NORFOLK, Va. – With just two more weekend MEAC series to go, the Norfolk State softball team looks to start to wrap up the regular season with a weekend series against Delaware State at home this weekend at the NSU Softball Field.

A slight change in typical MEAC weekend scheduling has the Spartans and the Hornets playing a single game on Saturday, April 23 at 2 p.m. and a doubleheader on Sunday, April 24 starting at 12 noon. Prior to the doubleheader on Sunday, NSU will be recognizing six seniors as part of a Senior Day celebration for the Spartans.

Tuli Iosefa, Joana Vallejo, Alison Guckin, Gabby Vaughan, Lily Potter, and Jade Dixon will all be honored prior to the game.

NSU is coming off a MEAC series sweep of North Carolina Central last weekend. The first game of the series was broadcasted live on ESPNU as the Spartans picked up the 5-2 win. It marked the second-straight year that NSU has won a game on national television after it won with a walk-off grand slam by Vaughan a year ago.

The Hornets come into the weekend dropping two of their three games to Coppin State last weekend. They opened with a 5-4 win before dropping the final two games 13-3 and 6-5.

NSU vs. DSU On Deck

• For her stellar weekend against the Eagles, Kenna Higa was named the MEAC Rookie of the Week for the fourth time this season. She batted .500 for the weekend including a home run in game two of the NCCU series.
• Iosefa returned to the lineup against NCCU and crushed a pair of home runs in the series finale. For the season she is hitting .340 with six home runs, 34 RBI and has walked 15 times. For her career she has 26, just three shy of the record of 29 set by Kylee Lopez from 2016-2019.
• Vallejo returned full-time to the circle this season and currently owns a 6-3 record. She currently has 86 strikeouts, second best in the MEAC, while her two saves lead the conference. She has been named the MEAC Pitcher of the Week earlier this season (2/21)
• Guckin has made a name for herself in the NSU record books this season. Her 32 stolen bases this year is the most by a Spartan in the Division I era. She currently has 54 for her career which is 16^th best in program history.
• Vaughan is batting .274 this season along with 11 doubles, three home runs, and one triple.
• Potter is second on the team in stolen bases (13) while hitting a cool .294 on the year. Her four triples is atop the Spartans and ranks third in the MEAC.
• Dixon is not playing this season, but in 2021 led the Spartans in hit by pitch (15), sacrifice bunts (10), and played, and started, 38 games.
• As a team, the Spartans are hitting .294 while leading the MEAC in hits (338), doubles (70), walks (148). The 91 stolen bases this season is also atop the MEAC.               
• The Hornets are led offensively by Jaelyn Baker who is hitting .288 this year with 23 hits and a pair of home runs. She is the lone DSU player in double figure RBIs (11).
• Sydney Hoffman has the most innings pitched for the Hornets with 75.2 in 16 appearances. She has given up 58 runs this season, 37 earned, and leads this team in strikeouts with 22.
• DSU is 4-26 on the season and are 3-12 in the MEAC. They won the series over SC State 2-1 while their lone non-conference win came by a 6-5 victory over Elon.