Hampton Softball Returns to Lady Pirates Softball Stadium

HAMPTON, Va. (Feb. 29, 2024) … Hampton University's softball team is back in action on its home field in the HU/NSU Classic. With inclement weather predicted for Saturday, the Lady Pirates will now begin the tournament against Fairleigh Dickinson at 10:30 a.m. Hampton closes out Friday versus Marist which made the NCAA Tournament last season. Coach Monique White's squad begins Sunday against Central Connecticut State at 10:30 a.m. HU ends its second home non-conference tournament versus Patriot League foe Holy Cross. Fans can view the full schedule of the HU/NSU Classic in the link below.

Tournament Page

A Look at the Lady Pirates

While Hampton has the seventh-best (4.05) ERA in the CAA, HU sits first in the league for shutouts. The Lady Pirates' two shutouts this season have come from freshman Taryn Bennett and Branch Angelina. Bennett has made five appearances for HU and leads the team in ERA with a 2.52. Aitirhna Aiken's sophomore campaign is off to a strong start. The Alexandria, Va. native, has started 10 games for Hampton. Aiken currently has the highest batting average on the team with a .364. She is one of two Lady Pirates to have a batting average over .300. Emily Kepple continues to be a defensive force behind the plate for HU. Through the first three weeks of the 2023-24 campaign, Kepple had caught the most runners in the nation stealing (7).

A Look at the Knights

Fairleigh Dickinson enters this weekend's slate of games with a 4-4 overall record. After starting the season 1-3, the Knights have now won three straight. In its last time out FSU defeated CAA foe Hofstra, 1-0. The Knights Brookly Shroyer picked up her fourth win of the season. The shutout against the Pride was the freshman's first of her collegiate career. Senior Abbey Hoesman is off to a great start with a .450 batting average. Hoesman ranks 13th in the country for doubles per game averaging 0.57.

A Look at the Red Foxes

Marist enters the HU/NSU Classic with an overall record of 6-4. Last weekend, the Red Foxes went 4-1 at the Gardner-Webb Tournament. After dropping its opening contest to Lindenwood, MU went on to win four straight defeating both Hampton and Gardner-Webb twice. Similar to the Lady Pirates, the Red Foxes have one of the best defensive catchers in the county in Isabella Manory. Manory has caught four runners stealing this season which leads the MAAC.

A Look at the Blue Devils

Central Connecticut State enters the weekend undefeated. Through six games the Blue Devils have been one the best power-hitting teams in the country. CCS averaging two homers per game ranking them second in the country. Senior Paige Stringer has been the Blue Devils home run leader with four through six games. Stinger with a batting average of .524 leads the NEC and sits 24th in the nation. Ava Cino and KC Machado also have a batting average over .400. The Blue Devils' rotation has been the second-best in their conference and 52nd in the country with 2.2 ERA.

A Look at the Crusaders

Holy Cross enters the HU/NSU Classic with an overall record of (0-2). The Crusaders are coached by Kimberly Stiles who enters her third season with the program. Before arriving at Holy Cross, Stiles spent 11 seasons at the Division II level in the Mountain East conference. Through two games Holy Cross has only given up an error this season. Freshman Maya Gallagher had a solid collegiate debut recording eight strikeouts and one walk. The Wamego, Kan. native, only gave up one run in her first outing of the 2023-24 campaign.

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Players Mentioned

#12 Taryn Bennett: P; 5' 10"; Freshman

#32 Emily Kepple: C/INF; 5' 9"; Sixth Year

#7 Aitirihna Aiken: UTL; 5' 4"; Sophomore

Players Mentioned

#12 Taryn Bennett
: 5' 10"; Freshman
: P

#32 Emily Kepple
: 5' 9"; Sixth Year
: C/INF

#7 Aitirihna Aiken
: 5' 4"; Sophomore
: UTL

Hampton University Athletics

Schedule

Scoreboard

Hampton Softball Returns to Lady Pirates Softball Stadium

Players Mentioned

#12 Taryn Bennett

#32 Emily Kepple

#7 Aitirihna Aiken

Players Mentioned

#12 Taryn Bennett

#32 Emily Kepple

#7 Aitirihna Aiken