Southern Miss Softball Heads to Arkansas for Michelle Short Memorial Classic

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HATTIESBURG, Miss. – The Southern Miss softball team (4-3) will travel to Conway, Ark. to compete in the Michelle Short Memorial Classic this weekend. The tournament will be hosted by Central Arkansas and all games will be played at Farris Field.

Michelle Short Memorial Classic Schedule (Southern Miss Only)
Feb. 22 | 3:00 p.m. | Southern Miss vs. Jackson State (5-6)
Feb. 22 | 5:45 p.m. | Southern Miss vs. Arkansas – Pine Bluff (0-10)
Feb. 23 | 9:00 a.m. | Southern Miss vs. Morehead State (2-2)
Feb. 23 | 1:30 p.m. | Southern Miss at Central Arkansas (8-4)

The Last Time on the Diamond
The last time that the Southern Miss softball team played, they were defeated by Southeast Missouri State, 7-0 and Purdue Fort Wayne, 7-5 on Saturday (Feb. 15) in the Troy Tournament hosted by Troy University.

Noteworthy Moments in the Troy Tournament

Junior third baseman Tata Davis belted a three-run home run in the top of the third inning of Southern Miss' game against Purdue Fort Wayne. The home run marked the first of the season for the Philadelphia, Miss. native.
Sophomore outfielder Caroline Casey drew her first start of the season last Saturday. The Hernando, Miss. native started the game against Purdue Fort Wayne as Southern Miss' right fielder.
To go along with her first start of the season, Casey also notched her first triple as a Golden Eagle after smashing a leadoff triple in the top of the fourth inning of Southern Miss' game against Purdue Fort Wayne last Saturday.

Southern Miss in the NCAA Division I Softball Top 25 Team Statistical Rankings
3^rd – Triples per Game (1.00)
10^th – On-Base Percentage (.437)
18^th (tied) – Walks (42)
24^th – Runs per Game (6.86)

Golden Eagles in the NCAA Division I Softball Top 25 Individual Statistical Rankings
1^st – Triples per Game (0.57), Madison Rayner
1^st (tied) – Triples (4), Madison Rayner
8^th (tied) – Slugging Percentage (1.143), Madison Rayner
9^th – On-Base Percentage (.650), Madison Rayner
16^th (tied) – Doubles per Game (0.57), Lacey Sumerlin
25^th (tied) – Strikeouts per Seven Innings (10.5), Savanna Wood

Breaking Down the All-Time Records
Southern Miss leads the all-time series against Jackson State with a record of 19-3. Southern Miss is 13-2 when hosting Jackson State at home in Hattiesburg, 3-1 in road contests played in Jackson, Miss. and 3-0 in neutral site matchups.

Southern Miss holds a perfect 4-0 all-time record against Arkansas – Pine Bluff. Southern Miss is 2-0 in home contests played in Hattiesburg and 2-0 when squaring off against Arkansas – Pine Bluff at a neutral site. The Golden Eagles have never played the Golden Lions on the road in Pine Bluff, Ark.

Sunday's game between Southern Miss and Morehead State will mark the first time that the two schools have met on the softball field.

Southern Miss leads the all-time series against Central Arkansas with a record of 5-3. Southern Miss is 5-2 when taking on Central Arkansas in Hattiesburg and 0-1 when facing them at a neutral site. Sunday's game will mark the first time that the Golden Eagles and the Sugar Bears have been matched against each other in Conway.

The Last Meetings
The last time that Southern Miss and Jackson State met was on February 10, 2019 in Hattiesburg in the final game of the 2019 Black and Gold Invitational. The Golden Eagles won the game, 9-1 (five innings). In what was the first appearance of her Southern Miss career, right-handed pitcher Bailie Springfield tossed a one-hitter in the contest.

The last meeting between Southern Miss and Arkansas Pine-Bluff occurred on February 14, 2015 as part of the Lion Classic II hosted by Southeastern Louisiana. Southern Miss shutout Arkansas – Pine Bluff, 4-0.

In its last matchup against Central Arkansas which took place on February 8, 2019 in the Black and Gold Invitational in Hattiesburg, Southern Miss captured a 12-4 victory (six innings).

The Opponents
Jackson State began its stint in the Michelle Short Memorial Classic earlier today. Jackson State defeated Arkansas – Pine Bluff, 13-3 in its first game of the day and was shutout by Central Arkansas, 9-0 in its second. Jackson State is now 5-6 on the season.

The 13-3 loss to Jackson State earlier today, marked the last game played for Arkansas – Pine Bluff. The Golden Lions' season record is now 0-10.

The last time that Morehead State played, they defeated North Carolina AT&T, 5-0 and fell to Charlotte, 11-1 (five innings) on the final day (Feb. 16) of the First Pitch Classic hosted by Charlotte. The Eagles are currently an even 2-2 on the season.

The 9-0 shutout against Jackson State earlier today marked the last game played for Central Arkansas. With the win, the Sugar Bears saw their record improve to 8-4 for the season.

For all of the latest Southern Miss softball news, fans can follow the official Southern Miss softball Twitter account (@SouthernMissSB), Instagram account (@southernmisssb) and Facebook account (Southern Miss Softball).

Southern Miss Softball Heads to Arkansas for Michelle Short Memorial Classic

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Players Mentioned

Caroline Casey

Madison Rayner

Bailie Springfield

Lacey Sumerlin

Savanna Wood