HATTIESBURG, Miss. — Southern Miss softball (33-20, 14-7 Sun Belt) heads to Monroe, Louisiana, for its final regular-season series against ULM (34-19, 16-5 Sun Belt). The three-game set begins April 30 at the ULM Softball Complex.
The Golden Eagles enter the series on a high note after sweeping South Alabama, with head coach Natalie Poole earning her 100th win at Southern Miss. Kayla Giardina pitched a perfect game in the series and was named the Sun Belt Pitcher of the Week. Southern Miss holds a 10-6 record against ULM, including a 3-1 mark in Monroe.
In their last 10 games, the Golden Eagles are 7-3, averaging five runs per game. Abbi Troquille leads the nation with 24 hit-by-pitches. Giardina ranks among the top 15 nationally with five shutouts and a 1.14 walks-per-seven-innings rate. Hannah Christian is in the top 25 with 71 hits, and Nealy McManus has 116 assists, ranking in the top 30 nationally.
Southern Miss ranks fourth in the country with 27 sacrifice flies and is 13th in fielding percentage at .977. The team also ranks 13th with 48 hit-by-pitches. The Golden Eagles lead the Sun Belt with 15 triples and are third in shutouts with eight, third in walks with 192, and fifth in hits with 396.
ULM returns home after winning two of three games against Troy, with two of their victories going to extra innings. The Warhawks are tied with Marshall for first place in the conference. Morgan Brown leads ULM offensively with a .356 batting average, 30 runs, 57 hits, 37 RBIs, 15 doubles, and 94 total bases. Ashanti McDade is the top pitcher with a 16-8 record, a 2.08 ERA, seven complete games, and three saves.
Southern Miss leads the all-time series 10-6 and is 3-1 when playing in Monroe. The teams first faced off in a doubleheader on Feb. 15, 2005, which was split. The Golden Eagles are seeking to extend their recent form, having gone 7-3 in their last 10 games.
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