Southern Miss Travels to San Antonio for Series against UTSA

HATTIESBURG, Miss. -- The Southern Miss softball team travels to San Antonio, Texas for a critical Conference USA series this weekend. The Golden Eagles are set to square off with the UTSA Roadrunners in a trio of matchups with heavy conference tournament implications.

The Golden Eagles were dominant in their last outing against the UTEP Miners last weekend. Southern Miss (26-16, 6-9 C-USA) secured the first game of the series in five innings by a score of 8-0 and finished off the sweep with wins by scores of 5-3 and 5-2. The Black & Gold recorded three home runs over the weekend and picked up its first sweep since 2019.

Junior pitcher Morgan Leinstock picked up the first no-hitter of her career on Thursday, April 14 as she threw five strikeouts in the shortened contest. Head coach Brian Levin secured his 400th-career victory as an NCAA coach that same evening.

Southern Miss has picked up wins in eight of its last nine outings, including five Conference USA victories over Charlotte and UTEP. Since March 29, the Golden Eagles have outscored their opponents 48-25 and look to continue their momentum this weekend against UTSA.

The Roadrunners enter this weekend's series with a 14-24 record and a 7-7 mark in Conference USA action. Last weekend, UTSA picked up a pair of victories against UAB, but was unable to go for the sweep, as the final game was canceled due to inclement weather.

UTSA last took the field for a midweek contest on April 19 against Texas State on the road. The Roadrunners were bested by the Bobcats in five innings by a score of 8-0 and will look to bounce back at home this weekend.

The Golden Eagles and Roadrunners have squared off 28 times in the all-time series, which dates back to 1999. Southern Miss holds a 17-11 advantage but has dropped the last five games of the series to UTSA. Last season, UTSA swept a four-game series in Hattiesburg.

Southern Miss takes on the UTSA Roadrunners in San Antonio this weekend, starting on Friday, April 22 at 6 p.m. Game two of the series is scheduled to take place on Saturday, April 23 at 1 p.m. and the series finale is slated for Sunday, April 24 at 1 p.m. All three contests will be streamed on CUSA.tv.

Fans can follow live stats by visiting 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 UTSA
-UTSA enters this weekend's series with a record of 14-24, including a Conference USA mark of 7-7.
-The Roadrunners were successful in their last series in Conference USA play, knocking off the UAB Blazers in a doubleheader last weekend. The series finale was canceled due to inclement weather.
-UTSA holds a record of 4-6 at home at Roadrunner Field this season, which includes C-USA wins against North Texas and Charlotte.
-The Roadrunners suffered an 8-0 loss in their last outing on April 19 in a nonconference contest with Texas State.
-UTSA holds a ranking of No. 155 in the latest RPI rankings.
-The Roadrunners sit just above Southern Miss in the Conference USA West Division standings.

Southern Miss-UTSA Series
-Southern Miss has faced off with UTSA 28 times in a series that dates back to 1999. The Golden Eagles hold a 17-11 advantage over the Roadrunners.
-Southern Miss has dropped the last five meetings between the foes, including a defeat in the 2019 Conference USA Tournament.
-The Golden Eagles travel to San Antonio for the first time since 2018, when the Black & Gold won the series against the Roadrunners, 2-1.
-The Black & Gold hold a 4-2 advantage against UTSA in San Antonio.
Southern Miss, 17 | UTSA, 11
Home: 8-8
Away: 4-2
Neutral: 5-1
Last Meeting: 7-2 UTSA, 4/11/21

Last Time Out (vs. UTEP)
-The Golden Eagles last took the field last weekend against the UTEP Miners.
-Southern Miss secured its first series sweep since 2019, knocking off UTEP by scores of 8-0, 5-3 and 5-2.
-Morgan Leinstock recorded the first no-hitter of her career and the first for Southern Miss since 2020.
-Head coach Brian Levin secured his 400th-career victory as an NCAA head coach in the first game of the series on April 14.

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 107 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. threw 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 171.2 innings thus far this season.
-She recorded her first-career no-hitter on April 14 against the UTEP Miners.

Southern Miss Travels to San Antonio for Series against UTSA

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Players Mentioned

Destini Brown

Jana Lee

Morgan Leinstock

Maria Smith