University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Softball to Host Mississippi State in Midweek Doubleheader
3/24/2015 12:00:00 AM | Softball
HATTIESBURG, Miss. - The Southern Miss softball team concludes a five-game homestand with a doubleheader against in-state foe Mississippi State on Wednesday at the Southern Miss Softball Complex. The Golden Eagles and Bulldogs take the field at 4:00 p.m. with game two to follow approximately 30 minutes after the conclusion of game one. First 100 fans in attendance will receive a blackout t-shirt.
The Golden Eagles (15-14) will look to break back into the win column against their long-time foe. Southern Miss is in the middle of a skid and will look to right the ship against Mississippi State.
The Black and Gold are 6-1 this season against teams from the Magnolia State, while the Maroon and White are 2-2 against in-state schools.
Southern Miss has four players on the current roster from Mississippi - Jenifer Gary (Biloxi), Rachel Johnson (Southaven), Bailey Stokes (Madison) and Michelle Stringer (Waveland). In addition, head coach Wendy Hogue (Petal) has lived in the Magnolia State her entire life.
Offensively, the Golden Eagle have a collective .299 batting average. Southern Miss is averaging just over five runs per game (5.1) and eight hits per game (8.0). The team has notched 51 extra base hits, including 10 home runs. The team's plate discipline has improved with the Black and Gold drawing 104 free passes with just 86 strikeouts for a +18 in the walk to strikeout ratio.
Morgan McKeever continues to lead the team with a .398 average. She leads the team with 35 hits, just ahead of Katie Cleary who has 34. Sarah Evans has 30 hits to round out the top three. The trio have combined for 16 doubles, three triples and a home run. Cleary leads the team with 28 runs batted in, while Evans is second with 15 and McKeever is tied with Stokes and Selena Estrada with 12. Evans is pacing the team with 23 runs scored, while McKeever and Kaelyn Christofferson are just behind with 18 and 16, respectively.
In the circle, Southern Miss has a 3.45 team earned run average. The team's top four pitchers have split time with Shelbee Rodgers tossing a team-high 60.1 innings, while Danielle Block holds a slight 48.2 to 48.1 edge over Jillian Johnson. The Golden Eagles have struck out 143 batters this season and no pitcher on the team has more walks than strikeouts. Rodgers leads the team with 59 Ks and currently has 227 in her two-year Southern Miss career. She ranks 10th in school history in career strikeouts and is 31 Ks shy of tying Danielle Wymer (2003-06) for ninth.
Mississippi State holds a 30-13 advantage in the all-time series, but just a 15-10 edge since Southern Miss reinstated softball in 1999. Since 1999, the Golden Eagles are 2-7 against the Bulldogs at home and 8-8 outside of Hattiesburg. The two teams played at least one game against each other each year from 1983-86 and 1999-12.
The two teams have not met against each other on the softball diamond since 2012. No current members of the Southern Miss softball team were on the team the last time the two teams met.
Assistant coach Mackenzie Sher (2011-14) was on the team the last time the two teams met. She finished her career 1-for-4 with a run scored, a RBI and a hit by pitch against the Bulldogs, playing in two games against Mississippi State. Sher helped the team to a 14-4 victory in 2011, finishing 1-for-2 with a run scored and a RBI.
Live stats, live video and in-game tweets (@SouthernMissSB) will be available throughout the doubleheader.
Scouting the Opposition:
Last weekend, Mississippi State lost a three-game SEC series to rival Ole Miss. The Bulldogs earned a victory in the opener, 8-6, but softball team ended up playing and dropping a twin-billing vs. Ole Miss on Saturday at the Ole Miss Softball Complex. State dropped game one 8-7 in nine innings, before falling 14-8 in the night cap. The Bulldogs, who were ranked No. 24 in the country, dropped out of the most recent rankings with the losses.
