The State University of New York at New Paltz softball team begins SUNYAC play this weekend when it hosts Fredonia State Friday and Buffalo State the following day.

"As conference games start tomorrow, we know we need to show up ready to play," said Hawks coach Samantha Miller. "I expect this team to go into every game without any doubts and full confidence in each other and themselves."

Last season,SUNY New Paltz split its season series against both the Blue Devils and Bengals.

In 2017 Buffalo State finished fourth in the conference standing, above the Hawks who placed fifth. Fredonia State concluded the campaign in ninth place, above only SUNY Potsdam.

The Blue Devils currently hold a record of 6-9-1, while the Bengals are 2-9.

"Neither team is going to hand the win over to us," Hawks senior pitcher Lauren Cappello said. "Buffalo State is a good hitting team, so we have to make sure our pitchers do well and our fielders have their backs. Fredonia is a team that likes to make comebacks. We have to make sure we shut them down nice and early."

Although there have been a number of bright spots on SUNY New Paltz's roster, the team is currently dealing with multiple injuries to some key players.

"We've experienced a few set backs health wise, but we've ended up retreating to our core values," Miller said. "We're continuing to work on our culture and see multiple players stepping up and being successful. That's what this team is all about."

In 2017, the Hawks' first two scheduled series in New Paltz were moved to a neutral site due to poor field conditions caused by inclement weather.

"We're excited to play at home since we only played here three times last year," SUNY New Paltz junior catcher Madison Rappold said.

In their previous series, SUNY New Paltz split a pair of games against Ramapo College, who were ranked No. 15 in the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Division III poll last week.

The Hawks won the first game by a score of 3-1 and lost the second game 2-0.

After falling behind 1-0 in the first game, SUNY New Paltz took the lead after back-to-back bases loaded walks in the fourth inning by third baseman Taylor Fischer and sophomore outfielder Julia DiSpigna. An RBI single from Rappold in the fifth inning then extended the lead to 3-1.

Cappello tossed all seven innings, surrendering just one run on six hits while striking out one to earn her fourth victory of the season. She also escaped a bases loaded jam in the third inning to keep it a one-run game.

"We're definitely confident heading into SUNYACs," Rappold said. "We just played [Ramapo and Tufts] who were both ranked. They were really tough games but we pulled off a win twice. The game we did lose against Ramapo, we still played really well and stuck together."

To follow SUNY New Paltz home-opening games live, be sure to follow @newpaltzhawks on Facebook or to see highlights, photos and recaps from the game follow @nphawks on Twitter and @newpaltzhawks on Instagram.