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MOREHEAD, Ky. – Morehead State Softball's third season under head coach Samantha Jones begins this Saturday at 1 p.m. ET as the Eagles face off against Norfolk State at NSU Softball Field. MSU will quickly become familiar with the Spartans as the two squads have doubleheaders set for back-to-back days.
 
The matchup marks the first action Morehead State has seen since a home-doubleheader versus Dayton on March 11, 2020. The Eagles look to continue their success from a season ago after doubling their win totals from the 2019 season before the remaining portion of the schedule was canceled due to the pandemic.
 
"We have been anticipating this day for over 300 days," said Jones. "Our team has showcased their determination and resiliency through all the challenges they have faced since the end of February 2020. We are proud of them and excited to see them compete on the field this weekend versus Norfolk State. This will be a great opportunity to challenge ourselves on all aspects of the game, learn from each other, and have an opponent other than ourselves."
 
INSIDE THE SERIES
2020 Records: Morehead State (6-10; 0-0 OVC) | Norfolk State (7-14; 0-0 MEAC)
Series History: 2-2 vs. Norfolk State
All-Time Meetings: March 9, 2013 (MOR 11, NSU 1) | March 2, 2018 (MOR 8, NSU 2) | February 25, 2019 (NSU 8, MOR 3) | February 29, 2020 (NSU 10, MOR 6)
 
NOTABLE (GAME NOTES (PDF))
• Morehead State senior Alexis Strother was one of two Eagles to place in the top 10 in the OVC in batting average during the shortened 2020 season. In her second year at MSU, Strother hit .410 to earn a seventh-place finish in the conference.
 
• Junior Peyton Slater has placed in the top three in the OVC in times hit by pitch in each of her first two seasons. She is currently on track to finish in the top five in MSU history in the category with 15 HBPs to date.
 
• Last season, now-sophomore Carolyn Alincic threw the 12th no-hitter in MSU Softball history, becoming just the second Eagle freshman to accomplish the feat. In the 14-0 victory over Ohio-Chillicothe, she struck out 11 of 16 batters faced while only allowing one walk in five innings.
 
• The 2021 roster features 11 returning student-athletes. Along with a seven-member freshman class, the team also added Trinity Spear, a transfer from USC Upstate.
 
• Sophomore shortstop Kirya Kingery finished tied for first in the OVC in sacrifice flies with three during the shortened season. She also placed in the top 10 in the conference with eight stolen bases on nine attempts.
 
• Assistant coach Rachel O'Malley returns for her third season on the Eagles' staff. Alongside her is Megan Davidson who is currently in her first season as an assistant under Jones. 
 
• Junior catcher/infielder Peyton Slater was named to the OVC Preseason Players to Watch List. Last season, she started all 16 games behind the plate for the Eagles while hitting .333 with one homer and eight RBI. She also earned a .462 on-base percentage, a .500 slugging percentage, and led all OVC catchers with three runners picked off.