win against North Carolina Central on May 22 to clinch their first-ever MEAC tournament title. This time, though the game was a back-and-forth thriller, Norfolk State made sure to not be on the losing end of things.

“It was in the back of everybody’s mind,” Spartans senior second baseman Alsander Womack said. “I told the guys before the game even started that this isn’t 2019. This isn’t the same team and isn’t the same day. I told them we just got to focus on the here and now and if we do our job, play our games and have fun, we will be champs at the end of it.”

The Spartans would prevail in the 2021 MEAC Baseball championship over the Eagles, 7-6, in 11 innings. The game was decided by Womack whose walk-off RBI single with the bases loaded and two men out in the bottom of the 11th sealed the historic victory. The play and the frenetic celebration that followed were even recognized by the NCAA as one of the top plays of the week.

“At the time, yeah I guess I did know it was down, but looking back at it I still don’t even remember where it landed,” Womack said. “I know I got the fastball where I wanted, something hit the barrel and I saw where it took off off my bat and my first reaction was to throw my hands up and start taking my jog to fist. When I really saw my boys trying to get there, the chase was on then.”

It was fitting that the player to bring the title to Norfolk was Womack. The tournament MVP, Womack has long been considered one of the top Spartans players as he was selected in back-to-back seasons as the MEAC Preseason Player of the Year. The senior picked up where he left off as he hit .345 with a slugging percentage of .454 and an on-base percentage of .412 with three home runs, 33 RBIs and 60 hits on the year.

Womack has been one of the most crucial players on the Spartans roster for four years, earning MEAC preseason player of the year honors twice. (Photo: Nick Sutton/Kinetic Stills)

Womack stayed hot in the championship game as he went 3-for-6 with two RBIs and two runs scored. Though he had been impactful the entire day, it was in extras that the senior brought his game up to the next level. 

After the top of the 10th inning saw the Eagles take a 6-4 lead, a throwing error put a Spartan on first. With two outs, Womack would take the batter’s box, needing to get on base for the Spartans to stand any chance of a rally. Womack would deliver as he would hit an RBI single to put the Spartans one run away from continuing the game.

“I was just thinking, do your job and pass the torch to the next guy, not I have to win this game and have to tie it here, just pass the torch to the next guy,” Womack said.

Needing to get into scoring position, the senior would deliver as he would steal second to set up junior Ty Hanchey with an opportunity to extend the game. The junior would do so, driving Womack in with an RBI base knock and pushing the game to inning No. 11.

“I said to the boys after that we need a zero, we can’t keep going back and forth,” Womack said. “The guys went out there and did a great job throwing for zero and guys had good at-bats and did a good job setting me up for the hit.”

With the Spartans’ pitching staff keeping the Eagles off the board, it was again up to the team’s bats to make a play. After the first two batters went down on strikes, back-to-back walks and a hit by pitch loaded the bases for the Spartans with their senior leader once again up at the plate. Sensing the significance of the moment, the Eagles sent out MEAC Pitcher of the Year Ryan Miller to face Womack in the critical rubber match. The individual battle lived up to expectations, but it was Womack who came out on top as he lined a 1-1 fastball into right center to clinch the win.

“All credit to Ryan, he’s a great pitcher and had a great season, but I knew I had to focus on doing my job at the plate whether it was drawing a walk, getting hit by a pitch or getting hit,” Womack said. “I knew he would attack me at some point with a fastball and I couldn’t miss it.”

After losing the heartbreaker in 2019, the Spartans claimed their first MEAC tournament title and will appear in the NCAA Division I Baseball Championship for the first time in school history. (Photo: Nick Sutton/Kinetic Stills)

The second the ball hit his bat, Womack knew it was game over. He emphatically raised his hands in the air as he began his jog to first and threw his helmet high into the air in jubilation. The senior would sprint through the infield as his teammates tried to swarm him in their celebration. The moment was one that Womack relished, even more so after the heartbreaking way the team missed on history in 2019.

“It was surreal,” Womack said. “Kids dream of that moment all their life, all their career and even to this day I still kind of replay it in my head. … It was emotional. You play hard every year for these moments. When it was taken away from us, when we got beat in 2019, it hurt a lot of us. … It felt amazing to win. It felt amazing to do that.”

Now, Womack will lead the Spartans into unknown territory as the team enters the NCAA Division I Baseball Championship. The team will find out where and when they will play during the NCAA Selection Show on May 31 on ESPN2. With the MEAC Tournament trophy now in hand, Womack will look to bring some more magic with him to the national tournament in hopes of extending the Spartans’ historic season.

“We got to go in there with no pressure. We’re one of those teams that go in there with nothing to lose,” Womack said. “We just have to go out, play pressure-free baseball and go out and have fun. Let’s all enjoy this experience and if we win a game, we shock the world. We did what we knew we could do, now we’re going to try to do more.”