University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Lady Eagles Host National-Power LSU, Begin Long Home Span
3/26/2002 12:00:00 AM | Softball
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Lady Eagles Host National-Power LSU, Begin Long Home Span
The Southern Miss softball team is looking for consistency in obtaining wins. The Lady Eagles are 15-18 on the year and 6-3 in Conference USA. They have the most wins in the league but, overall, feature the worst winning percentage.
In their last five games, the Lady Eagles are 1-4. They haven?t won more than three consecutively, while producing two three-game losing streaks and a four-game losing stint this season.
On Wednesday, March 27, No. 5 LSU (24-7) comes to Hattiesburg for a doubleheader at the new Southern Miss Softball Complex, beginning at 5 p.m. The games against the Tigers start a nine-day, 12-game home period for the Lady Eagles, who hope this stretch can get them back on the winning track.
Southern Miss has had some memorable contests against LSU, beginning in 1999, when the Lady Eagles knocked the Tigers out of the NCAA Regionals with a 4-3 win in Baton Rouge, La.
LSU and USM battled twice in the 2000 NCAA Regionals, again in Baton Rouge, and both games featured extra-inning drama. The Tigers used 13 innings to give Southern Miss a 1-0 loss, but the Lady Eagles countered in the championship game with a nine-inning 1-0 victory, which sent them on their second-consecutive trip to the Women?s College World Series.
Southern Miss holds a 4-3 lead in games against LSU. The Tigers won the last matchup, a 5-0 win at LSU?s invitational tournament last season.
LSU is on a four-game winning streak, and all four wins were shutouts, outscoring its opponents 19-0 in the feat. The last time the Tigers lost came against Mississippi State, 8-7 in 11 innings, on March 19. USM defeated MSU earlier this year, 7-2, in Starkville, Miss.
Trena Peel is batting a sizzling .404 average, with 10 triples, two home runs and 21 RBIs. Julie Wiese is the other Tiger currently batting over .300, at .312.
Pitching duo Britni Sneed (13-4, 1.23 ERA, 190 Ks) and Kristin Schmidt (8-3, 1.27 ERA, 102 Ks) make LSU a very tough challenge. Combined, they have thrown 14 shutouts this season. Sneed is a two-time All-American, and Schmidt earned All-America honors before transferring from Notre Dame.
Kenya Peters is the Lady Eagles? top hitter. Batting .304, she claims four home runs and seven RBIs. Channika Gant has improved at the plate, batting .357 in the last five games. She is second on the team with a .273 season average.
Jessica Holaway leads USM pitchers with a 7-5 record. She is throwing a 2.22 ERA with 75 strikeouts. The sophomore collected her second shutout last Saturday, a 4-0 victory against South Florida.
Southern Miss will host UAB this weekend for a three-game Conference USA series. A single game will start on Friday, March 29, at 5 p.m. The doubleheader begins at 1 p.m. on Saturday, March 30.
