NORFOLK, Va. – Four straight days of home softball action awaits Norfolk State, as the Spartans will host games from Thursday through Sunday this week at the NSU Softball Field.
 
NSU will host games on Friday, Saturday and Sunday as part of the Pirate Classic run by Hampton. In addition, the Spartans will play Radford for a doubleheader beginning on Thursday at 12 p.m. Those two games are not part of the tournament, although the Highlanders will stay in town to compete in the Pirate Classic.
 
Altogether, six teams will play a total of 10 games at the NSU Softball Field between Friday and Sunday, five of those games involving the Spartans. Action gets underway at 2 p.m. on Friday and 10 a.m. the next two days. In addition to Radford and NSU, Toledo, Sacred Heart, Hartford, and Youngstown State will also make appearances.
 
Live stats will be available for every game of the tournament at NSU. In addition, live video for each game at NSU is available through the department's video streaming link.
 
This will mark the first of three straight weekends NSU will host games as part of the Pirate Classic.
 
Below is the complete schedule of games at both NSU and Hampton:
At NSU
Friday
2 p.m.           Toledo vs. Radford
4 p.m.           Sacred Heart vs. Radford
Saturday
10 a.m.           Hartford vs. Radford
12 p.m.           Youngstown State vs. Radford
2 p.m.             Norfolk State vs. Hartford
4 p.m.             Norfolk State vs. Youngstown State
Sunday
9 a.m.           Norfolk State vs. Sacred Heart
11 a.m.            Youngstown State vs. Sacred Heart
1 p.m.              Norfolk State vs. Youngstown State
 
At Hampton
Friday
12 p.m.           Youngstown State vs Hartford
2 p.m.             Hampton vs. Youngstown State
Saturday
10 a.m.           Sacred Heart vs. Toledo
12 p.m.           Hampton vs. Toledo
2 p.m.             Hampton vs. Sacred Heart
Sunday
10 a.m.           Hampton vs. Hartford
12 p.m.           Hampton vs. Hartford

NSU enters Thursday's games having more than a week off since its opening weekend on Feb. 8 and 9. The Spartans went 2-1 with wins over Robert Morris and South Carolina State. Junior Jazzmaine Hammond was named the MEAC Player of the Week after batting 3-for-7 with three runs, three walks and three stolen bases. Sophomore Lily Potter was the MEAC Pitcher of the Week after allowing three runs, one earned, and five hits in 7.2 innings.
 
Of the six teams competing in the upcoming Pirate Classic, Radford is the only one that will not have enjoyed a week off. The Highlanders posted a 3-1 record in its season-opening weekend last Friday through Sunday at Elon. Included in there were shutout wins over Morgan State (10-0) and Siena (1-0).
 
Youngstown State owns a 3-2 record this year, which includes two victories over Maryland Eastern Shore by a combined 22-4 margin. The Penguins also defeated Canisius during its five games at Gardner-Webb from Feb. 7-9 before taking last weekend off.
 
Toledo also competed in the opening weekend of the NCAA softball season before taking last weekend off. And like YSU, Toledo also owns a 3-2 record. The Rockets defeated Creighton and host Incarnate Word down in San Antonio.
 
Hartford went 1-3 that same weekend of Feb. 7-8 down in Georgia, getting its lone win of the season against Army while also coming up just short against Rutgers, 3-2. The sixth team in the tournament this weekend, Sacred Heart, has not played yet this year.
 
NSU will welcome Fairleigh Dickinson, Morehead State, Marshall, Howard and Delaware State for the second Pirate Classic weekend from Feb. 28-March 1.