Golden Eagles Travel to Take on McNeese on Wednesday Night

HATTIESBURG, Miss. -- The Southern Miss softball team is set to travel to Lake Charles, La. for a midweek game against the McNeese Cowgirls on Wednesday. The Golden Eagles look to build momentum heading into their next Conference USA series this weekend.

The Black & Gold last took the field against the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders in Murfreesboro, Tenn. last weekend. The Golden Eagles (18-11, 1-5 C-USA) finished the weekend with a 1-2 mark, splitting the first two games before falling in nine innings to MTSU on Sunday by a score of 6-5.

McNeese welcomes Southern Miss to Joe Miller Field at Cowgirl Diamond for its final contest before opening its Southland Conference slate. The Cowgirls hold a record of 12-14 with a mark of 10-7 at home. Last weekend, McNeese traveled to Waco, Texas for a series against Baylor and finished the weekend with a win and a pair of losses.

Southern Miss and McNeese are set to face off for the 38th time in a series that dates back to 1988. The Golden Eagles hold a 25-12 advantage over the Cowgirls, however, McNeese has won six of the last seven contests dating back to 2015.

The Golden Eagles last traveled to Lake Charles for a matchup against McNeese on April 17, 2019. Southern Miss received a home run, four hits, four RBI and a pair of stolen bases from Destini Brown en route to a 10-4 victory. In 2020, the Cowgirls defeated Southern Miss in Hattiesburg by a score of 4-1.

Southern Miss is led offensively by a pair of graduates, Tata Davis and Brown. Davis leads the Golden Eagles in batting average and hits, while Brown has stolen a conference-high 20 bases and has recorded six home runs in 2022.

In the circle, Morgan Leinstock and Jana Lee have carried the load for the Golden Eagles. Leinstock and Lee have pitched all but 14 innings this far in 2022 and have combined for 16 of Southern Miss' 18 victories this season. Lee has also made her mark at the plate, with three home runs and 27 hits so far in her freshman campaign.

Southern Miss takes on McNeese in Lake Charles, La. on Wednesday, March 23. First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m. and the action will be streamed live on ESPN+. 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 McNeese
-The McNeese Cowgirls look to defend Joe Miller Field on Wednesday with a record of 12-14 and a mark of 10-7 at home.
-The Cowgirls last took the field in Waco, Texas for a series against the Baylor Bears. McNeese dropped two of the three contests, winning Saturday's matchup by a score or 5-4.
-McNeese is led by James Landreneau, who is in his sixth year at the helm of the program. He holds a record of 183-118 at his alma mater and has yet to post a losing season.
-Ashley Vallejo and Whitney Tate have seen the majority of the action in the circle for McNeese, posting a combined record of 7-13 with nine complete games between the pair.
-The Cowgirls have recorded 62 steals this season, compared to Southern Miss' 39. Jil Poullard and Reese Reyna have both snatched 11 bases this season and McNeese features seven student-athletes with five or more steals.

Southern Miss-McNeese Series
-Southern Miss and McNeese have battled 37 times in the all-time series, which dates back to 1988.
-The Golden Eagles hold a 25-12 advantage in the series, but McNeese has won six of the last seven meetings between the programs.
-The Black & Gold have hold a record of 8-5 in Lake Charles, and won the last meeting at Joe Miller Field on April 17, 2019.
Southern Miss, 25 | McNeese 12
Home: 12-5
Away: 8-5
Neutral: 5-2
Last Meeting: 4-1, McNeese (2/25/20)

Last Time Out (vs. Middle Tennessee)
-Southern Miss dropped its second Conference USA series last week, winning one of three games against Middle Tennessee in Murfreesboro, Tenn.
-The Golden Eagles defeated the Blue Raiders on Saturday, March 19 by a score of 6-2, but fell in the Friday and Sunday contests.
-Tata Davis recorded six hits over the weekend, while Destini Brown and Maria Smith both picked up home runs in Saturday's victory.
-Southern Miss fell to 1-5 in Conference USA action.

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 101 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 117.1 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 11-5 to start the 2022 season.

Golden Eagles Travel to Take on McNeese on Wednesday Night

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Destini Brown

Tata Davis

Jana Lee

Morgan Leinstock

Maria Smith