LAFAYETTE, La. — Southern Miss softball will take on South Alabama in the Sun Belt Conference tournament quarterfinals Thursday at 7 p.m. at Yvette Girouard Field at Lamson Park, according to the university.
The Golden Eagles enter the postseason with a 33-23 record and a 14-10 mark in conference play. Southern Miss finished the regular season with its most wins since 2010 and secured 14 conference wins for the first time since 2016.
Four players received All-Sun Belt honors, led by Hannah Christian, who earned first-team recognition. Kayce Bennett was named to the second team. Southern Miss has won five straight games against South Alabama, dating back to March 28, 2025.
The team recorded the program’s fourth perfect game in history, pitched by Kayla Giardina in a win over South Alabama on April 26. Giardina was also honored with an All-Sun Belt honorable mention. Abbi Troquille ranks third nationally with 24 hit-by-pitches, while Giardina is among the top 20 with five shutouts. Nealy McManus is 22nd nationwide with 124 assists, Bennett is 23rd with 13 runners caught stealing, and Christian ranks 30th with 73 hits.
Southern Miss ranks fifth nationally with 27 sacrifice flies and holds a 0.976 fielding percentage, placing 15th in the country. The team also ranks 16th with 49 hit-by-pitches and 32nd with 15 triples.
South Alabama enters as the No. 5 seed after defeating Louisiana in a three-game series to break a tie with James Madison. The Jaguars are led by Virginia Mambelli, who boasts a .336 batting average, 1.081 OPS, and a .627 slugging percentage. Ryley Harrison leads the pitching staff with a 2.55 ERA, a 15-12 record, and 169 strikeouts.
In the all-time series, South Alabama leads 21-12-1. Southern Miss has won six of the last 10 matchups, including a 5-4 victory in the 2024 Sun Belt tournament. The teams last met in 2024, with Southern Miss prevailing.
Fans can follow updates on Southern Miss softball through the team’s Facebook, X (@SouthernMissSB), and Instagram accounts.
