Southern Miss Softball Opens Sun Belt Play Against Louisiana
HATTIESBURG, Miss. — Southern Miss softball (18-10, 0-0 Sun Belt) hosts Louisiana (16-10, 0-0 Sun Belt) in the opening series of conference play this weekend at the Southern Miss Softball Complex. The series kicks off Friday at 6 p.m. with a game broadcast live on ESPN+.
The Golden Eagles will play two more games against the Ragin’ Cajuns on Saturday at 2 p.m. and Sunday at noon. Clay Sweet will provide play-by-play coverage for all three games. Southern Miss returns home after a six-game road trip, having last played at home on March 3 against Alcorn State. The team is 10-2 at home this season.
Southern Miss is led offensively by Hannah Christian, who boasts a .427 batting average with 23 runs scored, 41 hits, 21 RBIs, and eight doubles. Christian also hit the team’s first home run of the season last weekend. Carrie Green ranks second with a .386 average and an on-base percentage of .494. Abbi Troquille has a team-high .516 on-base percentage, aided by 18 walks and nine hit-by-pitches.
In the circle, Madilyn Graham has a 2.10 ERA over 10 appearances, pitching 33 1/3 innings. Kayla Giardina has worked 77 of Southern Miss’s 186 innings, posting a 1.04 WHIP, an 8-3 record, and a 2.27 ERA. She also leads the team with 51 strikeouts.
Louisiana took a midweek break after a 2-2 stint in Norman, Oklahoma, where the Cajuns defeated Abilene Christian twice and fell twice to No. 4 Oklahoma. Mia Liscano leads UL with a .410 batting average and 20 runs scored. Otto Brooke has an on-base percentage of 1.148 and leads the team with eight doubles, six home runs, and 23 RBIs. Four Cajun pitchers meet the minimum plate appearances, with Sage Hoover pitching 51 2/3 innings and Bethaney Noble posting a 1.80 ERA over 46 2/3 innings.
Louisiana holds a commanding 54-5 all-time series lead over Southern Miss, dating back to their first meeting on March 2, 1987. The Cajuns have won the last nine meetings in Sun Belt play and are on a nine-game winning streak in the series. The Golden Eagles’ last win in Hattiesburg was on March 6, 1988, and they are 0-10 at home against Louisiana. Southern Miss has played only four three-game series against the Cajuns and is 0-12 in those games.
Source: Original Article
