M.L. Morgan won’t have to look far for advice in his first official head baseball coach job.
He can receive counsel from his father down the road at another HBCU.
Last week, Morgan was named the new head baseball coach at Norfolk State. He joins his father, longtime Virginia State coach Merrill Morgan, as an HBCU head baseball coach. Morgan replaces Keith Shumate, who was head coach for eight seasons.
“This opportunity is one I couldn’t pass up,” the younger Morgan told WTKR TV. “Just the potential, being in a recruiting hotbed in this area and also the conference. I think it’s an opportunity to compete in the conference as well, being the southern-most team in the conference (NEC), it’s a lot of opportunity for growth here.”
Morgan was an assistant at his alma mater, Virginia Commonwealth, and Division III contender Randolph Macon College, helping each school to postseason appearances. His most recent job was as Mid-Atlantic Scouting Supervisor for the Tampa Bay Rays of Major League Baseball.
Morgan will look to revive a Spartan baseball program that has struggled since its 2021 MEAC championship season. Norfolk State’s record as an associate member of the Northeast Conference was 4-38 overall and 4-26 in conference play, placing it last in the 11-team league.
Morgan’s plans include a versatile approach to offense and a tighter philosophy when the Spartans are out in the field.
“I want to be really multi-faceted on offense,” he said. “We want to be able to put the ball in play, steal, be really aggressive on the bases, hit home runs, but putting pressure on the defense is the main piece of that. Defensively, we want to be as conservative as possible, take care of the baseball, limit free bases, throw many strikes, and let our athletes make plays.”
