Golden Eagles Travel to Tennessee for Series Against Blue Raiders

HATTIESBURG, Miss. -- The Southern Miss softball team heads to the Volunteer State for a Conference USA series against the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders. The Golden Eagles take on MTSU on Friday, March 18, Saturday, March 19 and Sunday, March 20 in a trio of conference matchups.

The Golden Eagles last took the field against the No. 3/4 Alabama Crimson Tide at home on Tuesday. Southern Miss (17-9, 0-3 C-USA) battled Alabama in a close contest that was decided by four unanswered runs from the visitors in the final four innings.

Southern Miss has been successful on the road in 2022, holding an 8-0 record in away and neutral site contests. The Golden Eagles notably knocked off the then-No. 4 Florida Gators in Gainesville, Fla. on March 2 and look to continue their strong play away from the Hub City.

Middle Tennessee opens its Conference USA schedule this weekend against the Golden Eagles. MTSU enters the series with a record of 12-14 with a 3-2 mark home at the Blue Raider Softball Field. The Blue Raiders defeated Austin Peay at home on Wednesday in a midweek tilt by a score of 4-2.

The Golden Eagles and Blue Raiders both took part in THE Spring Games earlier this month in Madeira Beach, Fla. While the programs did not face off, both teams faced off with the likes of Albany, Georgia Southern, Radford and Central Michigan.

Southern Miss finished its time in Madeira Beach undefeated at 5-0, while MTSU suffered a 3-2 loss to Albany and an 8-7 defeat at the hands of Georgetown, finishing the weekend with three wins and a pair of losses.

In the all-time series, Southern Miss and Middle Tennessee have each won five of the 10 contests. The Golden Eagles and Blue Raiders are set to face off for the first time since 2016, and the Black & Gold trail MTSU 1-2 in Murfreesboro.

Morgan Leinstock and Jana Lee have led Southern Miss in the circle, as the pair have pitched 169 of 183 innings. Leinstock carries a record of 10-3 into the series, and leads Conference USA in innings pitched with 104.1 and wins, and her 102 strikeouts rank her second in the conference and 17th in the nation.

Destini Brown leads the C-USA in stolen bases, as the graduate outfielder has improved position 19 times. The McComb, Miss. native has not been caught stealing in 2022, and her batting average of .360 ranks first on her squad.

The Golden Eagles take on MTSU on Friday at 6 p.m., followed by a 4 p.m. start on Saturday and a noon first pitch Sunday. All three contests will be streamed live on CUSA.tv and fans can follow live stats by checking the Southern Miss softball schedule page.

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 Middle Tennessee
-The Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders look to defend their home field in their first Conference USA series against Southern Miss.
-MTSU enters the weekend with a record of 12-14, including a 3-2 mark at the Blue Raider Softball Complex.
-The Blue Raiders are led by 10th-year head coach Jeff Breeden. The ETSU graduate holds a career record of 202-283, all of which have taken place at MTSU.
-Two underclassmen have played well for the Blue Raiders thus far in 2022. Freshman Laura Mealer and sophomore Amaya Harris lead their squad in batting average and have combined for 53 hits, 30 runs and five homers.
-Middle Tennessee and Southern Miss both traveled to Madeira Beach, Fla. earlier in March to take part in THE Spring Games. The Golden Eagles finished the weekend undefeated, while MTSU finished with a 3-2 record.

Southern Miss-Middle Tennessee Series
-Southern Miss and Middle Tennessee enter this weekend's series with a 5-5 deadlock in the all-time series.
-The Golden Eagles travel to Murfreesboro, Tenn. for the first time since 2016. This weekend will mark head coach Brian Levin's first action against MTSU in his time with Southern Miss.
-The Blue Raiders won the last series between the programs from March 12-13, 2016. MTSU won two contests of the three-game series at home.
Southern Miss, 5 | Middle Tennessee 5
Home: 3-3
Away: 1-2
Neutral: 1-0
Last Meeting: 2-1, MTSU (3/13/16)

Last Time Out (vs. Alabama)
-Southern Miss last took the field against No. 3/4 Alabama on Tuesday, dropping a competitive contest, 5-2.
-The Golden Eagles broke their single-game attendance record at the Southern Miss Softball Complex, as 1,571 spectators packed the stands.
-Freshman Natalie Taylor recorded two RBI in the game, while Jana Lee and Hannah Borden both recorded a pair of hits.
-Southern Miss led Alabama through three innings, but four unanswered runs gave the Crimson Tide the victory.

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 100 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.
-Brown became the first Golden Eagle in program history to eclipse the 100 steals milestone on March 11 against North Texas.

Down Goes No. 4 Florida
-The Golden Eagles shocked the college softball world on March 2, as Southern Miss defeated the previously-undefeated Florida Gators in Gainesville, Fla.
-Southern Miss toughed out a 5-4 victory on the road, picking up its first win against a ranked foe since 2018 and its first top-five win since the 2000 Women's College World Series.
-Home runs from Jana Lee and Maria Smith propelled Southern Miss to one of the biggest victories in program history. Morgan Leinstock led the way in the circle, holding Florida's potent offense to four runs in a stunning upset.
-Southern Miss became the first unranked program to take down a top-five opponent this season.

Leinstock brings the Heat
-Junior pitcher Morgan Leinstock has been relied on for big performances in 2022.
-The Scottsdale, Ariz. 13 strikeouts against Alcorn State on Feb. 25, the most in a single game in her collegiate career.
-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.
-Leinstock has had one of the busiest schedules in college softball, as she has pitched 104.1 innings thus far this season.
-She recorded her first win over a ranked opponent on Wednesday, March 2 against No. 4 Florida.
-Leinstock now holds a record of 10-3 to start the 2022 season.

Golden Eagles Travel to Tennessee for Series Against Blue Raiders

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Players Mentioned

Hannah Borden

Destini Brown

Jana Lee

Morgan Leinstock

Maria Smith

Natalie Taylor