The University of Southern Mississippi softball team travels to Hammond, Louisiana, to play Southeastern on Wednesday at 5 p.m. at North Oak Park, according to the school’s athletics department. The game will be streamed on ESPN+ with Tyler Thomas providing commentary.
Southern Miss enters the game with an 18-9 record and has not started Sun Belt Conference play. The Golden Eagles are wrapping up a six-game road trip that began last Friday at the Jacksonville Spring Break Classic, where they went 4-1. Their only loss came against North Florida, 3-2.
Hannah Christian led Southern Miss with a .524 batting average during the tournament, hitting her first home run of the season against Brown. She also posted 11 hits and 10 RBIs over the weekend. Carrie Green batted .667 with six walks, reaching base 17 times. Christian maintains a team-high .424 batting average on the season, with 39 hits, 22 runs scored, and 21 RBIs.
In the circle, Kayla Giardina pitched 20 1/3 innings with a 2.07 ERA and a 2-1 record. Madilyn Graham went 2-0 with a 1.91 ERA over 11 innings. Giardina also leads the team with 51 strikeouts on the year.
Southeastern, meanwhile, holds an 18-9 overall record and is 3-0 in Southland Conference play after sweeping East Texas A&M last weekend. The Lady Lions also defeated UT Arlington on the road. Shelby Morris leads Southeastern with a .378 batting average, 34 hits, and 24 runs scored. Maria Detillier has four home runs this season.
On the mound, Cera Blanchard has pitched 51 1/3 innings with a 7-1 record and a 1.23 ERA. Hallie Burns and Haley Crawford have also contributed significantly, with Crawford posting a 1.14 ERA over 40 1/3 innings.
Southern Miss aims to build momentum before starting Sun Belt Conference action this weekend.
