HACKENSACK, N.J. – The Fairleigh Dickinson softball team concludes its nine-day trip through the state of Louisiana with a five-game series against Southern University this weekend.
 
The teams are scheduled to play doubleheaders on Friday and Saturday and a single game on Sunday. Friday's and Saturday's games are scheduled to start at 1 p.m., and the finale on Sunday will take place at 9 a.m. All game times are Central Standard Time, and are subject to change as there is a forecast of thunderstorms that could take place over the weekend that could impact the game schedule. All five games will take place at Wesley Barrow Stadium in New Orleans. The address of the field is below:
   
ENTERING THE SERIES
The Knights (0-6) are seeking their first win of the season in the series against Southern. Most recently, the Knights dropped a doubleheader at Northwestern State, falling in the first game 5-1 before suffering a 6-0 defeat in the nightcap. FDU scored its lone run of the day on a RBI single by freshman Courtney Mahoney in the seventh inning of the opening game. The Knights later loaded the bases in the inning to bring the potential game-tying run to the plate with two outs, but the Lady Demons ended the game with a strikeout. Freshmen Cali Wyand and Amarys Miller-Godsey each recorded their first hits of their career in the second game against Northwestern State.
 
FIRST-TIME MEETING
This will mark the first time in program history FDU will face Southern, and the weekend's opponent is one of seven teams the Knights will play for the first time ever this season. The Knights already faced four of those teams at the Louisiana Tech Invitational – Southeast Missouri State, Abilene Christian, Wichita State and Louisiana Tech – and the remaining two opponents – Boise State and St. Mary's College – are two of the opponents the Knights battle during the team's trip to California in March.
 
SCOUTING SOUTHERN
The Jaguars (1-7) have lost each of their last five games entering this weekend's series against the Knights, recently dropping a four-game series to Evansville the previous weekend. The Jaguars have scored 17 runs in eight games so far this season, six of them in their 6-3 win over Howard representing their sole victory of the young season. Ten of the 12 players on the roster are upperclassmen. Last season, Southern finished with a record of 16-23.
 
UP NEXT
After Sunday's game, FDU makes its return to New Jersey to prepare for its next road trip down to Baltimore, Md., for a three-game weekend at Morgan State. The Knights will play the host Bears in two games, Saturday, March 2, at 2 p.m., and Sunday, March 3, at 2 p.m., and also face Providence in a neutral-site contest on Sunday, March 3, at 12 p.m.