This Week
Thursday: Longwood at NSU (DH), 5 p.m., NSU Softball Field
Saturday: UMES at NSU (DH), 1 p.m., NSU Softball Field
Sunday: UMES at NSU, Noon, NSU Softball Field
Live Stats | Live Video
NORFOLK, Va. – The Spartan softball team will host Longwood for a doubleheader and UMES for a three-game series over a four-day span beginning Thursday. Norfolk State and Longwood will kick things off with a twinbill at 5 p.m. at the NSU Softball Field tomorrow.
Then on Saturday, NSU and UMES will compete in a pair of conference games starting at 1 p.m. The two teams will finish out the series with a single game at noon on Sunday. That Sunday afternoon contest will also be the softball program's Breast Cancer Awareness Day.
Both live stats and a live video feed will be available for all five games this week.
The Spartans (13-15, 6-0 MEAC) face a difficult challenge in Longwood on Thursday, as the Lancers enter the contests with a 25-10 overall record after taking two from Elon on Tuesday to run their win streak to six. Longwood defeated N.C. Central in the first games of the season, 5-2, 5-0, while NSU split its doubleheader with the Eagles, winning 8-4 and losing 6-4.
After failing to win a single game last year, UMES stands 10-19 overall this year, highlighted by doubleheader splits with N.C. Central and South Carolina State and a doubleheader sweep of Savannah State, 11-10, 6-5. The Hawks took two of three from Howard and own a 2-4 record in the MEAC Northern Division.
Scouting the Spartans
NSU has won its last six games, all in MEAC play, thanks to an improved hitting performance since the beginning of the season. NSU has gone from hitting in the .270s to its current .340 clip, and sophomore Haley Ward has gone from hitting just above .200 to her current .561 average. In just 17 games she has totaled 21 runs with eight doubles, five triples, two home runs and 23 RBI.
Also hitting well lately have been senior Gipsy Ramirez and sophomore Alina Moriarty. Ramirez is up to .397 with 20 runs, six doubles, one homer and 21 RBI, while Moriarty has totaled 25 runs with nine doubles, one triple, three home runs and 25 RBI on a .367 average.
Other big contributors at the plate include freshmen Whitney Williams (.344, 12 runs, four doubles, 14 RBI) and Heather Dunning (.329, 19 runs, 11 RBI, eight stolen bases) and juniors Morgan Boyd (.315, 27 runs, 17 stolen bases) and Kathy Cortez (.311, 11 runs, four doubles, 15 RBI).
In the circle, NSU has gotten improved pitching from the duo of junior Jamie Schulle and sophomore Liz Riley. Schulle owns a 9-8 record with a 4.09 ERA, striking out 70 in 87.1 innings. Riley carries a 4-6 record with a 4.61 ERA in 76.0 innings of work.
Ward Ties NCAA Record
Over the weekend against Howard, Haley Ward tied the NCAA Division I record of 13 straight hits set by Boston University's April Setterlund in 2010. Ward had 10 straight hits the previous weekend at Coppin State and then added three straight hits against the Bison before grounding out in her second at bat of Game 2 on Friday.
Nationally Ranked
After its big weekend against Howard, NSU now ranks seventh in the nation in hitting at .340, one spot behind Longwood. The Spartans are also ranked highly in scoring (19th, 6.5 runs per game), doubles (25th, 1.57), triples (37th, 0.25), slugging percentage (63rd, .445) and stolen bases (78th, 1.21).
Individually, Haley Ward is the highest ranked player, standing fifth in the nation with five triples. Alina Moriarty ranks 15th with three sacrifice flies and 41st in doubles per game (0.32). Morgan Boyd stands 34th in stolen bases per game (0.61) and 57th in runs (0.96).
Ward's .561 average would lead the nation by 40 points had she played in 75 percent of NSU's games so far this year.
MEAC Rankings
NSU leads the conference in hitting and on-base percentage and also ranks third in team ERA. Haley Ward tops all regular players in hitting, slugging (.982) and on-base percentage (.583). Morgan Boyd ranks first in stolen bases and second in runs scored, while Alina Moriarty ranks second in doubles, fourth in runs and fifth in RBI.
Big Bats
NSU has had double-digit hits in seven of the last eight games and nine of the last 12. Eight players with at least 30 at bats are hitting above .300 this year. Among players with at least 20 at bats, the lowest batting average on the team stands at .275.
Ward Named MEAC Player of the Week
On Monday and for the second week in a row, Haley Ward was named the MEAC Player of the Week. She went 7-for-9 against Howard with five runs, six RBI and four extra-base hits. She is 28-for-38 (.737) over her last 11 games.
Longwood
The Lancers hit .338 as a team but also carry a 2.74 team ERA. Longwood has Brooke Short to partially thank for both of those, as she hits .420 with 36 runs, 10 doubles, 10 homers and 43 RBI. Short also owns a 13-5 record with a 2.56 ERA in 104.0 innings of work. Libby Morris (11-4, 3.24 ERA, 82.0 innings) has thrown the majority of the other innings for the pitching staff.
Besides Short, Kori Nishitomi (.466) and Megan Baltzell (.422) are also hitting above .400. Nishitomi has scored 52 runs to go with nine doubles and 13 RBI, while Baltzell has scored 48 runs with 10 doubles, 15 homers and 40 RBI. Longwood, which has 42 home runs as a team, also gets production from Emily Murphy (.351, 30 runs, six doubles, six homers, 46 RBI) and a handful of other starters but very little out of its reserves.
UMES
The Hawks hit only .199 last year but are up to .268 so far in 2013. Three players are hitting above .300, including leading hitting Jasmine James at .361. James has scored 20 runs while knocking in seven, while Morgan King has done plenty of damage with a .330 average with 24 runs, seven doubles, four homers and 27 RBI. Chelsea Alston (.304) has also done well at the plate.
Trenece Nash has driven in 18 while hitting .284, and Vanessa Gomez has swiped 17 bases while batting .288. Carmen Gurrola has scored 24 runs and is the team's leading pitcher, posting an 8-11 record with a 5.37 ERA in 120.0 innings. Belen Benitez has also thrown some for UMES, posting a 6.27 ERA in 63.2 innings.
Up Next
NSU will face Morgan State on the road April 13-14 for a three-game series.
