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CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. The Virginia softball team (24-14, 2-9 ACC) will play host to Norfolk State and Hampton this week at The Park. The Cavaliers and Spartans begin the week with a 5 p.m. doubleheader on Tuesday before the Pirates come to town for a 5 p.m. contest on Wednesday. Live stats for both games will be available on VirginiaSports.com.
The Cavaliers are coming off two losses at 14th-ranked North Carolina over the weekend. Through 38 games, Sarah Tacke and Nicole Koren continue to pace the Virginia offense, as both are batting .374. Tacke’s 37 hits and 34 RBI also lead the team while Koren’s 12 home runs are one shy of tying the single-season record.
Four different pitchers have worked their way into the lineup this season and senior Karla Wilburn will be looking for win No. 18 this week. Freshman Stephanie Coates’ 2.26 ERA leads the Virginia pitchers while Wilburn has the second-lowest ERA at 2.71. Wilburn also leads the pitchers with 89 strikeouts in 132.2 innings of work.
Norfolk State is 15-20 on the season and swept conference foe South Carolina State over the weekend.
Junior shortstop Jamie Raab was recently named the MEAC Player of the Week on Monday after hitting .636 last week. She hit .500 or better in all three games and finished 7-of-11 in the home stand with three runs and two RBI.
On the season, Raab leads the Spartans with a .311 batting average while Rebecca Barnes is hitting .306 with a team-best 23 RBI and six home runs. Pitcher Alyssa Valazquez is 12-10 on the year with a 2.01 ERA and 16 complete games, including seven shutouts.
Virginia leads the all-time series with Norfolk State, 2-0, but the two teams have not met since the 1987 season, when the Cavaliers won both games of a doubleheader in Charlottesville.
Hampton, meanwhile, is 17-16 on the year and also swept conference opponent Howard at home over the weekend, taking the three-game series.
Kelsi Saunders is hitting .394 on the year with a team-best 37 hits, 26 RIB and nine home runs. Teammate Evelyn Garcia hits .348 with a team-best 24 runs scored in addition to 32 hits and 13 RBI. Amanda Black paces the pitching staff with a 2.23 ERA to go along with 13-9 record on the year.
It will be the first meeting between Hampton and Virginia.