BALTIMORE, Md. (March 28, 2025)--Morgan State returns home this weekend to host South Carolina State in a three-game Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) series at Lois T. Murray Field.
 
The Lady Bears and Lady Bulldogs will get underway with a doubleheader on Saturday, March 29 at 1 p.m. and will conclude the series with a single game on Sunday at 12 p.m.
 
MSU-SCSU SERIES: Morgan State has won five straight and 12 of the last 14 meetings against South Carolina State dating back to the 2019 season. Last season Morgan State swept the series, winning all three contests in Orangeburg, S.C. The two teams then met a fourth time last year, when they squared off in the consolation bracket semifinals of the MEAC Tournament (5/10/24) in Norfolk, Va. The top-seeded Lady Bears would defeat fifth-seeded S.C. State, 3-2, in eight innings on a single hit up the middle by Victoria Fletcher to score Ellie Bostedt for the victory, thus eliminating the Lady Bulldogs.
 
BEAR CLAWS: Morgan State (8-18, 4-2 MEAC) enters this weekend's series coming off a three-game sweep on the road at Maryland Eastern Shore last weekend in Salisbury, Md. (March 22-23). It was the first series sweep this season for the Lady Bears. Morgan State scored a combined 27 runs on 26 hits in the first two games, which it won 10-2 and 17-0. The Lady Bears then took the series finale, 4-3 to complete the sweep. Gianna Ettore led Morgan with two hits, two runs scored and a game-high 2 RBI. Cassie White finished 2-for-2 and Hunter Newman went 2-for-3.
  
A LOOK AT S.C. STATE: The Lady Bulldogs (6-13, 2-4 MEAC) enter this weekend coming off a 1-2 series loss at home to Howard last weekend. S.C. State dropped the first two games to the Bison, 4-1 and 9-8, before ending a three-game losing skid with a 5-1 victory in the series finale on Sunday (3/23). S.C. State jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first inning in the finale and added its fifth and final run in the sixth for the victory.
 
ON DECK: Morgan State will travel to nearby Towson, Md. to face rival Towson on Wednesday, April 2 at 3 p.m. at Tiger Softball Stadium. The Tigers lead the all-time series, 14-5. Towson won last year's meeting, 4-3 in eight innings. The two teams have split the previous four contests.

FLETCHER THROWS CAREER-HIGH 12 STRIKEOUTS: Graduate pitcher Victoria Fletcher set a career high, as she struck out 12 batters in the series finale at Maryland Eastern Shore (3/23). Fletcher, who went the distance and got the win, improved to 4-9 this season in the circle. The 12 strikeouts surpassed her previous high of eight strikeouts at Mount St. Mary's (3/10/22).
 
FLETCHER NAMED MEAC PITCHER OF THE WEEK: Victoria Fletcher was named MEAC Pitcher of the Week (March 24). It was the second weekly honor for Fletcher, who was also named pitcher of the week (March 10). A native of Huntington, Md., Fletcher posted a 2.61 ERA and went 2-1 in the circle to help Morgan State to a 4-1 week. She pitched 16.1 innings over three games and surrendered six earned runs on 13 hits. Fletcher recorded 19 strikeouts and set a career-high 12 strikeouts in the series finale at Maryland Eastern Shore.
 
GARNER NAMED MEAC ROOKIE OF THE WEEK: Olivia Garner was named MEAC Rookie of the Week (March 24). It was the first weekly honor this season for Garner. She totaled five runs and five hits in 17 at-bats to help Morgan State to a 4-1 week. The West Chester, N.J. native recorded one double, drove in three RBI and tallied three stolen bases. In the series opener against Maryland Eastern Shore, Garner hit .666 with two hits, including a double, two runs, two RBI and a stolen base.
 
MORGAN DROPS FIRST MEAC SERIES SINCE 2023: The Lady Bears dropped their series finale to Delaware State, 7-6 on March 16, giving the Hornets a 2-1 series victory over Morgan State. The loss was the Lady Bears' first MEAC series loss in their last nine conference series. The last time Morgan State lost a MEAC series was April 15-16, 2023 against Maryland Eastern Shore.
 
RODRIGUEZ NAMED MEAC PITCHER OF THE WEEK: Morgan State sophomore Serena Rodriguez was named MEAC Pitcher of the Week (2/25). Rodriguez went 1-1 for the week, collecting an ERA of 0.64 in the circle. The Simi Valley, Calif., native pitched 11.0 innings, including a complete game against Fairleigh Dickinson. She surrendered just one earned run on 11 hits and struck out three batters. In the series finale victory over the Knights, Rodriguez went four scoreless innings, allowing four hits and struck out two batters to earn her first win of the season.
 
RIVAS NAMED MEAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Amber Rivas was named MEAC Player of the Week (2/10). It was her first MEAC weekly honor this season. A native of West Hill, Calif., Rivas batted .400 with three runs, four hits, an RBI, a walk and 16 putouts in three games. She recorded a hit and a stolen base in the opener against Le Moyne then followed with a 3-for-4 performance with two runs and an RBI in Game 2. Rivas ended the weekend with a run and a walk in a win over Mount St. Mary's.
 
PAGANO NAMED MEAC ROOKIE OF THE WEEK: Olivia Pagano was named MEAC Rookie of the Week (2/10). It was her first MEAC weekly honor this season. Pagano had a batting average of .600 with six hits, including two doubles and two RBI through three games. A native of Staten Island, N.Y., Pagano went 1-for-3 with an RBI and a double in the opener against Le Moyne. In Game 2 against Le Moyne, she finished 4-for-4 with a double and an RBI, while adding a hit in the win over Mount St. Mary's.
 
FLETCHER NAMED MEAC PITCHER OF THE WEEK: Victoria Fletcher was named MEAC Pitcher of the Week (2/10). It was her first MEAC weekly honor this season. Fletcher threw 9.2 innings, going 1-1 in the circle with a 3.08 ERA. She surrendered six runs on 12 hits, three walks and struck out nine batters. A native of Huntington, Md., Fletcher ended the weekend with a complete game against Mount St. Mary's striking out six batters while allowing three runs in the 4-3 win.
 
RIVAS NAMED TO NFCA ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM: Morgan State sophomore outfielder Amber Rivas was named to the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Division I Leadoff Classic All-Tournament Team (2/9). Rivas posted a .385 batting average over the opening weekend, recording five hits with one double, three RBI and a run scored in five games. She also tallied a walk and two stolen bases. A native of West Hills, Calif., Rivas recorded an RBI, walk and stolen base to help Morgan State defeat Notre Dame, 5-4 in the season opener. It was the program's first victory over an opponent of the newly constructed Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). Rivas recorded her first hit of the season, which was a double and an RBI against Pittsburgh. She then went 2-for-3 at the plate against Bethune-Cookman and closed out the tournament with another 2-for-3 performance with a run and RBI and a stolen base in the finale against Marshall.
 
MORGAN TAKES DOWN NOTRE DAME IN SEASON-OPENER: Morgan State opened the season in the prestigious National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Division I Leadoff Classic against Notre Dame and handed the Irish a 5-4 loss in the opener (2/7). The win was Morgan State's first-ever against a member of the newly constructed Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). Notre Dame (0-1) entered the contest with an RPI ranking of 66^th, while Morgan State (1-0) was 183^rd. Playing in the Leadoff Classic for the first time in program history, the Lady Bears jumped out to an early 3-0 lead in the first inning. Morgan State would maintain its three-run advantage until the top of the fifth inning when the Irish scored three runs to even the score at 3-3. The Irish then added a run in the top of the sixth to pull ahead 4-3, its first lead of the contest. However, the lead would be short-lived, as the Lady Bears responded with two runs in the bottom half of the sixth inning, which proved to be the difference to give Morgan State the 5-4 victory. Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Preseason Player of the Year and MEAC first-team pitcher and utility selection, Victoria Fletcher went 2-for-3 at the plate with an RBI and a walk. MEAC third-team selection Alison Keener also went 2-for-3 at the plate and scored a run.
 
2025 MEAC CHAMPIONSHIP: The 2025 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) softball championship tournament is scheduled for May 7-10, 2025 at NSU Softball Field, hosted by Norfolk State University.

 
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ABOUT MORGAN
Morgan State University, founded in 1867, is a Carnegie-classified high research (R2) institution offering nearly 140 academic programs leading to degrees from the baccalaureate to the doctorate. As Maryland's Preeminent Public Urban Research University, and the only university to have its entire campus designated as a National Treasure by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Morgan serves a multiethnic and multiracial student body and seeks to ensure that the doors of higher education are opened as wide as possible to as many as possible. For more information about Morgan State University, visit www.morgan.edu.