University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Softball Travels to Mississippi State Wednesday
2/22/2011 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Feb. 22, 2011
HATTEIESBURG, Miss. -- The Southern Miss softball team will travel to Starkville, Miss., for a single game matchup against in-state rival Mississippi State on Wednesday, Feb. 23 at 4 p.m.
The Golden Eagles (5-4) are batting .260 as a team and are led at the plate by sophomore designated player/first baseman Christina Roosmalen who is hitting .417 with three doubles, two home runs and a .440 on-base percentage. Senior 2B Jill Mathis follows with a .344 average and a team-leading 12 RBI and five home runs. Junior 3B Britney Dinelt rounds out the over .300 hitters with a .300 average.
Beth Dietrich (2-2) leads in the circle with a 3.25 ERA and 17 strikeouts in 28.0 innings. Gabby Luciani (1-0) follows with a 3.50 ERA and 12 Ks in 12.0 innings. Freshman Kelly Smith (1-0) who has had three appearances this season has a 2.42 ERA in 8.2 innings of work.
Southern Miss vs. Mississippi State
Feb. 23 - 4 p.m., Starkville, Miss.
Series Record: MSU leads 29-11
Last Meeting: The teams met once in 2010 with Mississippi State winning 14-4 on March 17 in Hattiesburg.
Scouting Mississippi State: The Bulldogs (4-5) have won four of their last five games after starting the season 0-4. Most recently, MSU lost to Southern Illinois, 9-4, Sunday in the Bulldog Round Robin.
MSU is batting an impressive .299 as a team. Courtney Nesbit leads the way with a .419 average, two home runs, three doubles, three triples and nine RBI. Ali Bainbridge follows with a .360 average and a team-leading nine runs. Chelsea Raines, Sam Lenahan, and Brittany Gates are all hitting .333. Heidi Shape rounds out the over.300 hitters with a .321 average, seven runs and team-leading 14 RBI.
Kylie Vry (1-3) and Misty Flesher have shouldered the bulk of the pitching duties. Vry carries a 2.70 ERA with 16 strikeouts in 23.1 innings of work and holding opponents to a .258 batting average, while Flesher (1-0) has a 3.65 ERA in 23.0 innings pitched.
Following the State game, the Golden Eagles will return to the USM Softball Complex to host the Southern Miss Invitational. Other teams in the field include: Mississippi Valley State, Evansville, Nicholls State and Troy.
