West Liberty, W.Va. – The West Liberty University softball team hits the road this weekend for a critical four-game stretch, with key matchups at Fairmont State and Frostburg State on deck.

On Friday, the Hilltoppers travel to face Fairmont State in a showdown that could play a major role in determining the Mountain East Conference North Division champion. The Falcons enter the weekend with a 15-5 MEC record, while West Liberty sits at 13-9. The teams split their earlier doubleheader last month at WLU, and the Hilltoppers have taken two of the last three matchups in the series. West Liberty is 10-11 in true road games this season, while Fairmont boasts a 13-7 mark at home.

Saturday, the Black and Gold head to Frostburg State (10-30, 5-15 MEC). West Liberty swept the Bobcats in their first two meetings this season and has won four straight games in the series. Frostburg comes into the weekend on an eight-game skid and holds a 6-10 record at home.

Offensively, Fairmont ranks third in the MEC with a .296 team batting average, followed closely by Frostburg at .286 and West Liberty at .276.

In the circle, Fairmont also holds the third-best team ERA in the conference at 3.36. The Hilltoppers follow in fourth at 3.72, while Frostburg ranks ninth at 5.59.

Individually, West Liberty's Sydney Johnson sits fifth in the MEC with a .404 batting average. Fairmont's Alexa Foresha ranks ninth (.396), and Frostburg's Samara Funk is 12th at .368.

Foresha and teammate Emma Paul each have 33 RBIs, tied for fifth-most in the MEC. Frostburg's Arden Miller also has 33, while Isabella McKee leads WLU with 22 RBIs.

In the pitching ranks, Fairmont's Delaney Haller remains unbeaten at 17-0 and ranks third in the conference with a 2.14 ERA. Kadence Pettit leads West Liberty with an 11-3 record and a 3.14 ERA, placing her 10th in the MEC.