NORFOLK, Va. —The Norfolk State softball team will be the No. 4 seed in the southern division heading into this weekend's 2008 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Softball Championship, hosted by Bethune-Cookman University in Ormond Beach, Fla. The tournament runs from Thursday, May 8 to Saturday, May 10.

The Spartans (19-31 overall, 4-8 MEAC) will open play against northern division top seed Hampton (31-16, 12-2 MEAC) at 10 a.m. on Thursday at the Ormond Beach Sport Complex.

As a team, NSU is hitting .289, with four starters averaging .300 or better. Sophomore transfer Rebecca Barnes (Hampton, Va.) leads the everyday players with a .342 average and ties for the team lead with five home runs. Sophomore Brianeisha Eure (Virginia Beach, Va.), a 2007 All-MEAC second-team pick, and senior Ashley Archer (Amelia, Va.) are hitting .324 and .318, respectively. The Spartan's only true freshman, Jeanette Sauceda (Ontario, Calif.), is batting .304 with a team-leading 17 doubles and has 34 RBI.

The Spartans have had to rely heavily on just three pitchers this season. Ky Brown (Woodsfield, Ohio) leads the way with a 3.33 earned run average and has a 7-7 record. Micki Rodriguez (Newport News, Va.), NSU's Female Athlete of the Year, is 7-11 with a 4.44 ERA and leads the pitching staff in appearances (28), games started (21), complete games (12), and innings pitched (131.0).

Sarah Wittwer (Grand Junction, Colo.) has split time between pitching and playing the outfield this year. In the pitching circle, she is 5-11 with a 5.37 ERA, and at the plate, she is hitting .260 with six doubles, two triples, and 16 RBI.

For more on the MEAC Softball Championship, visit www.meacsports.com.