NORFOLK, Va. – Norfolk State softball will have one final tune-up this week before the MEAC Tournament when the Spartans travel to Radford for a four-game series. The two teams will play doubleheaders at the Radford Softball Stadium this Tuesday and Wednesday.
 
The games will mark the last of the regular season for NSU leading into the MEAC Tournament next week. The Spartans have not played since April 23-24, when they locked up their spot in the tournament by taking three of four at Delaware State to finish conference play.
 
The series at Radford was originally scheduled for mid-March but was postponed to this week. Tuesday's doubleheader begins at 2 p.m., and Wednesday's twinbill starts at 12 p.m. Live stats will be available for all four games. Wednesday's games can be seen live on ESPN+ (Game 1, Game 2) and the ESPN App.
 
Team Updates
The Spartans are looking to finish with a winning record for the second time in three years, as they sit 19-14 overall this year. They lead the MEAC with a 2.33 ERA, a mark that would break the school's Division I record of 2.67 set in 2019. The top three pitchers in the conference this year in terms of ERA all wear the Green and Gold: Kirsten Greene (1.16), Alexis Robinson (1.91) and Cam Andersen (2.52). Only one other pitcher in the league is below 3.00.
 
Tuli Iosefa leads the MEAC with 32 RBI and is second in home runs (6) and slugging (.622). Jazzmaine Hammond (25) and Imani Moore (15) are the top 2 in the league in stolen bases as well. The Spartans are hitting .276 as a team with a league-best 20 home runs and 170 runs scored. Five players in the regular lineup are hitting .300 or better.
 
On a national level, NSU is now 12^th in the nation in stolen bases per game (2.21) as well as 39^th in ERA (2.33). The Spartans also rank in the top 100 in scoring (72^nd, 5.15 runs) and on-base percentage (100^th, .363). Hammond now ranks 2^nd in the nation in stolen bases per game (1.00). Robinson is 7^th in fewest walks per seven innings (0.64) and 17^th in strikeout to walk ratio (7.20). Greene sits 14^th in fewest hits per seven innings (3.64) and 20^th in ERA (1.16).
 
Radford currently owns a 16-29 overall record after falling in three games this weekend in a Big South series at Campbell. The Highlanders are hitting .261 as a team, led by Sydney Fisher with a .383 average, and Riley Oakes at .316. Four players have at least 20 RBI this year. Opponents, however, have hit 31 home runs in 45 games. Oakes also has a team-leading 3.60 ERA for a Radford team that owns a 4.55 ERA on the year.
 
MEAC Tournament Standing
NSU ended its season with a 12-7 MEAC record, good for second in the Northern Division behind division champ Morgan State (14-5). The Spartans finished two games ahead of third-place Howard (10-9), a key stat as only the top two teams in each division will advance to the tournament.
 
In the South, North Carolina A&T won the division at 10-6. North Carolina Central finished second with a 9-7 conference record. This year's tournament will be hosted by Norfolk State on May 13-15 at the NSU Softball Field. Official seedings and information about tickets, COVID protocols, game times, and more will be announced next week.
 
Winning Marks
Norfolk State also finished with a winning record in 2019 at 25-20. Should this year's team do the same, it would mark just the second time the Spartans have done so in the last eight years and the fifth time ever in the D-I era. This year also marks the eighth time in the last nine years of conference play the Spartans have finished with a winning record in MEAC games.
 
Series History
Radford won twice early this year at the NSU Softball Field, 4-0 and 5-3. The Highlanders are now 18-1 all-time against NSU, with the only win by the Spartans coming in 2019 when they shut out Radford, 1-0, on the road. The Highlanders have won four in a row in the series since that lone loss.