Norfolk State University Men's Baseball

Tag Montague enters his second season as an assistant baseball coach at Norfolk State University for the 2027 campaign. He works primarily with the Spartans’ hitters and infielders while contributing across all areas of the program. Montague also oversees the offense and leads Norfolk State’s recruiting efforts.   In his first season on staff, Montague helped guide the Spartans to their first 20-win season since 2021, finishing 20-31 overall. Picked 10th in the Northeast Conference preseason poll, Norfolk State climbed to sixth in the standings and more than doubled its conference win total with 16 NEC victories.   Montague played a key role in the development of All-NEC Second Team selection Justin Journette, helping him produce one of the strongest offensive seasons of his career. Under his direction, the Spartans ranked 51st nationally in stolen bases per game and 61st in total stolen bases. The offense helped Norfolk State win six of 11 conference series while finishing with 16 more wins than the previous season, surpassing the combined win total of the previous two years.   Prior to Norfolk State, Montague served as an assistant coach at The Citadel, where he worked with catchers, coached first base, and assisted with the hitters. Before that, he spent the 2024 season at Francis Marion University, helping guide the Patriots to an appearance in the Carolinas Conference Championship game.   Montague brings more than 25 years of collegiate coaching experience, with previous stops at George Mason University, University of Richmond, Old Dominion University, Ferrum College, Virginia Wesleyan University, Marist College, George Washington University, and Randolph-Macon College.   During his tenure at George Mason, Montague served as recruiting coordinator and oversaw the offense, hitters, and infielders. He recruited and coached nine players who advanced to professional baseball, including Logan Driscoll, the highest MLB Draft selection in program history as a second-round pick. He also helped lead the Patriots to the 2014 NCAA Tournament at Rice University.   Prior to George Mason, Montague held recruiting coordinator roles at both Richmond and Old Dominion, helping guide each program to conference championship game appearances in 2012 and 2011, respectively.   Across his collegiate coaching career, Montague has recruited and coached more than 50 players who went on to play professional baseball, including five selected within the top five rounds of the MLB Draft. His players have earned more than 30 All-Conference honors and 14 All-America selections, including one consensus All-American and two Buster Award semifinalists. He has also helped guide three programs to NCAA Tournament appearances.   As a player, Montague competed at Pfeiffer College and Virginia Commonwealth University. At VCU, he hit .417 against conference opponents and famously played all nine positions in a single game against Radford, recording the save in a 3–0 victory. At Pfeiffer, he was named team MVP as a sophomore and missed just one game over three seasons. In high school, he helped lead J.R. Tucker High School to back-to-back state championships.   Montague earned his degree in physical education from VCU. He is married to his wife, Sheila.

Brett Mays enters his 10th season coaching at the collegiate level and his fourth as pitching coach at Norfolk State University.   In 2026, Mays helped guide the Spartans to their first 20-win season since 2021, finishing 20-31 overall. Picked 10th in the Northeast Conference preseason poll, Norfolk State climbed to sixth in the standings and more than doubled its conference win total with 16 NEC victories.   Mays played a key role in the development of All-NEC Second Team selection Ethan Blakeney, marking the first All-NEC selection for the Spartans on the mound.   The Spartans continued to make strides on the mound in 2025. Nathaniel Varnier ranked fifth in the conference with 77 strikeouts, including 28 looking, and later signed a professional contract with the Rocky Mountain Vibes. Parker Hampton also emerged as one of the league’s most efficient arms, finishing in the top 10 in the conference in fewest earned runs allowed.   In his first season with the Spartans in 2024, Mays led a pitching staff that set a new program record with 418 strikeouts. Under his guidance, Dalton Barham finished fourth in the conference with 82 strikeouts before signing a professional contract with the Florence Y’alls.   Mays has also spent four summers with the Peninsula Pilots of the Coastal Plain League, a premier collegiate summer wooden-bat league. Working under Hank Morgan, the CPL’s winningest manager, Mays helped guide the Pilots to Eastern Division championships in 2021 and 2025. During his tenure, numerous pitchers earned All-CPL honors, and three were selected in the MLB Draft.   Prior to arriving at Norfolk State, Mays served as pitching coach at Randolph-Macon College from 2022–23. The Yellow Jackets climbed as high as No. 6 in the national rankings in 2023 and earned an at-large berth to the NCAA Regionals. That same year, right-handed pitcher Hayden Snelsire was selected in the 17th round of the MLB Draft by the Tampa Bay Rays, becoming one of only two Division III players drafted in 2023.   From 2020–21, Mays coached at Bryant & Stratton College–Virginia Beach at the NJCAA level. Under the mentorship of two-time MLB All-Star Gary Lavelle, he helped develop more than 10 pitchers who went on to earn scholarships at four-year institutions. Earlier in his career, Mays helped launch Stratford University’s athletic department and baseball program, competing in the USCAA during the 2018 and 2019 seasons. The Stratford baseball team earned a national ranking of No. 7 in 2019.   Before entering the collegiate ranks, Mays served as pitching coach at Bethel High School in Hampton, Va., during the 2017 season and oversaw pitching development for the Old Dominion Hitters travel baseball organization from 2016–19.   A 2015 graduate of Christopher Newport University, Mays pitched three seasons for the Captains. He also spent one year at Marshall University in 2012. In 2013, he was inducted into the Woodside High School Athletic Hall of Fame, his alma mater.   Mays resides in Newport News, Va., with his wife, Kala, their rescue dog, Millie, and their daughter, Elsie, who was born in July 2025.