Former Norfolk State baseball players Juan Serrano, Matt Outman, Devin Hemmerich, Alex Mauricio and Alsander Womack were voted onto the MEAC’s 50th anniversary all-time baseball team, which was released by the conference office on Tuesday.
In celebration of the MEAC’s 50th anniversary, the conference has held an online vote to determine the top 50 athletes in each sport during the league’s existence. More than 3,100 total votes were cast for the baseball all-time team, with fans, media representatives, institution sports information contacts and others taking part.
To be considered for the ballot, student-athletes must have been named to the All-MEAC first team, MEAC Player of the Year, Rookie of the Year or Pitcher of the Year, MEAC Championship Outstanding Performer, be holder of any MEAC career record or inducted into the MEAC Hall of Fame.
Serrano was a three-time All-MEAC first-team selection (2004, ’05, ’07), the only player in NSU history to earn that distinction. He hit over .350 each of those seasons. Serrano was also the MEAC Rookie of the Year in 2004, the only Spartan to ever earn that honor, and earned Louisville Slugger Freshman All-America honors that same season. He is fourth in Spartan history with 215 hits, tied for second with 45 doubles, and tied for fifth with 135 RBIs.
Outman was a two-time MEAC Pitcher of the Year, earning the honor in 2015 and 2016. A three-year member of the Spartans, Outman logged a 23-8 career record in the green and gold with a 3.02 ERA and 211 strikeouts in 241 innings pitched. He pitched five shutouts in his career, including three in his senior season, both of which are tied for the most in school history. He fanned 85 hitters in 2015 and 71 more in 2016. Outman ranks in NSU’s top 10 all-time in innings pitched, strikeouts, wins, winning percentage and ERA, among other categories.
Hemmerich followed Outman by winning MEAC Pitcher of the Year in 2017, giving the Spartans that award in three straight years. He is the MEAC and NSU record holder with 315 career strikeouts and his 24 wins are tied for first in school history and fifth in MEAC annals. A two-time All-MEAC selection, Hemmerich was a Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American as a relief pitcher in 2014 and a third-team Division I All-American as a senior in 2017. That season, he went 10-2 with a 1.97 ERA and struck out a school-record 118 batters. He was drafted in the 26th round of the 2017 MLB Draft by the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Mauricio was teammates with both Outman and Hemmerich and left his own legacy. Mauricio became the first Spartan player to ever in MEAC Player of the Year honors in 2017, giving he and Hemmerich a sweep of the top conference awards that year. A two-way player, Mauricio was a first-team All-MEAC utility player in 2017 as an infielder and starting pitcher, and also picked up first-team All-MEAC accolades as a relief pitcher in 2016. Mauricio hit .299 in his career, including .345 in his Player of the Year season, while also notching seven wins and five saves in his career. He was drafted one round after Hemmerich, in the 27th round of the 2017 MLB Draft by the New York Yankees.
Womack just finished a stellar four-year career with the Spartans which ran from 2018-21. A two-time All-MEAC selection, Womack ranks fifth in NSU history with 211 career hits. A career .344 hitter, Womack was a first-team All-MEAC selection in both 2019 and 2021. He capped his career by winning MEAC Championship Most Outstanding Performer honors at the 2021 conference tournament, which he culminated by hitting the walk-off RBI single in the 11th inning to give the Spartans their first-ever MEAC title in May. Womack batted .377 as a sophomore in 2019 and .364 as a senior in 2021.