Claudell Clark is in his 13th season as head coach of the Norfolk State University baseball program. After serving as interim head coach for two seasons, Clark was named to the permanent post in the summer of 2006. In the summer of 2015, Clark also added to his duties the title of assistant athletics director for external affairs.
Clark has presided over two of NSU’s best seasons in recent memory in 2015 and 2016. In 2015, the Spartans won their first-ever MEAC Northern Division regular-season title en route to a Division I-era record 27 victories. The Spartans also reeled off a 13-game winning streak during the second half of the season, the longest in the school’s Division I history, and finished with a 19-5 record against their MEAC Northern Division opponents. In addition to their success within the MEAC, NSU also recorded its first-ever win over Richmond and first victory since 1977 over VCU, which went on to advance to the NCAA Super Regionals. Clark was rewarded for that success by winning the 2015 MEAC Coach of the Year award.
The 2016 season was equally successful. NSU topped the previous year’s win total, establishing a new program D-I era record with 29 wins. The Spartans again went 19-5 in MEAC Northern Division play, matching the 2015 team for the most MEAC wins in program history en route to their second straight divisional title. NSU also reached the finals of the 2016 MEAC baseball tournament, dropping a 1-0 decision to Bethune-Cookman.
Other highlights from the 2016 season included non-conference wins over eventual CAA champion William & Mary and Atlantic-10 foe Richmond.
The 2016 season marked the fifth time in Clark’s tenure that NSU reached the championship round of the MEAC tournament (also achieved in 2005, ’08, ’11 and ‘14). The Spartans have recorded 247 wins over his last 11 seasons as head coach. In addition, Spartan players have earned 45 All-MEAC honors and two Louisville Slugger Freshmen All-American honors during Clark’s tenure (pitchers Devin Hemmerich in 2014 and Ryan VanAssche in 2011). Pitcher Matt Outman joined Clark in earning top MEAC accolades in 2015, becoming NSU’s first MEAC Pitcher of the Year award winner since Clark won it himself as a junior in 2000. Outman repeated as the conference’s top pitcher in 2016.
In 2014, the Spartans rode the momentum of a 14-10 MEAC regular-season mark to a deep run in the conference tournament. The Spartans eliminated three MEAC Southern Division opponents, including defending champion Savannah State, en route to the championship round for the fourth time in Clark’s tenure.
The 2013 season saw NSU finish .500 in MEAC play, split a regular-season series with Old Dominion and win at least one game in the MEAC Tournament for the seventh straight year. The Spartans finished second in the MEAC in team batting and fourth in pitching.
In 2012, the Spartans posted a 15-9 record in conference play, establishing was then a new school record for MEAC victories in a season. During non-conference play, the Spartans ousted local rivals William & Mary and Old Dominion within one week of each other. The victory over the Tribe was NSU’s first over its Williamsburg neighbor in 20 years.
In 2011, NSU won seven of its final 10 ballgames. The Spartans advanced to the MEAC tournament championship round for the third time under Clark before falling to Bethune-Cookman. The 2011 season also continued NSU’s recent upward trend. In 2010, the Spartans finished 21-29-1 and finished one victory shy of the MEAC Tournament championship round. NSU again topped Georgetown of the Big East and split the season series with cross-town foe ODU.
In 2009, NSU finished 22-23 and won a pair of games in the MEAC Tournament. Along the way, Clark picked up his 100th career coaching win in April against Delaware State. NSU finished the season second in the MEAC with a .312 batting average, the highest mark in Clark’s tenure.
In 2008, NSU notched the school’s first winning season since 2000, finishing 25-24. The Spartans advanced all the way to the MEAC Tournament championship round before falling to Bethune-Cookman. The Spartans also earned another season split with ODU during the 2008 campaign.
They did it thanks largely to a dependable pitching staff. NSU ranked first in the MEAC and 22nd in the nation in earned run average (4.07). Former Spartan pitcher and current assistant coach Joey Seal, who broke Clark’s school record for career strikeouts, gained the program national distinction by being selected for the initial Roger Clemens Award watch list for the national pitcher of the year award. Seal also became the first Spartan in the school’s Division I history to be selected as national pitcher of the week.
Seal was also part of a strong 2007 squad that featured first baseman Ernie Banks, who became Clark’s first protégé to be selected in the Major League Baseball Draft when the Marlins picked him in the 44th round. The ’07 team earned the program’s first-ever series win over a Big East team, taking two of three from Seton Hall, and its first-ever sweep of an Atlantic 10 team when it took three straight games from St. Joseph’s. A school-record six Spartans earned All-MEAC honors as NSU won 25 games.
In 2006, Clark guided the program to a 23-28 record. The Spartans tallied the most wins in their young MEAC history to that point, finishing 11-7 and placing second in the conference regular-season standings. The Spartans showed continued improvement under Clark, ranking first in the MEAC in batting (.302) and second in earned run average (4.60).
After taking over four games into the 2005 season from long-time coach and current athletics director Marty Miller, Clark and the Spartans overcame a slow start to advance to the MEAC Tournament championship round. The Spartans defeated six-time defending MEAC champion Bethune-Cookman twice en route to the championship round, where the Spartans fell to top seed North Carolina A&T 10-9.
Clark helped a Spartans’ pitching staff comprised mostly of freshmen and sophomores to the second-best earned-run average in the MEAC in 2005. Clark was an assistant coach under Miller for two seasons prior taking over as head coach.
With nearly 20 years’ time as a player and coach invested in NSU baseball, Clark has also played a leading role in furthering the program in other ways. Clark helped create and initiate the Marty L. Miller Field improvement plan, an undertaking that is currently in progress. He raised more than $80,000 to contribute to the re-sodding of the infield grass (completed in fall of 2013), the installation of a premium athletic field turf collar surrounding home plate (completed in the summer of 2014), and a new state-of-the-art scoreboard that made its debut for the 2015 season. A new brick backstop with netting is in the works for 2016.
Clark has also made NSU baseball more visible in the community. Clark was instrumental in the creation of the exhibition game between the Spartans and the Norfolk Tides, the Triple-A minor league affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles. NSU has played an exhibition game with the Tides at Harbor Park in four of the last five years. Attendance for the game has averaged nearly 8,000, with proceeds used to help benefit the Spartan baseball program.
Clark has also helped create partnerships between NSU baseball and Tidewater-area school systems through initiatives like Norfolk Public Schools day at the NSU-Tides exhibition game and the “Hit the Books” reading program. Clark has also fostered an ongoing relationship with the Food Bank of Southeastern Virginia, speaks at numerous local schools and civic organizations, and hosts multiple youth baseball clinics at NSU each year. Under Clark’s leadership, NSU also began the Spartan Baseball Speaker Series networking event for its players and launched the First Pitch Dinner fundraiser to highlight the opening of the season.
As assistant athletics director, Clark has been able to form relationships or secure sponsorships from numerous major corporations to help the athletics program meet its fundraising goals and enhance the profile of the department.
Clark had a distinguished career as a pitcher and outfielder at NSU from 1998-2001. He was the MEAC Pitcher of the Year in 2000, when he went 7-3 with a 3.05 ERA and 92 strikeouts in 76.2 innings pitched.
Clark was also the MEAC Tournament MVP in 2001, when he led the Spartans to the championship round. He was NSU’s Most Improved Player in 2000, and was the team MVP in 2000 and 2001.
Clark earned his bachelor’s degree in physical education from NSU in 2001. He ranks in the top 10 all-time at NSU in strikeouts, innings pitched, wins, decisions and appearances. He is the school record-holder in strikeouts per nine innings (9.9) and strikeouts in a single season (92 in 2000) and ranks second in career strikeouts (249).
He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 28th round of the 2001 draft. He spent time with the Bradenton (Fla.) Pirates in rookie ball and the Class-A Williamsport (Pa.) Crosscutters. In 2001, Clark led all Williamsport pitchers in lowest opponents’ batting average (.176) as the Crosscutters won the New York-Penn League championship.
After an injury cut short his baseball career, Clark returned to his native Chesapeake, where he still resides today.
