NORFOLK, Va. – With just one week left in conference play, Norfolk State softball can secure a spot in the MEAC Tournament when the Spartans travel to Delaware State this weekend. NSU needs to win twice during the four-game series to all but secure a tournament bid.
 
The series will be played at The Hornets Nest on Delaware State's campus this Friday and Saturday, with doubleheaders starting at 1 p.m. both days. The games were moved up from their original Saturday-Sunday schedule due to the threat of inclement weather. Live stats will be available for all four games.
 
It will mark the second-to-last series of the regular season for NSU, which also plays a four-game, non-conference series at Radford in early May. Norfolk State currently sits in second place in the MEAC Northern Division, just ahead of the Hornets. Only the top two teams from each division this year will advance to the tournament.
 
Standings Round-Up
The Spartans own a 16-13 overall record and a 9-6 MEAC mark. They sit a game ahead of DSU (8-7 MEAC, 10-17 overall) for that coveted second spot in the standings. Morgan State leads the division at 11-4. Howard is not far behind at 7-8, with Coppin State owning a 4-7 record.
 
HU and MSU both have series with Coppin State to close out their MEAC schedule, with Howard's series beginning next Monday.
 
Two wins for Norfolk State over DSU would keep the Spartans ahead in the standings, while just one win would drop NSU to third and out of the tournament. If the Spartans win twice, Howard could still force a tie for second by sweeping all four games against CSU. The Spartans would own the tiebreaker in that scenario, however.
 
If Morgan State dropped all four games at Coppin State on May 1-2 to finish in a three-way tie with NSU and Howard at 11-8, the Spartans would lose out on the tiebreaker in that scenario and fail to advance to the tournament.
 
This year's MEAC Tournament will be hosted by Norfolk State on May 13-15 at the NSU Softball Field.
 
National Stats Update
The Spartans are now up to 13^th in the nation in stolen bases per game (2.14). They also rank in the top 75 in ERA (50^th, 2.47) and scoring (71^st, 5.17 runs per game).
 
Several Spartan pitchers still rank among the nation's best:
- Alexis Robinson: 6^th in fewest walks allowed per seven innings (0.61), 10^th in strikeout-to-walk ratio (8.50), 111^th in ERA (1.98)
- Kirsten Greene: 16^th in fewest hits allowed per seven innings (3.61), 28^th in ERA (1.20)
- Cam Andersen: 109^th in fewest hits allowed per seven innings (5.31)
 
In addition, Jade Dixon ranks eighth in sacrifice bunts per game (0.31) and 13^th in hit-by-pitch per game (0.41). Jazzmaine Hammond (21 stolen bases, 26^th) and Imani Moore (0.55 stolen bases per game, 53^rd) are also ranked this week.
 
MEAC Stats Update
The MEAC leaderboard features several Spartans at the very top:
- Iosefa: RBI (26)
- Hammond: stolen bases (21)
- Dixon: runs (19), hit by pitch (12), sac bunts (9)
- Greene: ERA (1.20), opponent batting average (.146), saves (2)
 
Three of the top 4 in the MEAC in RBI, steals and ERA are Spartans. In addition to the above leaders, that includes:
- Gabby Vaughan and Brooke Bond (20 each) in RBI
- Moore (12) and Alison Guckin (10) in stolen bases
- Robinson (1.98) and Andersen (2.78) in ERA
 
Regular Season Closeout
NSU completes its regular season on May 4-5 at Radford in a four-game series postponed from mid-March.