FAIRFIELD, Conn. -- They are in the driver's seat. They hold their fate in their hands.

There are many different ways to describe where the Fairfield University softball stands as it heads into the final weekend of the regular season. The Stags are in first place in the latest Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference standings with a 10-2, with Marist College placing second with an 11-3 mark. And as the schedulers would have it, Fairfield closes out the season by heading to Marist on Sunday afternoon.

Before the Stags get to Sunday, they host Niagara University on Saturday afternoon. The twinbill begins at 1 pm and also serves as Senior Day. Pitchers Kelli Panter and Sarah Minice will join infielder Kristina Lingo for the seniors' final home games of their career. While the Purple Eagles stand at 6-8 in conference play, the team boasts the MAAC preseason player of the year Teresa Healy.

Healy leads the MAAC with a .444 batting average, a .935 slugging percentage, and a .545 on-base percentage. The Purple Eagles are the best in the conference in home runs, boasting the top two hitters in the MAAC. Becky Zill and Healy are tied for the MAAC lead with 12 home runs each. As a team, Niagara has 47 home runs in 36 games played. Kim Bryson is the Purple Eagles' number one pitcher with a 9-7 record and a 2.65 ERA.

Marist has one of the conference's top hitters as well in Nicole DiVirgilio. The junior has more hits than any other softball player in the MAAC, checking into the final games with 56 hits. She ranks third in the conference with 38 RBI, just two off the leader. Paige Lewis brings a 15-7 record into the doubleheader, while Emily Osterhaus is next in line with a 13-7 mark.

Fairfield also boasts its own MAAC leader in Minice, who ranks 24th in the nation with a 1.37 ERA. She owns a 14-7 overall record and a 9-0 mark against MAAC competition. Lauren Liseth, who won her third MAAC Rookie of the Week on Monday, leads the team with a .324 batting average, six homers, and 32 RBI.

The Stags' senior day ceremony will begin after the Niagara doubleheader.