University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Softball Set for Mississippi Gulf Coast Classic
2/25/2015 12:00:00 AM | Softball
HATTIESBURG, Miss. - The Southern Miss softball team continues the season at the Mississippi Gulf Coast Classic in Gulfport, Miss. The Golden Eagles open the tournament on Friday, Feb. 27 against Incarnate Word at 4:30 p.m. The Black and Gold close out the tournament on Saturday with a pair of games against Jackson State (3:00 p.m.) and Nicholls (8:00 p.m.).
The Golden Eagles enter the weekend 8-4 overall, coming off of a three-game sweep of Mississippi Valley State in Hattiesburg. The games marked the first home series of the season for Southern Miss.
In the circle, Danielle Block, Samantha Robles and Shelbee Rodgers each earned wins, while Robles also notched a save. The trio combined with Jillian Johnson for a collected earned run average of 2.21 on the weekend. Block set a new career high with seven strikeouts, while Robles and Rodgers each added six Ks apiece.
The meeting with Incarnate Word will be the first between the two teams on the diamond. The Golden Eagles are 16-3 (.842) all-time against Jackson State, including a 7-4 victory in the 2015 season opener at the Sand Dollar Classic in Gulf Shores, Ala. Southern Miss has played Nicholls State 48 times in program history with the Colonels holding a 37-11 (.771) advantage in the all-time series.
UIW and Nicholls are both members of the Southland Conference and Southern Miss is 87-90 (.492) against the league. The Black and Gold are 2-2 (.500) against the Southland this season.
Live stats and in-game tweets (@SouthernMissSB) will be available throughout the weekend.
Scouting the Opposition:
Incarnate Word: The Cardinals enter the weekend with a 1-12 overall record. After winning its season opener, UIW has dropped 12 consecutive games, including a pair of games to Conference USA foe UTSA. Incarnate Word will play Jackson State prior to facing Southern Miss.
Jackson State: The Lady Tigers enter the weekend with a 3-9 overall record, including wins against Houston, Houston Baptist and Belhaven. Jackson State hosted a tournament last weekend, but saw inclement weather shorten the tournament. JSU will face Incarnate Word (2x) and Nicholls prior to playing Southern Miss.
Nicholls: The Colonels enter the weekend with a 6-5 overall mark. Nicholls opened the season 5-1, but have since dropped four of their last five games. NSU has also been effected by the weather, having six games postponed / canceled due to weather. The Colonels will play Jackson State and Mississippi Valley State (2x) before playing the Golden Eagles.
