BALTIMORE, Md. – The Hampton University softball team will hit the road Saturday and Sunday, resuming conference play with a three-game set against Coppin State. Saturday's doubleheader will start at 1 p.m., and Sunday's game will be at 12 p.m.
 
The Lady Pirates (21-18, 9-3 MEAC) have won six straight games and eight of their last 10.
 
Hampton is coming off a doubleheader sweep of North Carolina A&T this past Tuesday, closing out a 10-game homestand with victories of 1-0 and 3-2. The Lady Pirates are currently tied for second in the MEAC Northern Division standings with Delaware State.
 
Coppin State (10-21, 5-6 MEAC) has lost seven of its last eight games, though a 3-2 extra-inning win over Bucknell on April 18 snapped a six-game losing streak. Coppin State is currently fourth in the MEAC North, holding the division's final qualifying spot for the MEAC Tournament.
 
The Lady Pirates are in their first season under interim head coach Michael Pelegrino, who was an assistant coach last season as Hampton won 34 games, taking the MEAC Northern Division regular-season title and winning its first MEAC Tournament crown since 1996.
 
Hampton was picked to finish second in the MEAC Northern Division this season.
 
Junior Jailynn Jackson (Virginia Beach, Va.), the MEAC Preseason Pitcher of the Year, was a large part of last season's success, earning MEAC Pitcher of the Year honors after winning 26 games for the Lady Pirates and striking out a MEAC-best (and school-record) 255 batters in 252.0 innings pitched.
 
She was also an NFCA Second Team All-Region selection and a Virginia Sports Information Directors (VaSID) Second Team All-State honoree. Jackson led the MEAC in wins, ERA (2.64), and strikeouts last season, while setting school records in innings pitched, appearances, and starts.
 
So far this season, Jackson is 14-10 with a 2.61 ERA and 107 strikeouts.
 
The Lady Pirates return seven letterwinners and five starters (as well as two pitchers) from last season's squad, including junior Margaret Wilkins (Tustin, Calif.), who was named First Team All-MEAC last season after hitting .343 with six home runs and 32 RBIs.
 
She tied for second in the MEAC with 49 runs scored last season, and Wilkins was also third in the conference in hits, fifth in total bases, seventh in doubles, and tied for eighth in the home runs.
 
So far this season, Wilkins leads the team with a .392 batting average, and she is tied for second on the team with 24 RBIs. Freshman Danielle Budden (Jackson, N.J.) is second on the team with a .347 batting average, and she leads the team with five home runs and 25 RBIs.
 
Hampton is 64-14 all-time against Coppin State, including a three-game sweep of the Lady Eagles in Hampton, Va. last season. Prior to last season, Coppin State had won six in a row and eight out of nine over the Lady Pirates.
 
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.