University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Friday, March 27
Troy, Ala. / Troy Softball Complex
6 p.m.
Southern Miss
at
Troy
Softball Travels to Troy for Weekend Series to Continue Conference Play
3/26/2026 2:29:00 PM | Softball
HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Southern Miss softball (23-13, Sun Belt 4-2) hits the road for a weekend series against Troy (21-10, Sun Belt 3-3) March 27-29. The series opener is slated for 6:00 p.m. and will be streamed to ESPN+ and can be followed along on live stats.
Southern Miss has opened conference play with back-to-back series wins, the first time since 2014, and is the best start under head coach Natalie Poole to tie last season's 23 wins. The Golden Eagles have hit 11 home runs in the last 12 games, with Sun Belt Player of the Week Hannah Christian and red-shirt sophomore Kayce Bennett at the forefront with three apiece.
The Golden Eagles are 8-20 against Troy all-time, with the first series win coming from last year in Hattiesburg. Southern Miss is 2-5 when playing in Troy, Ala., with the most recent road win coming in 2024, 10-1, preventing the sweep.
Abbi Troquille is tied for second in the nation in hit by pitches (16), Christian is tied-for fourth in the nation in hits (55), Nealy McManus is top 10 in the country in assists (86) with Troquille in the top 25 (77) and Bennett is top 30 in the country and first in the Sun Belt in catching runners stealing (8). Kayla Giardina is top 50 in the country in complete games (7), top 40 in saves (2), top 45 in victories (10) and ranked 51 in WHIP (1.08).
Southern Miss leads the nation tied with Oregon in SAC flies (22), ranked sixth in the country in hit by pitches (35), top 15 in the nation in fielding percentage (0.980), ranked 21st in triples (11), ranked 26th in the nation in hits (291) and ranked top 45 in the nation for on base percentage (0.417).
Troy opened conference play getting swept by South Alabama, then turned around and swept Georgia State, scoring less than five runs in a game through all six games. The Trojans are fresh off a 12-6 midweek victory at Kennesaw State with a five-run seventh inning to seal the game away.
Makaley Boswell leads the Trojans in slugging percentage (.840), RBIs (32), triples (4), home runs (6), hits (42) and stolen bases (15-15). Abby Lovell leads Troy in the circle in ERA (2.23), WHIP (1.05) and strikeouts (74) with Ella Cunningham having the most victories (6) and the best batting average against (.209).
Series History
For the latest information on Southern Miss Softball, follow the program on Facebook (facebook.com/SouthernMissSB), X (@SouthernMissSB) and Instagram (@southernmisssb).
Southern Miss has opened conference play with back-to-back series wins, the first time since 2014, and is the best start under head coach Natalie Poole to tie last season's 23 wins. The Golden Eagles have hit 11 home runs in the last 12 games, with Sun Belt Player of the Week Hannah Christian and red-shirt sophomore Kayce Bennett at the forefront with three apiece.
The Golden Eagles are 8-20 against Troy all-time, with the first series win coming from last year in Hattiesburg. Southern Miss is 2-5 when playing in Troy, Ala., with the most recent road win coming in 2024, 10-1, preventing the sweep.
Abbi Troquille is tied for second in the nation in hit by pitches (16), Christian is tied-for fourth in the nation in hits (55), Nealy McManus is top 10 in the country in assists (86) with Troquille in the top 25 (77) and Bennett is top 30 in the country and first in the Sun Belt in catching runners stealing (8). Kayla Giardina is top 50 in the country in complete games (7), top 40 in saves (2), top 45 in victories (10) and ranked 51 in WHIP (1.08).
Southern Miss leads the nation tied with Oregon in SAC flies (22), ranked sixth in the country in hit by pitches (35), top 15 in the nation in fielding percentage (0.980), ranked 21st in triples (11), ranked 26th in the nation in hits (291) and ranked top 45 in the nation for on base percentage (0.417).
Troy opened conference play getting swept by South Alabama, then turned around and swept Georgia State, scoring less than five runs in a game through all six games. The Trojans are fresh off a 12-6 midweek victory at Kennesaw State with a five-run seventh inning to seal the game away.
Makaley Boswell leads the Trojans in slugging percentage (.840), RBIs (32), triples (4), home runs (6), hits (42) and stolen bases (15-15). Abby Lovell leads Troy in the circle in ERA (2.23), WHIP (1.05) and strikeouts (74) with Ella Cunningham having the most victories (6) and the best batting average against (.209).
Series History
- Troy leads the matchup 20-8
- Southern Miss won the first series in program history against Troy last season, 2-1 at home
- The Golden Eagles are 2-5 when playing in Troy
- In the last 10 matchups, Southern Miss is 4-6
For the latest information on Southern Miss Softball, follow the program on Facebook (facebook.com/SouthernMissSB), X (@SouthernMissSB) and Instagram (@southernmisssb).
Players Mentioned
C
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
RHP
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
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