NORFOLK, Va. – The Norfolk State softball team will make its second straight trip up the coast when the Spartans head to Maryland Eastern Shore this weekend for a conference three-game series.

Because of the Easter holiday, the games will be played on Friday and Saturday. However, the series will now be played at the Henry S. Parker Athletic Complex in Salisbury, Maryland instead of on MDES' campus. In addition, the teams will play just one game on Friday at 7 p.m., while the doubleheader will switch from Friday to Saturday beginning at 11 a.m.

MDES will have live stats available (separate link for each game) at www.easternshorehawks.com. Links are also available at the top of this story.

It will mark the third MEAC series of the year for the Spartans, and the second straight trip up the East Coast after traveling to Delaware State last weekend.

Sitting at 2-4 in the league, the games will be key for Norfolk State as it tries to move up the standings. The Spartans own a 12-20 overall record after winning one of three games in their latest series with both Coppin State and Delaware State.

Maryland Eastern Shore dropped all three games during the middle of this week at Coppin State, falling to 0-6 in the MEAC as well as 3-20 overall. All three of the Hawks' wins have come against either Savannah State or South Carolina State.

As a result of this week's action, Delaware State and Coppin State each stand 5-1 on the year, tied for first in the MEAC Northern Division. Hampton owns a 4-2 record, while NSU sits fourth at 2-4. The Spartans are attempting to put some distance between them and Morgan State and Howard (both 1-2). Only the top four teams at the end of the regular season will advance to the MEAC tournament.

Some separation in the standings is possible this weekend, as Morgan State plays at Howard and Coppin State plays at Delaware State.

Conference Rankings
Hitting .271 as a team, NSU still leads the league in doubles (41), home runs (23) and walks (86). Junior Kylee Lopez is first in the MEAC in doubles (12) with senior Jaylene Pryor second with nine two-baggers. Lopez also ranks second in home runs (7), RBI (26) and total bases (66), and is top 6 in runs (21), hits (33) and slugging (.660).

Junior Hunter Halford ranks second in walks (14). In the circle, she stands seven in ERA (3.50), while freshman Skylar Swain is fifth (3.44). In addition, freshman Kayla Porter ranks second in opponent batting average (.237) among qualifying pitchers.

National Stats
NSU pitchers have hit just two batters all season, a stat that still ranks the Spartans No. 1 in the nation. As a team, they also rank in the top 100 in stolen bases per game (68^th, 1.34) home runs (81^st, 0.72) and doubles (92^nd, 1.28).

Lopez is now 12^th in doubles with 12 as well as 67^th in total bases (66), No. 123 in home runs per game (0.22) and No. 129 in slugging (.660). Halford, meanwhile, ranks 17^th in walks allowed per nine innings (0.85) and 57^th in strikeout-to-walk ratio (4.38).

Hawk Facts
A pair of players have had solid seasons for the Hawks, as Breana Florez (.357, 10 RBI) and Samantha Casarez (.348, 11 runs, 20 RBI) lead the way on offense. But as a team, MDES hits just .227. In more limited action, Daeshia Jones is hitting .300 with 10 runs and nine RBI. The Hawks also have seven players with at least 22 at bats hitting less than .210.

Nasya Goodman has pitched 75.1 innings and owns a 7.65 ERA and all three of the team's wins. She is part of a staff that carries an 11.02 team ERA into the weekend.

Dominating the Series
NSU has more wins against Maryland Eastern Shore than any other opponent over the years. The Spartans own a 61-11 edge all-time against the Hawks, although MDES did win two of three last year. Prior to that, the Spartans had won two of three in the series each season from 2013-16. They had won 13 in a row before 2013, although some of those wins were later vacated.

Up Next
NSU returns home to host Morgan State next weekend for three conference games. It will start a stretch in which the Spartans play 12 of their last 15 games of the regular season at home.