University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Softball Hosts North Texas
4/15/2016 12:00:00 AM | Softball
HATTIESBURG, Miss. -- Southern Miss softball hosts North Texas in a three-game Conference USA series this weekend at the Softball Complex. The games mark the first time the Golden Eagles will face the Mean Green in Hattiesburg.
Saturday will be Letterwinner Day with a doubleheader at 1:00 p.m., while Sunday's 1:00 p.m. game will feature drawstring bags the first 100 fans. Any softball letterwinners that are interested in joining in Saturday's games are asked to contact Tanner Morris at tanner.morris@eagles.usm.edu.
Live stats and in-game tweets (@SouthernMissSB) will be available throughout the weekend. In addition, live video will be available through southernmiss.com/access with Drew Granger handling the play-by-play action.
Southern Miss enters the weekend with a 20-23 overall record, including a 7-8 mark in Conference USA play. North Texas is 20-20 on the year with a 3-9 record in the conference.
The Golden Eagles are led by Tori Dew. The junior has a .355 batting average, going 43-for-121 with 11 doubles, two home runs, 18 runs, and 18 RBI. Morgan McKeever leads the team with 45 base hits, while Lauren Holifield is pacing the team with eight home runs and RBI. Holifield also leads the team in slugging percentage.
In the circle, Southern Miss is led by Samantha Robles. The sophomore holds the team lead in earned run average, wins, appearances, innings pitched, and strikeouts. She is followed by Jillian Johnson and Danielle Block. J. Johnson is second on the team in ERA and opponent batting average, while Block is second in appearances, innings pitched, and strikeouts.
The Black and Gold have won their last two conference series. Southern Miss claimed a home series with WKU, 2-1, before hitting the road and winning two out of three against UTSA in San Antonio. It is the first time the Golden Eagles have won back-to-back series since 2014.
In their last outing, the Golden Eagles set the single-game attendance record at the Softball Complex. Southern Miss played host to No. 4 Alabama in front of a record crowd of 1,160, breaking the previous record of 1,074 set against Mississippi State last season. It was also the third time in the last three seasons that the Golden Eagles set the single-game attendance record.
Southern Miss and North Texas first met last season in Denton, Texas. The home team claimed the series with a sweep.
