HAMPTON, Va. – The Hampton University softball team will return to action on Thursday with a trip to Farmville, Va. to play a doubleheader against Longwood, before the Lady Pirates return home on Saturday and Sunday to resume conference play.
 
Thursday's doubleheader will be at 4 and 6 p.m.
 
On Saturday, Howard will visit the Lady Pirates Softball Stadium for a conference doubleheader at 1 and 3 p.m. Sunday's finale of the three-game set will be at 12 p.m.
 
The Lady Pirates (13-14, 4-2 MEAC) are in second place in the MEAC Northern Division after dropping two games in a three-game set at Delaware State on March 31 and April 1. Hampton won the second game of a doubleheader 4-2 on April 1, thanks to three hits from junior Margaret Wilkins (Tustin, Calif.) and two RBIs from freshman Danielle Budden (Jackson, N.J.).
 
Junior Jailynn Jackson (Virginia Beach, Va.) picked up her ninth win of the season in the pitcher's circle after scattering five hits in seven innings, striking out four batters.
 
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.
 
Jackson, 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.
 
Jackson also threw 25 complete games last season.
 
The Lady Pirates return seven letterwinners and five starters (as well as two pitchers) from last season's squad, including Wilkins, 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.
 
Sophomore Taylor McCoy (Riverview, Fla.) was the Most Outstanding Player of last season's MEAC Tournament, and she earned VaSID Second Team All-State honors after hitting a team-best .398. She also led the Lady Pirates in hits, doubles, RBIs, total bases, slugging percentage, on-base percentage, and fielding percentage.
 
McCoy was second in the MEAC in hits, doubles, and total bases last season, while ranking third in the conference in batting average and tying for fourth in RBIs. She was also fifth in the MEAC in on-base percentage.
 
Burruel was a Second Team All-MEAC selection last season, after hitting .285 for the season, recording a .350 on-base percentage, and going 3-for-4 in stolen bases. She also had a .925 fielding percentage, committing just 11 errors on the season.
 
Sophomore Diamond Ponds (Riverside, Calif.) was tied for fifth in the MEAC last season with 22 stolen bases.
 
Hampton is 1-14 all-time against Longwood, and the two teams last met on March 27, 2012, when Longwood took both games of a doubleheader.
 
Hampton's lone win over Longwood came in 1997, a 3-1 victory.
 
The Lady Pirates are 38-14 all-time against Howard, and Hampton has won the last seven meetings between the two teams. The Lady Bison last defeated Hampton in the 2011 season, though the Lady Pirates still took two of three games in that series.
 
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.