HAMPTON, Va. – The Hampton University softball team will return to conference play this weekend, squaring off against Coppin State in a three-game series at the Lady Pirates Softball Stadium. Saturday's doubleheader will start at 12 p.m., and Sunday's game will also start at 12 p.m.

Hampton is 6-3 at home so far this season, and their final six regular-season games will all be home.

The Lady Pirates (25-22, 11-1 MEAC) have won 14 of their last 18 games after splitting a doubleheader with Campbell on Thursday. Hampton won the first game 4-3 in walkoff fashion, before falling 9-4 in the second game.

Coppin State (13-20, 6-6 MEAC) were swept in three games by Delaware State back on April 13-14.

Freshman Taylor McCoy (Riverview, Fla.), the reigning MEAC Rookie of the Week, leads the Lady Pirates with a .403 batting average. She also leads the team in hits (58), doubles (13), RBIs (33), slugging percentage (.604), and on-base percentage (.472).

McCoy is tied for second in the MEAC in hits, third in batting average, tied for third in doubles, and tied for fourth in RBIs. She has hit safely in six of her last seven games.

Junior Margaret Wilkins (Tustin, Calif.) is batting .352 and leads the team with 39 runs scored and six home runs. She is slugging .549 and has a .416 on-base percentage. Wilkins is third in the MEAC in runs scored and tied for fourth in hits.

In all, five Lady Pirates with at least 25 at-bats are hitting .300 or better. With a team batting average of .292, Hampton came into the week ranked fourth in the MEAC in hitting.

Freshman Diamond Ponds (Riverside, Calif.) has stolen 18 bases in 24 attempts this season, ranking fifth in the MEAC.

Sophomore Jailynn Jackson (Virginia Beach, Va.) is 19-9 on the mound so far this season, with a 2.97 ERA – second-lowest in the MEAC. She leads the MEAC with 177 strikeouts in 179.1 innings pitched. She has recorded double-digit strikeouts three times this season.

The Lady Pirates are 61-14 all-time against Coppin State, despite the Lady Eagles sweeping the three-game series last season. Overall, Coppin State has won six in a row against Hampton and eight of the last nine meetings.

For more information on Hampton University softball, please call the Office of Sports Information at (757) 727-5811, or visit the official Pirates website at www.hamptonpirates.com.