HAMPTON, Va. – The Hampton University softball team will open conference play this weekend with a three-game set against Morgan State, beginning with a doubleheader on Saturday at 11 a.m. and the finale at 12 p.m. on Sunday.
 
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Last Time Out: The Lady Pirates (7-14) split a doubleheader with UMBC on Wednesday, including a 7-1 win in the second game that snapped a six-game losing streak. Freshman Allie Hotetz struck out five and hit a grand slam in the second game.
 
The Opponent: The Lady Pirates are 68-28 all-time against Morgan State, including a split of last year's meetings. Overall, Hampton has won nine of the last 11 meetings between the two teams.
 
Coach DiPietro: Joe DiPietro is in his second season as head coach of the Lady Pirates, after a five-year tenure as the head coach at Temple. Kendra Knight is entering her fourth season as an assistant coach with the program.
 
Lady Pirates Picked to Finish Second: The Lady Pirates were picked to finish second in the MEAC Northern Division this season, in a preseason poll voted on by the conference's head coaches and sports information directors. Hampton, which returns eight letterwinners from last year's team, went 22-26 overall last season and 11-6 in conference play.
 
Grassini With a Good First Impression: Fifteen games into her college career, freshman Ashley Grassini already has two home runs; she hit them both in Hampton's season-opening tournament at Gardner-Webb. For the weekend, went 4-for-11 (.364) at the plate, driving in four runs. Three of those RBIs came in the Lady Pirates' season-opening 6-1 win over Hartford. She and Hotetz are tied for the team lead in homers.
 
McCoy a Force: Senior infielder Taylor McCoy was a Second Team All-MEAC selection in 2015, after leading the team with a .376 batting average and three triples. Her 10 doubles were second-most on the team, and McCoy drove in 36 runs. Her .511 slugging percentage was the team's best, and she had a .468 on-base percentage. Her .991 fielding percentage was also best on the team.
 
Fields Brings the Pop: Sophomore infielder Jada Fields led the Lady Pirates with six home runs last season, while also ranking third with seven doubles. In addition, she drove in 22 runs and scored 22 times on the season. Her .504 slugging percentage was the second highest on the team. She is fourth on the team in batting so far this season at .283.
 
Ponds a Speedster: Senior outfielder Diamond Ponds is a terror on the basepaths, having led the Lady Pirates with 14 stolen bases last season. It was her second straight season with 14 steals, and Ponds has 50 career stolen bases heading into the season.
 
Budden Looking to Bounce Back: After being named First Team All-MEAC as a freshman in 2014, junior infielder Danielle Budden hit .230 with 12 RBIs last season. Budden, who last season was a Preseason First Team All-MEAC selection, had three doubles and two home runs last season. She had two doubles this past Sunday against Manhattan. So far this season, Budden has seven walks and a team-high three stolen bases.
 
Newcomers: Seven freshmen have joined the Lady Pirates this season, including Hotetz and catchers Grassini and Sarah Kollas. Also joining Hampton this season: infielder Morgan Crawford, outfielder Hope Sobolewski, infielder Daniella Milloy, and outfielder Kial Watts. Transfers MacKenzie Wise (Dominican College) and Quierra Bradford (Pensacola State College) also join the Lady Pirates this 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.