Elon, N.C. – The Hampton University softball team is set to open its 2017 season this weekend with a three-game series on the road at Elon University at Hunt Softball Park.
Schedule of Games: Hampton will face Elon on Friday at 4 p.m. The Lady Pirates will then play a doubleheader on Saturday at 12 and 2 p.m.
Live Stats: Game 1,
Game 2 and
Game 3
Coach Angie Nicholson: Angela Nicholson is entering her first year as head coach of the Lady Pirates, after spending her last three years at Eastern Illinois. Prior to that, she spent seven years as the head coach of Cleveland State, her alma mater.
Richard Nicholson and
Jackie Sernek are entering their first season as assistant coaches with the program.
Lady Pirates Picked to Finish Third: The Lady Pirates were picked to finished third 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 11 letterwinners, went 20-28 overall last season and 11-7 in conference play.
Babinsack is Back: After getting injured early last season and playing just 10 game,
Allyson Babinsack sat out the rest of the season and didn't play during the MEAC campaign. During the 2015 season, she was an All-MEAC performer and finished that season with an ERA of 3.26 with 15 wins. She struck out 115 batters, and she also finished that season with the third-best batting average at .304.
Kollas top Returner: Sophomore catcher
Sarah Kollas is the top returner for the Lady Pirates. She finished the 2016 season batting .313 with 20 hits and 10 RBIs for the Lady Pirates.
Newcomers: Three freshmen have joined the Lady Pirates this season: outfielders
Brianna Anderson,
Maya Hinton and
Cassidy Blackwell. Also joining Hampton this season is outfielder
Alana Vandenburg, a transfer from Louisburg College.
For more information on Hampton University softball, please call the Office of Sports Information at 757-727-5757, or visit the official Pirates website at
www.hamptonpirates.com.
