DURHAM, N.C. – Much is at stake this weekend when North Carolina Central visits South Carolina State in an important MEAC softball series at Lady Bulldog Softball Field in Orangeburg, S.C.

The MEAC matchup begins with a Saturday doubleheader at 1 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. On Sunday, a single game is set for 12 p.m.

South Carolina State (13-18, 9-9 MEAC) is in a three-team logjam for third place with NCCU (11-30, 8-9 MEAC) right behind. The season-finale series will help determine the bracket for the conference softball championship set for May 7-10 in Norfolk, Va.

Regardless of what happens, the Eagles are assured of qualifying for the MEAC championship tournament. The top six teams in the eight-team conference advance to the postseason. NCCU, currently sixth, is five-and-one-half games ahead of seventh-place Coppin State heading into the final regular season weekend.

The Eagles are led in hitting by Makiya Graves. In the MEAC, she is seventh in batting average (.352), sixth in slugging percentage (.486), tied for fourth in hits (37) and tied for third in RBIs (20). A steady infielder, Graves is eighth in fielding percentage (.975) in the MEAC as a second baseman.

Daiyah Bailey of NCCU is tied for seventh in runs scored (20) and eighth in hits (35) in the MEAC. Tyler Suttles is tied for third in triples (4) and Samaria Jackson is tied for fourth (3) in home runs. Takia Nichols is tied for eighth in home runs (2) and tied for second in sacrifice flies (3).

Eagles pitcher Jaden Davis is the MEAC leader in strikeouts (104). Her 1.65 earned run average in conference games is fourth in the MEAC.

The Eagles will face the league's top hitter in Taylor Ames of South Carolina State, who bats .436 and has a .745 slugging percentage. Ames leads the MEAC in several other categories including hits (48), RBIs (33) and home runs (5).

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