Southern Miss Returns Home to Take on UAB

HATTIESBURG, Miss. -- The Southern Miss softball team returns to Hattiesburg to take on the UAB Blazers in a three-game Conference USA series. The Golden Eagles look to pick up three important wins to improve their standing in the conference.

The Black & Gold are set to host UAB at the Southern Miss Softball Complex following four road contests. The Golden Eagles (18-12, 1-5 C-USA) traveled to Murfreesboro, Tenn. last weekend, dropping a C-USA series 1-2 against MTSU. Southern Miss then took on the McNeese Cowgirls in Lake Charles, La., falling by a score of 8-5.

In their most recent game, the Golden Eagles attempted a comeback following a slow start against McNeese. Down 7-0 in the fourth inning, Southern Miss racked up five runs over the course of the fourth and fifth frames. Graduate outfielder Destini Brown recorded the seventh home run of 2022 with a three-run shot to center field in the fifth.

The Golden Eagles welcome UAB to Hattiesburg for the first time since 2018. The Blazers hold a 39-31 advantage in a storied all-time series between the programs. The Black & Gold hold a 17-13 advantage against UAB at home.

Last season, Southern Miss traveled to Birmingham for a four-game series against the Blazers. The Golden Eagles lost three of the four matchups, as UAB claimed a 3-1 series victory between May 7 and May 9. Southern Miss' lone win in the series came on May 8 by a score of 1-0, as Morgan Leinstock pitched a complete game shutout.

UAB enters this series with a 5-1 record in Conference USA competition. The Blazers won two of three games against FIU in Miami before sweeping Marshall last weekend at home. The Blazers last took the field on Wednesday in a 8-1 loss to No. 4 Alabama.

The Golden Eagles are led offensively by Brown, Tata Davis and Jana Lee, who all hold batting averages above .300. Brown leads her squad in home runs, while Davis leads Southern Miss in hits with 37. Lee leads Southern Miss' freshman class with 27 hits, three home runs and 47 total bases.

Southern Miss hosts UAB in Hattiesburg this weekend, starting on Friday at 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday's contests are set to begin at 1 p.m. All three games will be streamed on CUSA.tv, while Saturday and Sunday's games will also be broadcast on 92.7 FM WFOR The Score.

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 UAB
-The UAB Blazers enter this weekend's series with a record of 17-11 and have won eight of their last 10 games.
-UAB holds a record of 5-1 in Conference USA play, having swept Marshall last weekend and winning a series against FIU, 2-1. The Blazers are tied for the top spot in the West Division with North Texas.
-The Blazers are led by second-year head coach Joe Guthrie. The Alabama graduate led UAB to a 31-19 record and a spot in the 2021 Conference USA title game last season.
-UAB features four student-athletes with batting averages above .300. The Blazers have outscored Conference USA opponents 35-11 through six games.
-Conference USA opponents have struggled against UAB's offense, with an ERA of 7.93. Meanwhile, the Blazers' pitchers hold an ERA of just 2.13 against C-USA foes.

Southern Miss-UAB Series
-Southern Miss and UAB have faced off 70 times since 2000, as the Blazers are one of the Golden Eagles most-played opponents in program history.
-UAB holds a 39-31 advantage in the all-time series, including a 21-13 record in matchups in Birmingham and a 5-1 mark in neutral-site games.
-The Golden Eagles are 17-13 against UAB in home matchups. Southern Miss welcomes UAB to Hattiesburg for the first time since 2018.
Southern Miss, 31 | UAB 39
Home: 17-13
Away: 13-21
Neutral: 1-5
Last Meeting: 5-0 UAB (5/9/21)

Last Time Out (at UAB)
-Southern Miss last took the field against McNeese in Lake Charles, La. on Wednesday in a midweek matchup.
-The Golden Eagles fell to the Cowgirls by a score of 8-5, after a late comeback bid fell short.
-Destini Brown recorded her seventh home run of the season, a three-run shot in the top of the fifth.
-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 three hits in four at bats in the loss to McNeese.

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 118.2 innings thus far this season.
-She recorded her first win over a ranked opponent on Wednesday, March 2 against No. 4 Florida.

Southern Miss Returns Home to Take on UAB

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Players Mentioned

Destini Brown

Tata Davis

Jana Lee

Morgan Leinstock

Maria Smith