NORFOLK, Va. – The Norfolk State softball team, which recently completed a six-game win streak, will look to keep momentum going when it dives into MEAC play this weekend. The Spartans will hit the road to take on Morgan State for a three-game series.
 
The two teams will play their first conference games of the year on Saturday with a doubleheader at 1 p.m. at Lois T. Murray Field in Baltimore. They finish out the series on Sunday at noon.
 
NSU enters MEAC play 12-11 overall, having won six in a row after a defeat of Radford in the first game on Wednesday, 1-0. The Highlanders took game 2 by an 8-3 score in a non-conference doubleheader at the Radford Softball Stadium. The Spartans had been 0-14 all-time against Radford before the game 1 victory.
 
With 12 wins before MEAC play, NSU has the most non-conference wins in a season since tallying 16 in 2009. The Spartans still have doubleheaders at UMBC and Hampton to pad their total for the season.
 
Morgan State carries a 6-15 record into the weekend, which includes four wins over South Carolina State as well as victories over Hofstra and Iona at the Spartan/Pirate Classic at NSU two weekends ago.
 
The Bears hit .239 as a team, while opponents carry a .352 batting average. Haylee Bobos leads the way at .400 even with 12 RBI, while preseason player of the year Damali Young has scored 17 runs with eight RBI while hitting .302. Mikaela Browdy (.276, eight RBI) and Evelyn Buehlman (.260, 13 RBI) also help carry the offense.
 
Mikayla Barnard has pitched 38.1 innings and owns a 2-4 record with a 5.11 ERA. Erica Hawkins has pitched in 10 games in relief with a 5.51 ERA in 20.1 innings. Stephanie Rundlett, All-MEAC a year ago, has slumped to a 7.54 ERA and a 4-9 record in 47.1 innings of work.
 
A Few Rankings
The Spartans lead the conference in runs per game at 4.57 as well as ERA at 3.39. They rank 12^th in the nation in stolen bases per game at 2.30, another mark that leads the MEAC. Norfolk State also ranks No. 1 in home runs per game (0.52), slugging percentage (.388) and strikeout-to-walk ratio (2.11).
 
Norfolk State stands 80^th in the nation in strikeout-to-walk ratio as well as 84^th in doubles per game (1.35).
 
Sophomore Jazzmaine Hammond ranks 14^th in stolen bases per game at 0.71, while junior Shelby DesChamps averages 0.48 per game for 75^th in the nation. DesChamps is also 73^rd in runs per game at 0.96 and No. 128 in batting average at .403. She leads the MEAC in hits with 31.
 
Home Run Leader
Last Friday, senior Kylee Lopez set the school's career home run record with her 23^rd career four-bagger. She and sophomore Tuli Iosefa are each hitting .310 in exactly 71 at bats and exactly 18 RBI. Iosefa has five homers to two for Lopez. Iosefa is slugging .606 thanks to six doubles as well.
 
Series History
NSU leads the all-time series with Morgan State 29-17. The Bears have won six in a row, however, after sweeping the three game series in both 2017 and '18. NSU had won 14 of the previous 15 meetings before that.
 
Up Next
The Spartans will host Maryland Eastern Shore on March 30-31 at the NSU Softball Field, the first of three MEAC weekends this year NSU will be at home.