University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Lady Eagles Host Arkansas At New Complex
3/20/2002 12:00:00 AM | Softball
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Lady Eagles Host Arkansas At New Complex
It will finally happen. The Southern Miss Softball Complex will have action on its field, as the Lady Eagles (14-14) host Arkansas (19-10) in a doubleheader on Thursday, March 21, at 5 p.m.
The Complex was projected to be ready last weekend, when Saint Louis came to Hattiesburg for a three-game Conference USA series. However, weather hindered progress in getting the field ready, and a threatening weekend forecast postponed the opening of the Complex.
The Lady Eagles practiced at the Complex, located on 25th Avenue and west of the Southern Miss Track and Soccer Complex, on Tuesday evening, for the first time.
This will be the second time in the program?s history that Southern Miss has faced the Razorbacks. The Lady Eagles defeated the Lady Razorbacks, 7-0, in 2000, in the first meeting of the teams.
Arkansas started the season winning eight of its first nine games. The Lady Razorbacks also claim wins over No. 24 South Carolina, 5-2, and No. 17 Alabama, 2-0. They also split two games, 2-1 and 1-2, against Long Beach State, a team Southern Miss beat earlier this year, 5-2.
Blair Woodward leads the team with a .308 batting average. Cortney Mitchell follows, hitting .296 and features a team-best five home runs and 17 RBIs.
The Lady ?Backs? strength is their pitching. Rachel Tally is 10-3 this season with a 0.80 ERA and 80 strikeouts in 86 innings. She has pitched three shutouts, and opposing batters are hitting .173 against her.
Valanna Lyons is 2-3 on the year with two saves and features a 1.15 ERA. Heather Schlichtman?s record is 7-4, and she is throwing a 1.58 ERA with 76 strikeouts.
Kenya Peters is leading the Lady Eagles with a .328 batting average. Last week, the senior went 7-for-15 (.467) in six games with three home runs. Sarah Boyd also recorded a .467 average, including a four-for-four hitting performance in a conference game against Houston.
Felicia Gonzales was named Conference USA Pitcher of the Week, going 3-0 last week with two wins over Houston and a two-hit shutout against Saint Louis. In 16.1 innings pitched, she allowed just three runs on six hits, while striking out 13. Gonzales is 5-3 on the year, with a 4.18 ERA and 54 strikeouts.
The Lady Eagles travel to Tampa this weekend, competing against South Florida in a three-game C-USA series. A doubleheader against the Bulls will be held on Saturday, March 23, at 1 p.m. A single game ends the series on Sunday, March 24, at 1 p.m.
