Wednesday, March 2
Gainesville, Fla.
6 p.m. ET
Southern Miss
at
No. 4 Florida
Golden Eagles Head to Gainesville to Take On No. 4 Florida
3/1/2022 1:53:00 PM | Softball
HATTIESBURG, Miss. -- Following a nine-game homestand, the Southern Miss softball team embarks to Gainesville, Fla. for its third road contest of the 2022 season. The Golden Eagles are set to take on the No. 4 Florida Gators on Wednesday, March 2 at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium.
Southern Miss last took the field at home as the host of the Hub City Challenge from Feb. 25 through Feb. 27. The Golden Eagles (11-5, 0-0 C-USA) faced off with Alcorn State and Evansville in a pair of two-game series to close out a trio of home tournaments in the month of February.
The Golden Eagles finished the weekend with a 3-1 record, picking up a sweep against Alcorn State and splitting their contests with Evansville. Southern Miss has won eight of its last 10 games, including a seven-game win streak in that span.
Florida enters Wednesday's matchup with a 16-0 record and a No. 4 ranking in both the USA Today and ESPN.com polls. The Gators were pushed to their limits in their last game, outlasting an offensive showcase against the UCF Knights, 12-11 in their final contest of the UCF Knights Classic.Â
Led by head coach Tim Walton in his 17th season, Florida finished the 2021 season with a 45-11 record. The Gators hosted an NCAA Regional and Super Regional, before coming up short to the Georgia Bulldogs for a trip to the Women's College World Series.
Graduate students Destini Brown and Tata Davis have led by example so far in 2022. Davis and Brown hold the two highest batting averages and rank No. 1 and 2 for total hits and total bases.Â
A matchup of high-level baserunners is set to take place in Gainesville. Brown currently ranks No. 3 in stolen bases with 14, behind Florida's Kendra Falby, who leads the nation with 16. Brown is just five steals away from becoming the first Golden Eagle to reach 100 career stolen bases.
The Golden Eagles and Gators have battled three times in the past, with Florida winning each matchup. Southern Miss has not traveled to Gainesville since 2006 and looks to pick up its third road win of the season, following a pair of wins against the Southern Lady Jaguars in Baton Rouge, La. on Feb. 16
The Black & Gold have played 14 of its 16 games in the confines of the Southern Miss Softball Complex, and are now set to play its next six games in the state of Florida. Following Wednesday's matchup against the Gators, the Golden Eagles head to Madeira Beach to take part in THE Spring Games.
Southern Miss looks to take down the No. 4 Florida Gators in Gainesville on Wednesday, March 2. First pitch is scheduled for 5 p.m. CT.
Follow the Southern Miss softball team on social media, @SouthernMissSB on Twitter, @southernmisssb on Instagram and at facebook.com/SouthernMissSB.
Inside the Matchups | Headlines
Scouting Florida
-The Florida Gators enter Wednesday's matchup with a record of 16-0 under 17th-year head coach, Tim Walton.
-The Gators are currently ranked No. 4 in both the USA Today and ESPN.com national softball polls.Â
-Last season, Florida finished the season with a 45-11 record. The Gators hosted both an NCAA Regional and Super Regional before being knocked off by the Georgia Bulldogs for a trip to the Women's College World Series.
-The Gators are 6-0 thus far at home, and look to continue their winning ways following a successful trip to Orlando, Fla. last weekend.Â
-Florida's Kendra Falby leads the nation in stolen bases, with 16 through her team's first 16 contests. She has only been caught stealing once in her attempts to improve position.
-The Gators' bullpen has limited opponents to an ERA of 1.51, while the hitters of Florida hold an ERA of 7.91 and a batting average of 3.64.Â
Southern Miss - Florida Series
-Southern Miss is set to take on the Florida Gators for the fourth time in program history.
-The Golden Eagles have been unsuccessful in the first three matchups, as the Gators hold a 3-0 advantage in the series.
-All three contests have taken place in Gainesville, Fla., and that trend will continue as Southern Miss enters Wednesday's matchup as the visitor.
-This will mark the first time that the programs have faced off since a two-game series in 2006.
Southern Miss, 0 | Florida, 3
  Away: 0-3
Last TIme Out: Hub City Challenge
-Southern Miss last took the field as the hosts of the Hub City Challenge from Friday, Feb 25 through Sunday, Feb. 27.
-The Golden Eagles hosted the Alcorn State Lady Braves and Evansville Purple Aces for four contests. Southern Miss finished the weekend 3-1 after sweeping Alcorn State and splitting the two-game series with -Evansville.
-The Black & Gold have won eight of its last 10 games, which includes a seven-game win streak. Southern Miss now holds a record of 11-5.
-Graduate student Tata Davis was successful in all six of her at bats on Saturday, Feb. 26 in a pair of games. She finished the day with six hits, a double, four RBI and three runs.
-Destini Brown inched closer to the 100 career stolen bases milestone, as she now sits at 95 in her illustrious Golden Eagle tenure.
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 95 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.Â
-The 2021 C-USA First Team selection will look to extend her record throughout the 2022 season.
-Brown is set to become the first Golden Eagle in program history to collect 100 steals in a career.
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.
-Jana Lee, Natalie Taylor and Paige Kilgore all recorded their first career home runs in Baton Rouge, La.
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 strike out eight batters.
-She finished the week of Feb. 20 with three wins, with a shutout along with an ERA of 0.67 and just two earned runs in 27 innings pitched.Â
-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.
-Leinstock holds a record of 6-1 thus far in 2022 and is ranked No. 2 in the C-USA with 63 strikeouts.
Home, Sweet Home
-The Golden Eagles spent the first three weekends of its season at the Southern Miss Softball Complex in a trio of tournaments.
-Southern Miss hosted the Black & Gold Invitational on Feb. 11-13 and Golden Eagle Invitational from Feb. 18-20. The Golden Eagles closed out tournament play last weekend with the Hub City Challenge on Feb. 25-27.
-The Golden Eagles finished their tournament stretch with a record of 9-5 in the Southern Miss Softball Complex.
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Southern Miss last took the field at home as the host of the Hub City Challenge from Feb. 25 through Feb. 27. The Golden Eagles (11-5, 0-0 C-USA) faced off with Alcorn State and Evansville in a pair of two-game series to close out a trio of home tournaments in the month of February.
The Golden Eagles finished the weekend with a 3-1 record, picking up a sweep against Alcorn State and splitting their contests with Evansville. Southern Miss has won eight of its last 10 games, including a seven-game win streak in that span.
Florida enters Wednesday's matchup with a 16-0 record and a No. 4 ranking in both the USA Today and ESPN.com polls. The Gators were pushed to their limits in their last game, outlasting an offensive showcase against the UCF Knights, 12-11 in their final contest of the UCF Knights Classic.Â
Led by head coach Tim Walton in his 17th season, Florida finished the 2021 season with a 45-11 record. The Gators hosted an NCAA Regional and Super Regional, before coming up short to the Georgia Bulldogs for a trip to the Women's College World Series.
Graduate students Destini Brown and Tata Davis have led by example so far in 2022. Davis and Brown hold the two highest batting averages and rank No. 1 and 2 for total hits and total bases.Â
A matchup of high-level baserunners is set to take place in Gainesville. Brown currently ranks No. 3 in stolen bases with 14, behind Florida's Kendra Falby, who leads the nation with 16. Brown is just five steals away from becoming the first Golden Eagle to reach 100 career stolen bases.
The Golden Eagles and Gators have battled three times in the past, with Florida winning each matchup. Southern Miss has not traveled to Gainesville since 2006 and looks to pick up its third road win of the season, following a pair of wins against the Southern Lady Jaguars in Baton Rouge, La. on Feb. 16
The Black & Gold have played 14 of its 16 games in the confines of the Southern Miss Softball Complex, and are now set to play its next six games in the state of Florida. Following Wednesday's matchup against the Gators, the Golden Eagles head to Madeira Beach to take part in THE Spring Games.
Southern Miss looks to take down the No. 4 Florida Gators in Gainesville on Wednesday, March 2. First pitch is scheduled for 5 p.m. CT.
Follow the Southern Miss softball team on social media, @SouthernMissSB on Twitter, @southernmisssb on Instagram and at facebook.com/SouthernMissSB.
Inside the Matchups | Headlines
Scouting Florida
-The Florida Gators enter Wednesday's matchup with a record of 16-0 under 17th-year head coach, Tim Walton.
-The Gators are currently ranked No. 4 in both the USA Today and ESPN.com national softball polls.Â
-Last season, Florida finished the season with a 45-11 record. The Gators hosted both an NCAA Regional and Super Regional before being knocked off by the Georgia Bulldogs for a trip to the Women's College World Series.
-The Gators are 6-0 thus far at home, and look to continue their winning ways following a successful trip to Orlando, Fla. last weekend.Â
-Florida's Kendra Falby leads the nation in stolen bases, with 16 through her team's first 16 contests. She has only been caught stealing once in her attempts to improve position.
-The Gators' bullpen has limited opponents to an ERA of 1.51, while the hitters of Florida hold an ERA of 7.91 and a batting average of 3.64.Â
Southern Miss - Florida Series
-Southern Miss is set to take on the Florida Gators for the fourth time in program history.
-The Golden Eagles have been unsuccessful in the first three matchups, as the Gators hold a 3-0 advantage in the series.
-All three contests have taken place in Gainesville, Fla., and that trend will continue as Southern Miss enters Wednesday's matchup as the visitor.
-This will mark the first time that the programs have faced off since a two-game series in 2006.
Southern Miss, 0 | Florida, 3
  Away: 0-3
Last TIme Out: Hub City Challenge
-Southern Miss last took the field as the hosts of the Hub City Challenge from Friday, Feb 25 through Sunday, Feb. 27.
-The Golden Eagles hosted the Alcorn State Lady Braves and Evansville Purple Aces for four contests. Southern Miss finished the weekend 3-1 after sweeping Alcorn State and splitting the two-game series with -Evansville.
-The Black & Gold have won eight of its last 10 games, which includes a seven-game win streak. Southern Miss now holds a record of 11-5.
-Graduate student Tata Davis was successful in all six of her at bats on Saturday, Feb. 26 in a pair of games. She finished the day with six hits, a double, four RBI and three runs.
-Destini Brown inched closer to the 100 career stolen bases milestone, as she now sits at 95 in her illustrious Golden Eagle tenure.
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 95 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.Â
-The 2021 C-USA First Team selection will look to extend her record throughout the 2022 season.
-Brown is set to become the first Golden Eagle in program history to collect 100 steals in a career.
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.
-Jana Lee, Natalie Taylor and Paige Kilgore all recorded their first career home runs in Baton Rouge, La.
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 strike out eight batters.
-She finished the week of Feb. 20 with three wins, with a shutout along with an ERA of 0.67 and just two earned runs in 27 innings pitched.Â
-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.
-Leinstock holds a record of 6-1 thus far in 2022 and is ranked No. 2 in the C-USA with 63 strikeouts.
Home, Sweet Home
-The Golden Eagles spent the first three weekends of its season at the Southern Miss Softball Complex in a trio of tournaments.
-Southern Miss hosted the Black & Gold Invitational on Feb. 11-13 and Golden Eagle Invitational from Feb. 18-20. The Golden Eagles closed out tournament play last weekend with the Hub City Challenge on Feb. 25-27.
-The Golden Eagles finished their tournament stretch with a record of 9-5 in the Southern Miss Softball Complex.
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Players Mentioned
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