University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Softball Team Set To Host Southern Miss Invitational
2/26/2010 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Feb. 26, 2010
HATTIESBURG, Miss. - The Southern Miss softball team is set to host the Southern Miss Invitational Feb. 27-28 at USM Softball Complex. The Golden Eagles will play host to Central Arkansas at 4:30 p.m., followed by Indiana at 7 p.m.
Southern Miss is coming off a 5-3 loss at South Alabama. The Golden Eagles bring a 7-2 record into the tournament. The Golden Eagles are led offensively by Jill Mathis who is batting .414 with four doubles, nine runs and six RBI. Sophomore Leslie LeJune follows with a .394 average, 10 runs, five doubles and six RBI. Senior Logan James rounds out the top three with a .370 batting clip with three doubles and two home runs and eight RBI.
Freshman Gabby Luciani (2-0) carries a 1.00 ERA with 33 strikeouts in 28.0 innings. Freshman Beth Dietrich (2-1) holds a 1.79 ERA with 15Ks in 15.2 innings of work. Sophomore Courtney Ramos (3-1) has a 4.11 ERA in 15.1 innings.
Central Arkansas brings a 5-6 record into the weekend. The Bears have are led by Kasey Britt with a .313 batting average and Sarah Garcia is next at .303. They both have 10 hits. Kelsie Armstrong has pitched 43.2 innings and owns a 4-3 record with a 2.73 ERA and 46 strikeouts. Southern Miss leads the series with UCA, 1-0, playing for the first time last season.
Indiana is 2-5 on the season. Sara Olson and Samantha Berenter have a .400 batting clip each with Olson leading the way with eight hits and four homers. Olson also pitches for the Hoosiers having worked 15.1 innings and owns a 1-3 record. The two teams have played only once with the Golden Eagles winning that meeting in 1999 in the Bama Bash.
Belmont enters the tournament 0-6. Two players are batting over .300 led by Ashley Byers with a .467 batting clip with seven hits and two home runs. Brooke Babington is next at .313. Devon Schmidt has pitched 20.0 innings and is 0-3. This is the first meeting between the two teams.
Jackson State has a 2-5 record. Wendi Reed and Amanda Boggan lead the Tigers with a .304 batting average. Tynette Sims has a 1-2 record but has pitched 19.0 innings and owns a 0.74 ERA.
Southern Miss Invitational Schedule
Saturday February 27, 2010
9:00 a.m. Belmont vs. Jackson State
11:30 a.m. Belmont vs. Central Arkansas
2:00 p.m. Jackson State vs. Indiana
4:30 p.m. Southern Miss vs. Central Arkansas
7:00 p.m. Southern Miss vs. Indiana
Sunday February 28, 2010
9:00 a.m. Central Arkansas vs. Indiana
11:30 a.m. Belmont vs. Indiana
2:00 p.m. Central Arkansas vs. Jackson State
4:30 p.m. Southern Miss vs. Belmont
7:00 p.m. Southern Miss vs. Jackson State
Golden Eagles Against the Field
Central Arkansas (5-6) Feb. 27 - 4:30
Series Record: Southern Miss leads 1-0
Last Meeting: Feb. 8, 2009 - Southern Miss scored a run in the bottom of the eighth in getting past UCA, 4-3 (8) in the Southern Miss Invitational last season.
• Note: Current head coach David Kuhn is the former head coach at Delta State. UCA has four players from the state of Mississippi.
Indiana (2-5) Feb. 27 - 7 p.m.
Series Record: Southern Miss leads 1-0
Last Meeting: Feb. 27, 1999 in Tuscaloosa - Courtney Blades struck out 16 batters in a one-hit shutout as Southern Miss defeated Indiana, 8-0, in the Bama Bash.
• Note: It's been 10 years to the day that the two teams meet.
Belmont (0-6) Feb. 28 - 4:30 p.m.
Series Record: This is the first meeting between the two teams
Last Meeting: Never met
Jackson State (2-5) Feb. 28 - 7 p.m.
Series Record: Southern Miss leads 10-1
Last Meeting: Feb. 18, 2009 in Hattiesburg - Courtney Ramos pitched a no-hit shutout in the second game of a double header against Jackson State, 8-0. The Tigers won the first game, 8-0, after Brittanie Talley tossed a one-hit shutout.
• Note: Head Coach Kenya Peters and assistant coach Channika Gant were four-year letterwinners at Southern Miss and played on the 1999 and 2000 College World Series teams ... Peters is currently the all-time home run leader at USM with 33 and has played in more games than any other Golden Eagle.
On Deck
Southern Miss plays in its final in-season tournament when the Golden Eagles travel to Fayetteville, Ark., to play in the Razorback Invitational, Mar. 5-7. Southern Miss opens on Friday, Mar. 5 with Drake at 9:30 a.m. followed by Iowa State at 1:30 p.m. The Golden Eagles will face Eastern Illinois on Saturday at 9:30 a.m. and Louisiana-Lafayette at 3:30 p.m. Southern Miss concludes play on Sunday at 1 p.m. against host Arkansas.
