Friday, February 18
Hattiesburg, Miss.
4:30 p.m.
Southern Miss
vs
Jacksonville State
Southern Miss Set to Host Golden Eagle Invitational
2/17/2022 4:30:00 PM | Softball
HATTIESBURG, Miss. -- Coming off a pair of road victories in Baton Rouge on Wednesday night, Southern Miss returns to the Softball Complex to host the Golden Eagle Invitational from Friday, Feb. 18 to Sunday, Feb. 20. The Black & Gold will face off with Jacksonville State, Mississippi Valley State, Houston Baptist and ULM throughout the weekend tournament.
Southern Miss opens its tournament with matchups against Jacksonville State at 4:30 p.m. and MVSU at 7 p.m. on Friday night, followed by a matchup with Houston Baptist at 11 a.m. and a rematch with MVSU at 2 p.m. on Saturday. The Golden Eagles (4-3, 0-0 C-USA) close out their weekend with a contest against future Sun Belt foe, ULM on Sunday at 2 p.m.
The Golden Eagles last took the field on Wednesday, Feb. 16 against Southern Lady Jaguars  in a doubleheader on the road. Southern Miss picked up a pair of wins in its first two road games of the season by scores of 3-1 and 7-4.Â
Morgan Leinstock and Jana Lee both pitched complete games, with the latter picking up the first collegiate win of her career in the circle in game two of the doubleheader. Lee, Natalie Taylor and Paige Kilgore all recorded their first career home runs against Southern.
Southern Miss hosts its second tournament of the season, following the Black & Gold Invitational last weekend. The Golden Eagles won the first two games of the competition, before finishing the weekend with a 2-3 record against the likes of North Alabama, Saint Louis and Samford.
The Golden Eagles hold the all-time series advantage on MVSU (11-2), Jacksonville State (16-5) and Houston Baptist (4-1). Southern Miss currently trails the Warhawks, 20-14 in a series which dates back to March of 1983. The Golden Eagles look to trim the Sun Belt member's advantage in Sunday's matchup in the first matchup between the programs since 2016.
The Black & Gold faced off with two Golden Eagle Invitational opponents last season, as Southern Miss went 2-1 in a series with the Gamecocks in Jacksonville, Ala. in February of 2021 and split a two-game series with Houston Baptist in Hattiesburg.Â
Southern Miss is set to host the Golden Eagle Invitational this weekend from Feb. 18-20 at the Softball Complex. Fans can purchase single game and season tickets at SouthernMissTickets.com or watch the action live on CUSA.tv.
Inside the Matchups | Headlines
Scouting The Field
Jacksonville State
-Jacksonville State is led into the Golden Eagle Invitational by 29th year head coach, Jana McGinnis.Â
-McGinnis holds a 955-533 with the Gamecocks, the only program she has been the head coach for in her career.
-JSU enters the tournament with a 3-2 record after participating in ULM's Best of the Bayou tournament last weekend.
MVSU
-MVSU enters this weekend's tournament with a record of 0-5 under first year head coach, Jimmy Buckner.
-The Devilettes also competed at the Best of the Bayou tournament, falling short in all five contests to open the season, which included losses to Jacksonville State and ULM.
Houston Baptist
-Houston Baptist comes to Hattiesburg with a record of 2-2 to open the 2022 season under coach Mary-Ellen Hall.
-The Huskies come off a 3-2 victory over Texas Southern at home to improve to .500 on the season following a 1-2 stint at the Bearkat Classic in Huntsville, Texas.
ULM
-ULM takes on the field of the Golden Eagle Invitational riding a 6-0 recording following a strong showing at the Best of the Bayou Classic.Â
-The Warhawks followed up their impressive efforts in Monroe with a 12-0 run-rule contest against Jackson State on Feb. 16 in their first home matchup of the season.Â
Southern Miss - Jacksonville State Series
-Southern Miss and Jacksonville State have faced off 13 times since 1989, with the Golden Eagles holding a 16-5 advantage.
-Southern Miss and the Gamecocks have played each other every season since 2017, including a three-game series in 2021 which USM won, 2-1.
Southern Miss, 16 | Jacksonville State, 5
  Home: 12-3
Southern Miss - MVSUÂ Series
-Southern Miss holds a dominant 11-2 lead over MVSU in the all-time series.
-The Golden Eagles have won 10 of 11 contests in Hattiesburg.
Southern Miss, 11 | MVSU 2
  Home: 10-1
Southern Miss - Houston Baptist Series
-The Golden Eagles hold a 4-1 lead in the all-time series against the Huskies.Â
-Houston Baptist claimed its first win over USM last year in a split series.
Southern Miss, 4 | Houston Baptist 1
  Home: 3-1
Southern Miss - ULM Series
-ULM holds a 20-14 lead in the all-time series on its future Sun Belt foe, Southern Miss.
-Although the series between the programs dates back to 1983, the Golden Eagles and Warhawks have not faced off since 2016.
-This will be the first time that head coach Brian Levin takes on ULM as the leader of Southern Miss' program.
Southern Miss, 14 | ULM 20
  Home: 9-9
Â
D Brown Makes History
-Graduate student Destini Brown broke Chrystal Brown's long-standing stolen bases record on Friday, Feb. 11 in Southern Miss' season-opener against North Alabama.
-The McComb, Miss. native racked up three steals in the first five games of the Black & Gold's season and now sits at 84 career bases stolen over her sparkling tenure.
-Last season, Brown led Conference USA in stolen bases with 35 and finished the 2021 season ranked No. 9 in the nation in the statistic.
-The 2021 C-USA First Team selection will look to extend her record throughout the 2022 season.
Â
Freshmen, Welcome to the Show
-Southern Miss features nine freshmen on a roster of 19 and will look to many of them for major contributions throughout the 2022 season.
-Freshmen Alexis Dittmer and Scout Jennings made their presence felt in Southern Miss' opening game, combining for three home runs in an 8-6 victory over North Alabama.
Â
Leinstock brings the Heat
-Junior pitcher Morgan Leinstock will be relied on for big performances in 2022.
-The Scottsdale, Ariz. native recorded the fourth 100+ pitch game of her career against Saint Louis in a 6-2 win, which saw her strikeout eight batters.
-Leinstock is the veteran presence in the bullpen for Southern Miss, having made 29 appearances in 2021 and 125.1 innings of experience for the Black & Gold.
Â
Southern Miss opens its tournament with matchups against Jacksonville State at 4:30 p.m. and MVSU at 7 p.m. on Friday night, followed by a matchup with Houston Baptist at 11 a.m. and a rematch with MVSU at 2 p.m. on Saturday. The Golden Eagles (4-3, 0-0 C-USA) close out their weekend with a contest against future Sun Belt foe, ULM on Sunday at 2 p.m.
The Golden Eagles last took the field on Wednesday, Feb. 16 against Southern Lady Jaguars  in a doubleheader on the road. Southern Miss picked up a pair of wins in its first two road games of the season by scores of 3-1 and 7-4.Â
Morgan Leinstock and Jana Lee both pitched complete games, with the latter picking up the first collegiate win of her career in the circle in game two of the doubleheader. Lee, Natalie Taylor and Paige Kilgore all recorded their first career home runs against Southern.
Southern Miss hosts its second tournament of the season, following the Black & Gold Invitational last weekend. The Golden Eagles won the first two games of the competition, before finishing the weekend with a 2-3 record against the likes of North Alabama, Saint Louis and Samford.
The Golden Eagles hold the all-time series advantage on MVSU (11-2), Jacksonville State (16-5) and Houston Baptist (4-1). Southern Miss currently trails the Warhawks, 20-14 in a series which dates back to March of 1983. The Golden Eagles look to trim the Sun Belt member's advantage in Sunday's matchup in the first matchup between the programs since 2016.
The Black & Gold faced off with two Golden Eagle Invitational opponents last season, as Southern Miss went 2-1 in a series with the Gamecocks in Jacksonville, Ala. in February of 2021 and split a two-game series with Houston Baptist in Hattiesburg.Â
Southern Miss is set to host the Golden Eagle Invitational this weekend from Feb. 18-20 at the Softball Complex. Fans can purchase single game and season tickets at SouthernMissTickets.com or watch the action live on CUSA.tv.
Inside the Matchups | Headlines
Scouting The Field
Jacksonville State
-Jacksonville State is led into the Golden Eagle Invitational by 29th year head coach, Jana McGinnis.Â
-McGinnis holds a 955-533 with the Gamecocks, the only program she has been the head coach for in her career.
-JSU enters the tournament with a 3-2 record after participating in ULM's Best of the Bayou tournament last weekend.
MVSU
-MVSU enters this weekend's tournament with a record of 0-5 under first year head coach, Jimmy Buckner.
-The Devilettes also competed at the Best of the Bayou tournament, falling short in all five contests to open the season, which included losses to Jacksonville State and ULM.
Houston Baptist
-Houston Baptist comes to Hattiesburg with a record of 2-2 to open the 2022 season under coach Mary-Ellen Hall.
-The Huskies come off a 3-2 victory over Texas Southern at home to improve to .500 on the season following a 1-2 stint at the Bearkat Classic in Huntsville, Texas.
ULM
-ULM takes on the field of the Golden Eagle Invitational riding a 6-0 recording following a strong showing at the Best of the Bayou Classic.Â
-The Warhawks followed up their impressive efforts in Monroe with a 12-0 run-rule contest against Jackson State on Feb. 16 in their first home matchup of the season.Â
Southern Miss - Jacksonville State Series
-Southern Miss and Jacksonville State have faced off 13 times since 1989, with the Golden Eagles holding a 16-5 advantage.
-Southern Miss and the Gamecocks have played each other every season since 2017, including a three-game series in 2021 which USM won, 2-1.
Southern Miss, 16 | Jacksonville State, 5
  Home: 12-3
Southern Miss - MVSUÂ Series
-Southern Miss holds a dominant 11-2 lead over MVSU in the all-time series.
-The Golden Eagles have won 10 of 11 contests in Hattiesburg.
Southern Miss, 11 | MVSU 2
  Home: 10-1
Southern Miss - Houston Baptist Series
-The Golden Eagles hold a 4-1 lead in the all-time series against the Huskies.Â
-Houston Baptist claimed its first win over USM last year in a split series.
Southern Miss, 4 | Houston Baptist 1
  Home: 3-1
Southern Miss - ULM Series
-ULM holds a 20-14 lead in the all-time series on its future Sun Belt foe, Southern Miss.
-Although the series between the programs dates back to 1983, the Golden Eagles and Warhawks have not faced off since 2016.
-This will be the first time that head coach Brian Levin takes on ULM as the leader of Southern Miss' program.
Southern Miss, 14 | ULM 20
  Home: 9-9
Â
D Brown Makes History
-Graduate student Destini Brown broke Chrystal Brown's long-standing stolen bases record on Friday, Feb. 11 in Southern Miss' season-opener against North Alabama.
-The McComb, Miss. native racked up three steals in the first five games of the Black & Gold's season and now sits at 84 career bases stolen over her sparkling tenure.
-Last season, Brown led Conference USA in stolen bases with 35 and finished the 2021 season ranked No. 9 in the nation in the statistic.
-The 2021 C-USA First Team selection will look to extend her record throughout the 2022 season.
Â
Freshmen, Welcome to the Show
-Southern Miss features nine freshmen on a roster of 19 and will look to many of them for major contributions throughout the 2022 season.
-Freshmen Alexis Dittmer and Scout Jennings made their presence felt in Southern Miss' opening game, combining for three home runs in an 8-6 victory over North Alabama.
Â
Leinstock brings the Heat
-Junior pitcher Morgan Leinstock will be relied on for big performances in 2022.
-The Scottsdale, Ariz. native recorded the fourth 100+ pitch game of her career against Saint Louis in a 6-2 win, which saw her strikeout eight batters.
-Leinstock is the veteran presence in the bullpen for Southern Miss, having made 29 appearances in 2021 and 125.1 innings of experience for the Black & Gold.
Â
Players Mentioned
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