WINTER HAVEN, Fla. – The Hampton University softball team will head to Florida this week for the Rebel Games, where the Lady Pirates will play eight games overall from Tuesday through Saturday.
 
Schedule of Hampton's Games: Hampton vs. Creighton, Tuesday at 11:15 a.m.; Hampton vs. South Dakota State, Tuesday at 1:30 p.m.; Hampton vs. Sacred Heart, Wednesday at 1:30 p.m.; Hampton vs. Creighton, Wednesday at 3:45 p.m.; Hampton vs. South Dakota State, Friday at 9 a.m.; Hampton vs. Drexel, Friday at 11:15 a.m.; Hampton vs. Drexel, Saturday at 9 a.m.; Hampton vs. Holy Cross, Saturday at 11:15 a.m.
 
Last Time Out: The Lady Pirates (4-7) went 0-3 in the Hampton Invitational this past Saturday and Sunday, suffering a pair of losses to Manhattan (12-4 and 10-7) before falling 10-5 to Drexel.
 
The Opponents: The Lady Pirates are 0-1 against Creighton and 2-3 against Drexel. Hampton has never faced Holy Cross, Sacred Heart, or South Dakota State.
 
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.
 
Babinsack Named First Team: Sophomore Allyson Babinsack was named Preseason First Team All-MEAC, as the preseason all-conference teams were voted on by the league's head coaches and sports information directors. Babinsack was a First Team All-MEAC selection last season, and the Virginia Sports Information Directors (VaSID) named her Second Team All-State.
 
Babinsack All-Around: Not only did Babinsack win 15 games in the circle and strike out 115 batters as a freshman, she was also third on the team with a .304 batting average. Her four home runs were second on the team, and Babinsack had a team-high 11 doubles and 37 RBIs. Her .471 slugging percentage was third on the team. She is already 3-1 in the circle this season, striking out 22 batters in 30.1 innings pitched, despite an injury she suffered this past weekend.
 
Grassini With a Good First Impression: Ten 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.
 
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. So far this season, McCoy is second on the team in hitting with a .343 average.
 
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 leads the team in hitting so far this season with a .370 batting average.
 
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.
 
Newcomers: Seven freshmen have joined the Lady Pirates this season, including pitcher Allie 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.