Southern Miss Hosts Final Home Series Against WKU

HATTIESBURG, Miss. -- The Southern Miss softball team returns to Hattiesburg for its final home series against the WKU Hilltoppers this weekend. The Golden Eagles take the field for the final time at the Southern Miss Softball Complex as they look to take a step closer to a Conference USA tournament berth.

The Black & Gold last took the field on Wednesday against Mississippi State in Starkville, Miss. The Golden Eagles took a 3-0 lead in the early stages of the contest, but could not pick up their second win over the Bulldogs this season, falling by a score of 5-4.

The Golden Eagles have won two of their last three C-USA home series, including a sweep of UTEP at home and a pair of victories over the Charlotte 49ers. Southern Miss looks to pick up a series win over the surging Hilltoppers in Hattiesburg.

WKU enters the weekend series off an upset victory over No. 5 Alabama in Bowling Green, Ky. on Wednesday. The Toppers outlasted Alabama in a low-scoring contest and were propelled to victory by pitcher Shelby Nunn, who held the Crimson Tide to just one earned run in the win.

Hannah Borden has been impressive behind the dish for the Golden Eagles this season. She has caught 16 players stealing thus far in 2022, which leads Conference USA and places her fourth in the nation. The Trussville, Ala. native also leads Southern Miss, along with Destini Brown and Tata Davis, with eight home runs on the season.

Southern Miss squares off with WKU for the first time since 2018 when the Toppers picked up the series win. The Golden Eagles capped off the weekend in Hattiesburg with a 2-0 win in 11 innings on March 11, 2018. Head coach Brian Levin has yet to face off with WKU in his tenure with the Black & Gold.

In the all-time series, Southern Miss trails the Toppers, 8-3, including a 3-3 record in Hattiesburg. The Golden Eagles first battled WKU on April 11, 2015, in a 6-0 loss on the road in Bowling Green.

Southern Miss is set to take on the WKU Hilltoppers in a weekend series in Hattiesburg. Game one is set for 6 p.m. on Friday, April 29, followed by a 1 p.m. start time for game two on Saturday, April 30. The Golden Eagles conclude the series on Sunday, May 1 at noon, and 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 WKU
-The Hilltoppers enter this weekend's series with a 31-9 record, including an 11-4 mark in Conference USA play.
-WKU holds a stellar record of 20-2 at home but has lost seven of 13 contests on the road, including a series loss to FAU in Boca Raton, Fla.
-Shelby Nunn led the Toppers to victory over No. 5 Alabama on Wednesday, as WKU defeated the Crimson Tide, 3-1.
-WKU is led by ninth-year head coach Amy Tudor, who has led the Toppers to a No. 38 ranking in the latest RPI rankings.
-The Toppers sit atop the Conference USA East Division standings and have collected series wins over Charlotte, FIU, UTEP, Marshall and UAB.
-Taylor Davis leads WKU with a batting average of .412, which is the 46th highest in the nation and the third highest in Conference USA.
-WKU's ace, Nunn, holds a record of 18-6 and has an ERA of 1.72, the lowest in Conference USA.

Southern Miss-WKU Series
-Southern Miss takes on WKU for the first time since 2018 and has battled the Hilltoppers 11 times in program history.
-The Hilltoppers hold an 8-3 advantage over the Golden Eagles in a series that dates back to 2015. The Black & Gold have won three of six contests in Hattiesburg against WKU.
-Southern Miss won the last meeting between the programs, outlasting WKU by a score of 2-0 in 11 innings.
Southern Miss, 3 | WKU, 8
Home: 3-3
Away: 0-5
Neutral: 0-0
Last Meeting: 2-0 Southern Miss (3/11/18)

Last Time Out (at Mississippi State)
-The Golden Eagles last took the field against Mississippi State on Wednesday, dropping a 5-4 decision to the Bulldogs.
-Southern Miss racked up 10 hits, compared to Mississippi State's eight, but left 13 runners on base in the loss.
-Destini Brown recorded three hits and a home run against Mississippi State.

D Brown and Tata Make 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.
-Fellow graduate Tata Davis became the Southern Miss program record holder for hits in a career, as the second baseman recorded the 206th hit of her career on April 23 against UTSA.
-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.
-Davis leads Southern Miss with 61 hits thus far this season and will look to extend her record as her final season comes to a close.
-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 180.2 innings thus far this season.
-She recorded her first-career no-hitter on April 14 against the UTEP Miners.

Southern Miss Hosts Final Home Series Against WKU

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Hannah Borden

Destini Brown

Tata Davis

Jana Lee

Morgan Leinstock

Maria Smith