HAMPTON, Va. – The Hampton University softball team will close out the regular season this weekend with a three-game set against rival Norfolk State at the Lady Pirates Softball Stadium. The two teams will play on Saturday at 2 p.m., before starting a doubleheader on Sunday at 12 p.m.

Saturday's game will be televised live on ESPNU. Sunday will be Senior Day.

The winner of this weekend's series will claim the MEAC Northern Division's regular-season title and No. 1 seed for the MEAC Championships, which will be held May 9-11 in Ormond Beach, Fla.

Hampton last won the MEAC North in 2008.

The Lady Pirates (28-22, 14-1 MEAC) have won 17 of their last 21 games – including 10 in a row against conference foes – after a three-game sweep over Coppin State this past weekend. Hampton is tied for first place in the MEAC North with Norfolk State heading into this weekend's series.

Norfolk State (25-18, 14-1 MEAC) have won 10 straight games after sweeping a non-conference doubleheader against George Mason on April 24. The Spartans have won six straight games over conference foes.

The Spartans are hitting .333 as a team, led by sophomore Haley Ward's .527 batting average. In all, eight Norfolk State players are batting .300 or better, with senior Chelsea Davis (.383), freshman Whitney Williams (.372), and sophomore Alina Moriarty (.370) all hitting at least .370.

As a team, Norfolk State has a 3.78 ERA, and the Spartans are led by junior lefthander Jamie Schulle – who is 15-10 this season with a 3.30 ERA and 102 strikeouts in 142.1 innings. She has thrown 10 complete games so far this season.

Freshman Taylor McCoy (Riverview, Fla.) is a three-time MEAC Rookie of the Week, and she is the team's top hitter with a .391 batting average – recording 61 hits in 156 at-bats. She is tied for the conference lead in doubles with 15, fourth in RBIs with 35, fourth in total bases with 92, and fifth in the MEAC in batting.

Junior Margaret Wilkins (Tustin, Calif.) is second on the team in hitting with a .347 batting average – recording 60 hits in 173 at-bats. She has driven in 30 runs and scored 44 runs so far this season, and she leads the MEAC in runs scored. Wilkins is also third in the MEAC in hits and total bases with 92.

Freshman Diamond Ponds (Riverside, Calif.) currently ranks fifth in the MEAC in stolen bases. She has swiped 20 bags in 26 attempts this season.

Sophomore Jailynn Jackson (Virginia Beach, Va.) leads the MEAC in strikeouts with 206 in 200.1 innings pitched so far this season, coming off a three-game series against Coppin State in which she struck out 29 batters in a combined 21 innings of work. Jackson, who is 22-9 on the season, is also second in the MEAC with a 2.66 ERA.

She has recorded at least five strikeouts in 25 of her 37 appearances this season, and Jackson is 40 strikeouts shy of the program's all-time single-season record of 246, set by Tara Midgett in 1995.

Hampton is 58-34-1 against Norfolk State, despite the Spartans taking two out of three games in Norfolk, Va. last season. Overall, Norfolk State has won six of the last nine meetings between the two teams, dating back to the 2010 season.

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.