Upcoming Schedule
Saturday: NSU vs. Coppin State (DH), 1 p.m., NSU Softball Field
Sunday: NSU vs. Coppin State, Noon, NSU Softball Field
Live Stats | Live Video
NORFOLK, Va. – Conference play kicks off this weekend for the Norfolk State softball team, with Coppin State coming to town to play a three-game series at the NSU Softball Field beginning Saturday at 1 p.m. The Spartans and the Eagles will play a doubleheader then, followed by a single game at noon on Sunday.
Fans who cannot make it out to the games can follow all of the action at www.nsuspartans.com through both the live statistical feed as well as the live video feed. Cost of the video feed is $8 for a doubleheader and $5 for a single game.
NSU comes in at 9-13 overall after dropping four games to Central Connecticut State Monday and Tuesday at home. The Spartans have fallen in seven of the past eight games, all over a five-day period from March 16-20.
The Eagles, meanwhile, own a 7-13 record, having dropped seven of their last nine. Coppin State is coming off a split with Central Connecticut State on Wednesday, losing the first game 5-0 before rebounding to take the second game, 5-4.
Scouting the Spartans
NSU owns a collective 3.33 ERA, with freshman Liz Riley carrying a 2.85 ERA and a 4-7 record into the series with the Eagles. Sophomore Jamie Schulle completes the Spartan pitching staff, as she has tallied a 5-6 record on a 3.72 ERA with 54 strikeouts in 81 innings.
Freshmen Haley Ward and #Alina Moriarty3 have provided good offensive production in their first seasons with NSU, with Ward hitting a team-leading .345 with 12 runs, four doubles and six RBI. Moriarty is hitting .321 with nine RBI, joining teammates Gipsy Ramirez (.333, seven runs, five doubles, 10 RBI) and Whitney Holland (.292, 10 runs, three doubles, three home runs, 11 RBI).
Sophomore #Morgan Boyd3 (.246, 12 runs, eight stolen bases) and senior Danielle Wright (.235, 11 runs, six RBI) also contribute on the offensive end. The Spartans, though, have cooled off after a good start to the season, hitting just .254 overall as a team, down from .287 just nine games ago.
Freshmen Stepping Up
After a slow start to her season, freshman Liz Riley has come on strong as of late. Beginning on March 8 when she threw six shutout innings, Riley has allowed just 10 earned runs over the last 48.2 innings, an ERA of 1.44, while surrendering only nine walks.
Over that same time period, another rookie, Alina Moriarty, has hit a team-leading .356 after getting inserted into the starting lineup on a full-time basis at second base.
About Coppin State
Both at the plate and in the circle, Paige Arnold leads the way for Coppin State. The preseason MEAC Pitcher of the Year is doing it all for the Eagles, as she owns a 2.86 ERA with a 5-8 record, striking out 89 in 76 innings. She is also hitting a team-leading .474 on the year with team teams of 19 runs, three doubles, five home runs and 15 RBI.
Tiffani Whaley has started seven games for the Eagles but is just 1-4 with a 6.58 ERA. Emily DeJesus, meanwhile, is the only other player hitting above .270 on the year, as she brings a .317 average into the weekend with 13 runs, one home run and four RBI. Sama Denlinger (.268, seven RBI), Patrice Williams (.262, five RBI) and Whaley (.250, eight runs, six RBI) also provide some offensive spark for the Eagles.
Up Next
NSU will play a doubleheader at North Carolina Central next Wednesday at 2 p.m., a series that has already been pushed back twice because of rain, before facing Howard in Washington, D.C., next weekend for another three-game series.
