University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Softball Heads to Western Kentucky for C-USA Series
4/10/2015 12:00:00 AM | Softball
HATTIESBURG, Miss. - The Southern Miss softball team heads to Bowling Green, Ky. to take on Western Kentucky in a three-game Conference USA series this weekend. The series begins on Saturday with a doubleheader starting at 1:00 p.m. and concludes with a single game on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. at the WKU Softball Complex.
Live stats, live video and in-game tweets (@SouthernMissSB) will be available throughout the weekend.
Southern Miss enters the weekend with a 16-21 overall record and a 2-10 mark in C-USA action. Western Kentucky is 22-7 and 7-2 in league play.The Golden Eagles and Hilltoppers have never met on the softball field. Southern Miss is 19-12 all-time against teams from the Commonwealth of Kentucky. The Black and Gold have faced Eastern Kentucky (1-0), Kentucky (2-1), Kentucky Wesleyan (1-1) and former C-USA opponent Louisville (15-10) in its history.
Western Kentucky will be the sixth team this season Southern Miss will face for the first time. The Golden Eagles squared off against first-time opponents Florida Gulf Coast, Houston Baptist, Incarnate Word, Lamar and North Texas earlier this season. In addition, Southern Miss had a game with first-time opponent Cleveland State canceled earlier this year due to inclement weather.
WKU is in its first season as a member of Conference USA. The Hilltoppers join the league after several years in the Sun Belt. FIU, Florida Atlantic, Middle Tennessee and North Texas are all also former Sun Belt Schools.
Southern Miss enters the weekend after playing three consecutive games against teams from the state of Alabama.
The Golden Eagles dropped a 12-1 decision on the road to No. 5 Alabama on April 1. In the game, Michelle Stringer notched her first home run of the season, a solo shot to left field. Following a weekend off, the Black and Gold returned home for a doubleheader against Troy on April 7. The Trojans edged the Golden Eagles, 4-2, in game one before squeaking by USM, 3-1, in game two.
Morgan McKeever leads the team offensively. The junior is batting .381 on the season with a team-high 45 hits. McKeever is just 15 base knocks shy of breaking into the Southern Miss Top 10 for a single season in hits. She is followed by fellow juniors Katie Cleary (.350) and Sarah Evans (.330). Cleary is second on the team with 41 hits, while Evans is close behind with 37. Evans leads the team with 26 runs scored, while Cleary leads the teams in RBI with 32 and is just nine shy of breaking into the single-season Top 10. Bailey Stokes drew a pair of walks in the last game to give the transfer 29 on the season, ranking the sophomore 10th for a single season. She is one shy of tying Megan Hill (2007) and Erin Johnson (2000) for eighth.
The Golden Eagles have relied primarily on a freshman, sophomore and senior in the circle this season. True freshman Jillian Johnson leads the team in earned run average, while sophomore Danielle Block has the team-lead in victories on the year. Senior Shelbee Rodgers leads the team in strikeouts.
Scouting the Opposition:
WKU pulled out a two-game sweep of Murray State on Wednesday. The Lady Toppers won the first game 5-1 before taking game two 6-5. WKU pitcher Miranda Kramer was named one of 26 finalists for the USA Softball Player of the Year, as announced by the Amateur Softball Association (ASA) of America and USA Softball.
