Championship Bracket 

ORMOND BEACH, Fla. – The Hampton University softball team will take on North Carolina Central on Thursday at 10 a.m. on the opening day of the 2017 MEAC Softball Championships, which will be held at the Ormond Beach Sports Complex.

The Lady Pirates (22-20, 17-1 MEAC) are the Northern Division's No. 1 seed in the double-elimination tournament. North Carolina Central (11-28, 6-8 MEAC) is the Southern Division's No. 4 seed. If the Lady Pirates win, they advance to the next round (Thursday, 7 p.m.); a loss will send Hampton to the consolation bracket at a 4:30 p.m. contest that same day.
 
Florida A&M is the top seed from the Southern Division.
 
After winning its last three regular-season games at Morgan State, Hampton comes into the tournament having won its last nine games – including three-game sweeps of Morgan State, Norfolk State and Coppin State.
 
Five Lady Pirates are hitting at least .300 – led by freshman Taylor Warrick's .359 and team-high 42 hits. Junior Jada Fields, who is batting .321, leads the team in home runs (five) and is tops on the team in doubles with (nine), and her 35 hits are second on the team behind Warrick.
 
Thanks in large part to a seven-game hitting streak to close out the regular season, freshman Cassidy Blackwell is third on the team in batting with a .310 average. Freshman Brianna Anderson is second on the team in stolen bases, going 16-for-20 this season, and senior Danielle Budden has stolen 14 bases in 17 attempts. Warrick is top on the team with 20 stolen in 22 attempts.
 
Junior Allyson Babinsack has 12 wins in the circle this season, striking out 88 batters in 174.1 innings pitched and an ERA of just 2.65. Sophomore Allie Hotetz has Hampton's other 10 wins in the circle, striking out 46 batters in 100.2 innings pitched.
 
Hampton is 18-2 all-time against North Carolina Central.
 
The championship game will be held on Saturday at 1 p.m.; if the team emerging from the consolation bracket wins that game, the two teams will then play another game to determine the champion.
 
To learn more about the 2017 MEAC Softball Championships, visit www.MEACsports.com.
 
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.