WASHINGTON (May 9, 2023) - No. 4 Howard Softball faces No. 5 Coppin State (CSU) in the first round of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Tournament Wednesday, May 10. The opening pitch is set to be thrown at 9 a.m.
 
FOLLOW THE ACTION
 
You can track all the action with live stats and listen live on the radio via HSRN.
 
Tickets are available here.
 
MATCHUP PREVIEW
 
The Lady Bison are 24-23 against Coppin State, dating back to 2005. Howard has had Coppin's number in recent years, going 7-3 in their last 10 matchups, but CSU won this year's season series, 2-1.
 
HOWARD
 
HU 18-24 (10-9 MEAC) caught fire to end the season, winning six straight to capture fourth place in the standings after a shaky start to the season. They are vying to go back to the championship this year as the reigning champs of last year's tournament.
 
Freshman Amelia Weber (Montclair, Calif.) received MEAC Rookie of the Week award last week for her performance against Delaware State. Weber picked up a win and save during the games while striking out six and batting .429 with a stolen base at the plate.
 
Off the field, the team had a plethora of players be named to the conference All-Academic team, including graduate Kalita Dennis (Elk Grove, Calif.), freshman Zafirah Doss (Hayward, Calif.), and sophomores Sidney Fletcher (Whittier, Calif.), Mia Gonzales (Atwater, Calif.), Jade Greene (Upper Marlboro, Md.), Madison Harris (Slidell, La.), Shalon McNeal (Lima, Ohio), Payton Quinonez (Tulare, Calif.), Lealani Ricks (Madera, Calif.) and Morgan Thornton (Manassas, Va.).
 
COPPIN STATE
 
Coppin State 12-26 (9-11 MEAC), went on a similar run to end the season, going 7-3 in their last 10. The team went on a tear in the second half of their MEAC season, winning eight-of-nine conference games (including eight straight in one stretch), to get themselves to fifth in the standings.
 
Freshman Seryna Esparza (Hollister, Calif.) has been the brightest spot for the Eagles this season, leading the team in her first season at the college level. Esparza led her team in batting average (.327), homers (2), OPS (.866) and OB% (.407), while jointly leading in hits (32).
 
Coppin was one of the best pitching and fielding teams in the conference this season. Their 4.29 ERA was good for third-best in the conference and their 80 walks were the second lowest of any team. Fielding-wise, Coppin had the second-best fielding percentage at 94.9%, while committing the least errors in the conference.
 
LAST TIMEOUT
 
On Saturday, April 29, the Lady Bison finished up their season with a series sweep against Delaware State, winning 3-2 and 4-2 in the doubleheader.
 
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
 
If HU wins this game, they will go on to face No. 1 Morgan State at 3 p.m. Wednesday (May 10).
 
If they lose, they get sent to the loser's bracket, where they will play Thursday, May 11, at noon.
 
For more information, visit the Bison Athletics website at www.HUBison.com.