Live Stats
NORFOLK, Va. – After an up-and-down non-conference season, the Norfolk State softball team will attempt to get MEAC play off on the right foot this weekend at Coppin State. The three-game series will mark the start of conference play for both teams.
The two squads will play a doubleheader Saturday at 1 p.m. at the Coppin State Softball Complex and a single game Sunday at noon. Live stats will be available here.
NSU comes into the weekend with a 7-15 overall record after dropping three of its four games at the Delaware Spring Invitational last weekend. The Eagles own a 5-12 record but have dropped 11 straight after starting out the year 5-1.
Scouting the Spartans
NSU has been led by its hitting this year, with the Spartans sporting a .302 team average. Seven players are hitting above .300, with sophomore Haley Ward (11 games) and senior Chelsea Davis (13 games) at .405 and .400, respectively. Senior Gipsy Ramirez has scored 14 runs with three doubles, a team-best 16 RBI and a .379 average.
Junior Morgan Boyd and sophomore Alina Moriarty have each scored 16 runs, and Moriarty has contributed five doubles, three home runs and 14 RBI. Boyd, meanwhile, is 14-of-14 on stolen base attempts. The other players hitting above .300 are sophomore Liz Riley (.360), juniors Melina Valles (.333) and Kathy Cortez (.316, four doubles, 12 RBI) and freshman Whitney Williams (.306, nine RBI).
Riley and junior Jamie Schulle have pitched all but five of the team's 137.1 innings this year. Schulle has struck out 54 in 67.2 innings.
Bats on Fire
NSU piled on 32 runs on 36 hits in last week's doubleheader sweep at North Carolina A&T. It was the most runs scored in back-to-back games since March 27, 2001, when NSU defeated UMES 15-1 and 27-2. It is believed to be the most hits in two straight games since the 2000 season.
The Spartans scored 16 runs in both games against N.C. A&T and had 19 hits in the second, the most since scoring 19 runs on 22 hits at UMES in game 1 of a doubleheader on April 27, 2011.
Nationally Ranked
Morgan Boyd currently sits 25th in the nation with 0.64 stolen bases per game. As a team, NSU's .302 team batting average puts the Spartans 54th in the nation out of 290 collegiate teams. NSU's 5.14 runs-per-game clip also ranks 74th nationally.
Good for 2
Alina Moriarty belted a pair of home runs against Delaware last Friday, the first time an NSU player hit two home runs in a game since Danielle Wright hit a pair in the second game of a doubleheader against UMES on March 11, 2009.
Picking Up Where She Left Off
After sitting out the first several games this year, Haley Ward picked up right where she left off at the end of her freshman season. Ward is currently hitting .405 in 11 games on the year with two doubles and three triples among her 15 hits. She finished with a .409 average last year.
Moving Up
With 22 hits this year, Gipsy Ramirez now has 132 for her career, which ranks in a tie for 12th all-time at NSU. She needs eight more hits to move into sole possession of 10th place. Morgan Boyd also ranks 12th with 61 career stolen bases. She needs 11 more to move into a tie for 10th.
Jamie Schulle, meanwhile, needs 14 more strikeouts to move into a tie for third all-time in the NSU record book.
Curious About Coppin State
The Eagles have struggled at the pitcher's spot after the graduation of MEAC Pitcher of the Year Paige Arnold. The team carries a 6.12 ERA and has given up 130 runs in 111.0 innings. Alyssa Barker and Melli Richardson have started 14 of the team's 17 games, with Samantha Denlinger also seeing time in the circle.
Three regular starters are hitting above .300 for Coppin State, including leading hitter Danielle Smith at .381. Smith has scored a team-best 17 runs with three doubles, one home run and nine RBI. Heather Josker leads all players with six doubles and 11 RBI with a .353 average, while Candice Van Horn (.346, 14 runs, four doubles) also has been hitting well for Coppin State. The Eagles also get production from Nicole Boggs (four doubles, nine RBI) and Alyssa Barker (three doubles, 10 RBI).
Up Next
The Spartans will return home for the beginning of an eight-game stretch at the NSU Softball Field. Howard will be up first for a three-game series March 29-30.
