University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Softball Hosts Houston in a Three Game Series
3/25/2011 12:00:00 AM | Softball
March 25, 2011
Saturday-Sunday, Mar. 26-27, 2011 • Hattiesburg, Miss.
Field: USM Softball Complex
Southern Miss: Howard Dobson (McNeese State, '98)
86-103-2 at Southern Miss (Four seasons); Same
Houston: Kyla Holas (Louisiana-Lafayette, '94)
355-235-1 at Houston (10 seasons); Same
HATTIESBURG, Miss. -- Southern Miss plays its second Conference USA series this weekend when the Golden Eagles host Houston, Mar. 26-27. Saturday's doubleheader is set to begin at 1 p.m., with a second game starting at approximately 3 p.m. The series conclude with a single game Sunday at 11 a.m.
About Southern Miss
The Golden Eagles (10-17) are coming off a split with in-state foe Jackson State on Wednesday. Southern Miss finished with nine hits with Taylor Brown leading the way with a 4-for-6 performance at the plate.
Southern Miss is batting .235 as a team. Offensively, Brown leads the team in hitting with a .316 average to go with a seven doubles and a triple. Brittany Lilly is right behind with a .313 batting average. Michelle Takeda and Jill Mathis own a team-leading 16 RBI each while Mathis has a team-leading six home runs.
Sophomore Beth Dietrich (5-8) leads the team in the circle with a 3.11 ERA in 83.1 innings of work. Gabby Luciani (2-2) owns a 3.41 ERA in 41.0 innings pitched.
Golden Eagle Quick Hits
• Beth Dietrich added another shutout victory after posting a 2-0 win over Jackson State-2 (3/23)
• Taylor Brown was 3-for-3 with a triple against Jackson State-1 (3/23) • Mackenzie Sher recorded her first home run of the season with a solo against UAB (3/20)
• Southern Miss snapped an eight-game losing streak with a 7-0 against No. 25 LSU (3/16)
• The Golden Eagles defeated a ranked opponent for the first time since, Feb. 11, 2010 (No. 19 FSU)
• Brittany Lilly collected her second home run of the year against No. 25 LSU (3/16)
• Beth Dietrich recorded her first shutout of the season against No. 25 LSU (3/16)
• Michelle Takeda hit her first home run against Cal State Fullerton (3/5)
• Chanell Thurman was 3-for-3 against Cal State Northridge (3/6)
• Freshman Brittany Lilly blasted her first career grand slam against Nicholls (2/26)
• Jill Mathis added another home run against Evansville (2/26) to run her total to six
• Senior second baseman Jill Mathis was named Conference USA Hitter of the Week (2/21).
A Look at Houston Series Record: Houston leads 27-12
Last Meeting: March 14, 2010 - Houston won 5-0 in Houston, Texas
Scouting the Cougars: Houston is 18-12 overall and 2-4 in league play after taking two-of-three from Memphis last weekend.
Katy Beth Sherman leads the Cougars offensively with a .304 batting average. Brooke Lathan is next at .286 with a team-leading seven home runs. Melissa Gregson leads a group of six players with double digit RBI with 17.
On the Cougar pitching staff, Amanda Crabtree is 11-6 on the season with an ERA of 1.25 in 111.2 innings of work with 186 strikeouts. Donna Bourgeois is 5-6 with an ERA of 2.14 in 75.1 innings of work.
As a team, Houston is batting average .249 with 21 doubles, three triples and 26 home runs. The Cougars have outscored their opponents, 119 to 62.
The Series
This is the 40th meeting between the two teams in a series dating back to the 2001 season. Houston leads the overall series 27-12 against Southern Miss. The Cougars have won eight of the last 10 meetings, including a three-game sweep last season.
On Deck
Following the Houston series, the Golden Eagles travel to South Alabama for a mid-week single game on Mar. 30.
