Southern Miss
Kennesaw State
Softball Continues on the Road for I-75 Challenge
3/2/2023 6:43:00 PM | Softball
ATLANTA–On Wednesday, the Southern Miss softball team (12-2, 0-0 Sun Belt) was ousted by No. 9 Alabama 5-0, handing the Golden Eagles their second loss of the year. The Black & Gold will now travel to Atlanta, Georgia, where they compete in the I-75 Challenge against Brown, Kennesaw State, and Georgia Tech on March 3-5 at Bailey Park.
Last time out
After two scoreless innings, the Crimson Tide finally got on the board in the bottom of the third. Jenna Johnson, the left fielder, homered to left field in the bottom of the fourth for a three-run shot from Kali Heivilin. Faith Hensley then ran home to increase the Tide's lead to 4-0 for the game. In the bottom of the fifth inning, designated player Bailey Dowling blasted an RBI double to left field, bringing Prange home. This marked the end of Alabama's scoring. Next, Alex Salter would take Fouts' spot in the circle at the top of the seventh. Kinsely Gordon's hit to left field in the top of the eighth gave the team one more opportunity to score, but Natalie Hurdle stuck out swinging and had to leave the batter's box.
Opponents for this weekend include Kennesaw State (5-10, 0-0 ASUN) and Georgia Tech (8-8, 0-0 ACC), who hold the all-time series advantage over Southern Miss. This will be the first meeting for Southern Miss and Brown.
Scouting the Opponents
Kennesaw State
- The Kennesaw State softball team heads into the weekend with a 5-10 overall record under the direction of fifth-year head coach Tripp Mackay.
- Those five wins come from Tennessee Tech, Mercer, Troy, No.9 Alabama, and Samford.
- On day one of Bama Bash, the Owls fell to the Crimson Tide 2-9 but, on the last day, could find a 5-3 victory over then No.11.
- Kennesaw State is set to join Conference USA next year.
- The Owls were picked to finish third in the ASUN preseason coaches' poll.
- Infielder Taylor Cates represented Kennesaw State softball on the 2023 ASUN Preseason All-Conference team.
- Cates was also named the No. 7 third baseman in the country entering 2023 by Extra Inning Softball and was placed No. 87 on Extra Inning Softball's Extra Elite 100.
Georgia Tech
- Georgia Tech will hit the field with an 8-8 overall record led by 10th-season head coach Aileen Morales.
- The Yellow Jackets finished a mid-week match-up against No.18 Georgia last Tuesday. They dropped the match 8-0 for the Bulldogs to record a run-rule victory in six innings.
- Georgia Tech softball catcher Emma Kauf has been ranked as the No. 85 player in the nation by D1Softball within its Preseason D100 Player Rankings, been ranked as the No. 8 catcher in the country by D1Softball within its national top-10 catcher rankings, and has been named to the 2023 Preseason All-ACC Softball Team.
- The Jackets were voted to finish sixth in the 2023 ACC Softball Preseason Coaches Poll, up a spot from a season ago.
Brown
- Brown enters the weekend with a 1-4 overall weekend under the direction of eighth-year head coach Kate Refsynder.
- The Bears last played North Dakota State Sunday dropping the match up 2-0 in Auburn, Ala., for the last day of the Plainsman Invitational.
- Their lone win came on the first day of the Plainsman Invitational against Merrimack 7-5.
- Brown softball was picked to finish tied for sixth with Cornell in the 2023 Ivy League Preseason Softball Poll.
Southern Miss vs. Kennesaw State series
- Kennesaw State leads the series 4-1, with matches dating back to 2007.
- The Golden Eagles last faced the Owls in 2011 at the Southern Miss Softball Complex for an 8-6 loss.
- The lone win from the Black & Gold in 2008 at Kennesaw State for a nine-inning 1-0 victory.
Southern Miss vs. Georgia Tech series
- Georgia Tech leads the series 2-0, with the only match-up in 2013 coming from a double-header sweep in Atlanta, Ga.
Southern Miss vs. Brown series
- This is the first-ever match between Southern Miss and Brown.
Live streaming and stats will be available.
Follow the Southern Miss softball team on social media, @SouthernMissSB on Twitter, @southernmisssb on Instagram, and at facebook.com/SouthernMissSB.
