NORFOLK, Va. – The Norfolk State softball team is coming off a week going 5-0 including a series sweep of Coppin State. This weekend the Spartans remain on the road as they travel to Orangeburg, South Carolina for three MEAC games against the Bulldogs of South Carolina State. The two teams will start with a doubleheader on Saturday, April 9. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m.

Last week NSU started off with a doubleheader win over Virginia State, 5-4 and 3-1. The Spartans followed up by scoring 21 runs in a three-game season sweep of Coppin State. They started off with a 7-3 win and finished the opening doubleheader with a 7-0 shutout. In the series finale, NSU came away with a 7-6 win.

The Bulldogs were swept last weekend by Maryland Eastern Shore. SCSU dropped the opener 15-3 and the second game 7-1. In the final game, UMES left the Palmetto State with a 13-0 win.

NSU vs. SCSU On Deck

• Imani Moore leads the Spartans this season with a .384 batting average. It was helped by a .563 performance last week. Moore finished the week with nine hits with a pair of doubles and a triple. She slugged .813 on the week. She has been named the MEAC Player of the Week earlier this season.
• Kenna Higa continues a strong first season for the Spartans. She is hitting .359 for the season with a team leading four home runs. Last week she hit .300 with three hits. Her .480 on base percentage leads the MEAC. She has been both the MEAC Rookie and Player of the Week on different occasions this season.
• Alison Guckin ranks first in the MEAC and 11^th in Division I with 24 stolen bases this season. Her .71 steals per game also ranks atop the MEAC and is 12^th in the NCAA.
• Three Spartans rank third, fourth, and fifth, respectively, in getting hit by a pitch in the conference. Higa ranks third (0.26), Lily Potter ranks fourth (0.24) , and Yrral Davis ranks fifth (0.21) in the MEAC.
• Joana Vallejo (2), Alexis Robinson (1), and Maison Myers (1) have the Spartans with the most saves in the conference (4).
• As a team, NSU leads the MEAC in doubles hit with 55. Higa, Potter, and Gabby Vaughan have all hit eight doubles to lead the team.
• The 21-15 record by the Spartans is an identical record so the 2019 through the first 36 games of the season. NSU is the only team in the MEAC to have won 20 games this season and only Morgan State (15-12) have an above .500 record.
• DeAsia Lowther leads the Bulldogs with a .314 batting average. She has 16 hits on the season with two doubles. Both Lowther and Kyla Reeves have hit three home runs this season.
• Lowther is a double threat as she leads the team going 2-8 from the circle. She has a 7.33 ERA to lead SCSU.
• The three Bulldogs wins this season have come against Florida A&M (5-3), North Carolina Central (11-6), and Delaware State (2-0).  
• The Bulldogs ranked seventh in the MEAC in team batting average (.209) and eighth in team ERA (9.25).