Hempstead, N.Y. ? After winning three of four games in non-conference midweek action, the Hofstra softball team will get ready for a three-game Colonial Athletic Association series against Drexel starting on Saturday at 11 a.m. in Philadelphia.
In a change to the original schedule, the Pride and Dragons will play one game on Saturday before finishing the series with a doubleheader on Sunday that will also commence at 11 a.m.
Hofstra (21-10, 4-1 CAA) has won 18 of the last 20 games, outscoring opponents, 132-39, in that span. Drexel (10-21, 0-6 CAA) was swept in the first two conference series by Delaware and James Madison, respectively.
After winning two out of three against Georgia State, last weekend Hofstra has now defeated CAA opponents in 26 of the last 27 games and is 34-1 in the last 35 regular season league matchups. Against Drexel, Hofstra holds a 52-10 all-time record.
Stellar pitching and hitting led Hofstra to a doubleheader sweep over Marist in the team's last action on Thursday. Senior Olivia Galati threw her second no-hitter of 2013 when she faced the minimum 21 batter in a 1-0 win over the Red Foxes. Galati allowed only one walk to extend her program record with nine career no-hitters and even drove in the game's only run with a RBI single up the middle.
Galati is 18-9 with a 1.95 ERA this season and has 205 strikeouts in just 172 1/3 innings. Galati, who already has three of Hofstra's four-highest single season strikeout totals, will look to tally her third season of 300 or more strikeouts. Kayleigh Lotti is the only other Hofstra pitcher to reach that mark even once.
On offense, junior second baseman Tori Rocha enters the week as one of seven starters batting .300 or better with a .329 average and a .430 on-base percentage.
Senior centerfielder Tessa Ziemba is taking aim at Hofstra records thanks a great start. The Wilmington, Del. native has 11 home runs through the first 31 games. With 21 scheduled regular season games remaining, Ziemba will look to challenge Danielle Stewart's single-season program record of 17 set in 2003.
Ziemba has 36 career home runs, which is just four off Ashley Lane's career record of 40 set from 2004-07. Ziemba also has 159 career RBIs, which trails only Lane's record of 180.
Sophomore catcher Erin Trippi is hitting .318 in starting all 31 games thus far. The reigning CAA Player of the Week has six RBIs in the last eight games.
Drexel has lost seven of the last nine. The Dragons will look to see their pitchers try and get on the right track and will likely look to split the workload between Tara Konopka and Shelby Taylor. Konopka is 6-9 with a 4.50 ERA. The freshman right-hander has allowed 93 hits in 90 innings. Taylor, a junior righty, is 3-9 with a 6.20 ERA.
Jenn Reading gives Drexel a veteran presence in the lineup. The senior first baseman has a batting average 20 points higher than the next-closest regular with Reading hitting .293 with two home runs and a team-leading 13 RBIs.
Hofstra entered the week with a RPI ranking of 30. That was the best mark of any Colonial Athletic Association team with James Madison coming in second at 41.
