Southern Miss Softball Hosts James Madison in Three-Game Series
HATTIESBURG, Miss. — Southern Miss softball is set to host James Madison in a three-game series beginning April 2 at the Southern Miss Softball Complex. The first game is scheduled for 6 p.m. and will be streamed on ESPN+, according to university officials.
The Golden Eagles enter the series with a 25-14 record overall and a 6-3 mark in Sun Belt Conference play. They have won three straight conference series, a feat not achieved since 2006, with head coach Natalie Poole leading the team to its highest win total in recent seasons. Southern Miss has hit 13 home runs in their last 15 games, with sophomore Hannah Christian leading the team with four.
James Madison holds a 3-2 series lead over Southern Miss, with their most recent matchup resulting in a 2-0 victory for the Golden Eagles in Harrisonburg, Virginia. The teams first met in 2024, and JMU will play in Hattiesburg for the first time in program history.
Several players are nationally ranked or among the leaders in various statistical categories. Abbi Troquille leads the nation with 19 hit-by-pitches, while Kayce Bennett is seventh in stolen bases with 11. Hannah Christian ranks in the top 10 nationally in hits with 56. Nealy McManus is 15th in assists with 91, and Madilyn Graham is 31st in shutouts with three.
Southern Miss also ranks second nationally in sacrifice flies with 23 and is in the top five in hit-by-pitches (41), fielding percentage (.981), walks (148), and total hits (310). The team leads the Sun Belt in triples (12) and ranks second in doubles (58), third in sacrifice bunts (23), and fourth in batting average (.312).
James Madison opened conference play with a series win over Georgia Southern. However, the Dukes were swept by South Alabama in a three-game series March 28-29 in Harrisonburg, allowing five or more runs per game. Kendra Lewis leads JMU offensively with a .477 batting average, an .985 slugging percentage, nine doubles, eight home runs, and 16 walks. Taylor Johnson leads the pitching staff with a 4.48 ERA and a 1.94 WHIP.
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Source: Original Article
