PRINCESS ANNE, Maryland — As the calendar heads into April, the University of Maryland Eastern Shore softball team will head on their longest road trip of the conference season as they take on the South Carolina State University Bulldogs this weekend (April 2-3).

The two teams will play a doubleheader on Saturday beginning at 1 p.m. The final game of the series will be on Sunday at noon.

The Hawks (9-19, 5-1 MEAC) split a pair of games with Hampton on March 30 their last time out. Sophomore Julia Garcia went 3-6 with a homer, double, a run scored and four RBI combined in the two games with the Pirates.

Eastern Shore is currently tied for first place in the MEAC standings alongside Morgan State after two weekends of conference play. If recent history continues against the Bulldogs this weekend, the Hawks will have a great chance to remain in first. The Shore has won seven straight games against SC State dating back to 2017.

The Bulldogs (3-22, 2-4 MEAC) have already shown that they are no longer the doormat of the conference. The team has finished last in the last three seasons, but currently sit in sixth place after taking games from NC Central and Delaware State this season. DeAsia Lowther has been the best player for SCSU so far this year as she leads the team in batting average and ERA.

After being on the road this weekend, Maryland Eastern Shore will be back home on Tuesday (April 5) to host Cornell for a doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m.