FIRST PITCH: The third weekend of Sun Belt Conference softball is set to commence on Friday with all 12 teams in action. 

THUNDERING ON: With its victory over Northern Kentucky on Tuesday, Marshall (28-3, 4-0 SBC) notched its 18^th consecutive victory, surpassing the Herd’s previous program record of 17 straight wins set in 2017. The active win streak ranks third nationally, with Marshall sitting behind Oklahoma (1^st, W22) and Clemson (2^nd, W20). The streak has been a microcosm of the team’s overarching success in 2023. With its 28-3 overall record, the Herd is off to their best start in program history and sits atop the Sun Belt Conference standings with an unblemished 4-0 mark in league play. Marshall also leads the Sun Belt in batting average (.374), on-base percentage (.460), slugging percentage (.589), hits (301), RBI (224), stolen bases (81), and ERA (1.32). Nationally, the Herd rank in the top 10 in eight statistical categories: batting average (2^nd), ERA (6^th), on-base percentage (2^nd), scoring (2^nd), stolen bases per game (5^th), strikeout-to-walk ratio (9^th), triples per game ( 7^th), and win-loss percentage (5^th). 
 
TRENDING UP: Heading into weekend three of conference action, eight Sun Belt teams moved up in the RPI while nine programs broke into the Top 100. Louisiana leads the pack at No. 16, followed by Troy (56), Marshall (58), South Alabama (57), Texas State (60), Coastal Carolina (73), App State (79), James Madison (83), and ULM (98). The Ragin’ Cajuns also held onto a spot in the ESPN / USA Softball Top 25 at No. 25 for the second consecutive week and for the fifth time this season. 
 
AUTUMN’S SEASON: Marshall’s Autumn Owen earned a spot on D1Softball’s Pitcher and Catcher Power Rankings this week. Owen sits in the top 10 nationally in eight statistical categories: batting average (6^th, .500), home runs (1^st, 15), home runs per game (2^nd, .48), on-base percentage (5^th, .591), RBIs (1^st, 54), runs per game (6^th, 1.26) slugging percentage (1^st, 1.116), and total bases (2^nd, 96). 

Sun Belt Softball Games – Week Three
 

Matchup	Friday March 31	Saturday April 1	Sunday April 2
Georgia State at Marshall		9:00 a.m. CT	9:00 a.m. CT 11:00 a.m. CT
Louisiana at James Madison	1:00 p.m. CT	11:00 a.m. CT	2:00 p.m. CT
Texas State at App State	4:00 p.m. CT	1:00 p.m. CT	11:00 a.m. CT
Georgia Southern at Coastal Carolina	5:00 p.m. CT	1:00 p.m. CT	11:00 a.m. CT
Troy at Southern Miss	5:00 p.m. CT	2:00 p.m. CT	12:00 p.m. CT
ULM at South Alabama	6:00 p.m. CT	3:00 p.m. CT	1:00 p.m. CT

 
Georgia State at Marshall 
Huntington, W.Va. | Dot Hicks Field
April 1, 9:00 a.m. CT | April 2, 9:00 a.m. CT / 11:00 a.m. CT
Series Record: Marshall leads, 4-2
Last Meeting: March 5, 2000 – Marshall 4, Georgia State 1
• Marshall and Georgia State will meet for the first time since 2003 this weekend. In their last meeting, the Herd took the victory to improve to 4-2 in the series history with the Panthers. 
• Georgia State (13-19, 2-4 SBC) is coming off a 3-1 loss to Jacksonville State in a midweek matchup. Elle Doolittle pitched all six innings, letting up five hits resulting in three runs to fall 6-4 on the season. 
• The Panthers clinched the series with Coastal Carolina last weekend with a 6-5 victory on Saturday. Senior Emily Brown kept her hit streak alive, going four-for-seven at the plate and scoring two runs, batting in four. She is currently on a nine-game hit streak. 
• Emily Brown leads the team in batting average (.374), hits (40), runs scored (26) and stolen bases (14).
•  The Panthers rank third in the conference and 23^rd nationally with 64 stolen bases on the year. 
• Marshall enters weekend three of Sun Belt action on an 18-game win streak, its longest in program history. The active win streak ranks third nationally, with Marshall sitting behind Oklahoma (1^st, W22) and Clemson (2^nd, W20).
• The Herd have set numerous records in 2023 and have already notched 28 wins in 31 games, its best mark in the team’s 30-year history. 
• Marshall leads the Sun Belt in batting average (.374), on-base percentage (.460), slugging percentage (.589), hits (301), RBI (224), stolen bases (81), and ERA (1.32). Nationally, the Herd rank in the top 10 in eight statistical categories: batting average (2^nd), ERA (6^th), on-base percentage (2^nd), scoring (2^nd), stolen bases per game (5^th), strikeout-to-walk ration (9^th), triples per game ( 7^th), win-loss percentage (5^th).
• Autumn Owen is the current home run leader in the NCAA with 15 home runs in 2023. Owen also has the most RBIs in the country with 54 runs driven in. 
• Sydney Nester has continued her dominance in the circle in conference play, having thrown 20 consecutive scoreless innings to open league action. Nester is also second in the country with 16 wins and seven shutouts. 
 
Louisiana at James Madison 
Harrisonburg, Va. | Veterans Memorial Park
March 31, 1:00 p.m. CT | April 1, 11:00 a.m. CT | April 2, 2:00 p.m. CT
Series Record: Series tied, 1-1
Last Meeting: February 21, 2014 – James Madison 3, Louisiana 0
• No. 25 Louisiana travels to Harrisonburg, Virginia to meet James Madison in Sun Belt Conference play for the first time. It’s also the first matchup on either team’s campus. The prior two meetings between the Ragin’ Cajuns and Dukes took place in Clearwater Florida in the NFCA Leadoff Classic. The two programs swapped victories in Clearwater: Louisiana won 9-1 (6 inn.) in the first meeting and James Madison posted a 3-0 triumph in the latter. 
• Last weekend, the Ragin’ Cajuns collected their 75^th consecutive Sun Belt series victory after starting the App State series with back-to-back shutout victories. 
• The Ragin Cajuns streak of 75 consecutive Sun Belt Conference series won is the nation’s longest active streak of consecutive conference series won. The incredible feat began 10 years ago on March 29, 2013 with a doubleheader sweep of FIU. 
• Louisiana’s pitching staff enters the James Madison series having yielded single digits in runs over each of the first two Sun Belt series (USM, APP). 
• The weekend set in Harrisonburg features two teams alike in hitting and pitching. The batting averages are separated by just 10 points (.301, Louisiana; .291, James Madison) and both squad’s ERA stand at 2.54. 
• The Ragin' Cajuns have already posted 14 wins away from home: 6-3 in true road games with wins at UCF, LSU and Florida; 8-5 in neutral site contests, winning the last seven in pre-conference tournament play.
• The Ragin' Cajuns were weathered and tested for Sun Belt play, having faced eight ranked teams in the early portion of non-conference action.
• In pre-conference tournament play, Louisiana claimed three wins over ranked teams, six wins over Power 5 foes and nine wins over Top 100 RPI teams.
• To date, Louisiana has played the fourth (4th) toughest schedule in D1 Softball based upon games already played. The teams faced thus far have a combined 611-316-5 (.658) record.
• In the NCAA's latest official release of the RPI (Wednesday, March 29), the Ragin' Cajuns were ranked No. 16 - the highest ranking among Sun Belt programs.
• For the season, Karly Heath is the Ragin’ Cajuns leader in home runs (7), total extra base hits (13), RBI (24), base hits (30) and runs scored (29). The senior utility player is batting .357, slugging .690, and is 3-0 with a 2.15 ERA and 31 strikeouts over 26 innings in the circle. 
• Meghan Schorman recorded her third complete game shutout of the season with her three-hit shutout of App State. Schorman is off to a 3-0 start in Sun Belt play, yielding just 10 hits and striking out 22 over 16-2/3 innings. For the season, she leads Louisiana's staff in wins (9) and strikeouts (79).
• Mikyia Davis ranks fourth nationally in stolen bases with 28 swipes. 
• James Madison enters the series with Louisiana on a seven-game win streak. Additionally, it’s the most consecutive wins for the program since coming out on top 28 games in a row from March 28 through May 28, 2021. 
• The Dukes completed its sweep of Georgia Southern on Sunday, blanking the Eagles 9-0 in five innings. Freshman Kylah Berry earned the win for the Dukes, recording three strikeouts through five innings pitched.
• The shutout marks James Madison’s second in conference play. Earlier in the season, the Dukes captured a series victory over Coastal Carolina with a 1-0 win on March 19. 
• KK Mathis’ three RBIs on Sunday made it her fifth time producing three or more in a game. The freshman recorded seven RBIs in the series against Georgia Southern while also going 9-for-17 (.529) at the plate with a grand slam, four doubles, and four runs scored. She was named the Sun Belt Conference Player of the Week on Tuesday. 
• The Dukes are second in the conference with 5.63 runs per game and third with a .385 on-base percentage. Their .499 slugging percentage is also good for third in the Sun Belt. 
• Kylah Berry leads James Madison in the circle and ranks fifth in the conference with an ERA of 1.77.
 
Texas State at App State 
Boone, N.C. | Sywassink/Lloyd Family Stadium
March 31, 4:00 p.m. CT | April 1, 1:00 p.m. CT | April 2, 11:00 a.m. CT
Series Record: Texas State leads, 14-3
Last Meeting: May 11, 2022 – Texas State 2, App State 0
• App State is set to host Texas State for a trio of contests this weekend. Both teams are ranked in the top 100 of the NCAA softball RPI. 
• App State has won three games in a row with three different pitchers. Sejal Neas led the Mountaineers to their first ranked win in program history against No. 23 Louisiana, Delani Buckner struck out a season-high 10 batters at N.C. Central, and Kaylie Northrop later struck out 14, tying for the most by a Sun Belt pitcher in a game this season. 
• Kayt Houston and Mary Pierce Barnes both reached 150 career hits in the last week. Houston leads the offense this year with 38 hits, 22 runs, and a .396 batting average. Barnes has recorded seven hits in her last four games. 
• The Mountaineers are 11-0 this season when they score a run in the first inning. 
• Taylor Thorp has slammed two home runs in the last week, including a three-run bomb in the historic win at Louisiana. 
• Texas State fell by only a run in its last game against No. 21 Baylor in extra innings after a 1-2 series loss to South Alabama last weekend. 
• Two weeks ago, the Bobcats swept the weekly conference awards after defeating two nationally ranked top-10 opponents the same weekend. Jessica Mullins was the Sun Belt Pitcher of the Week for the sixth time in her career and Piper Randolph was named Sun Belt Player of the Week. 
• Hannah Earls leads the offense with a .387 batting average and 43 hits. Mullins is 12-7 in the circle with an ERA of 1.85. 
• Mullins sits third in the conference and 16^th nationally with 12 victories in 2023. 
• Texas State is 14^th in the nation in producing double plays this season and leads the conference. 
 
Georgia Southern at Coastal Carolina 
Conway, S.C. | St. John Stadium
March 31, 5:00 p.m. CT | April 1, 1:00 p.m. CT | April 2, 11:00 a.m. CT
Series Record: Series tied, 16-16
Last Meeting: April 10, 2021 – Georgia Southern 7, Coastal Carolina 6
• Georgia Southern travels to Conway, S.C., to take on Coastal Carolina in a three-game Sun Belt series beginning on Friday. 
• The last meeting between the Eagles and the Chanticleers came in April of 2021, a three-game series in Conway where Georgia Southern won two of three games. Coastal won the first game on April 9 (5-3), but the Eagles won both games on April 10, winning 7-6 and 9-1 in six innings. 
• The Eagles are 11-17 overall and 1-5 in the Sun Belt after dropping all three games at James Madison last weekend. 
• Georgia Southern fell to 0-8 on the road this season with the sweep at the hands of the Dukes, but the four opponents the Eagles have faced on the road so far this season (No. 9 Alabama, No. 5 Florida State, Georgia Tech, James Madison) have a combined 86-39 record, and a .688 winning percentage. 
• Georgia Southern has a batting average of .241 and has driven in 85 RBIs. 
• Courtney Ball is the leadoff hitter for the Eagles and has posted a .318 batting average while driving in 11 RBIs on the season. 
• Morgan Kendrick leads the team with a 3.86 ERA and has posted a 6-1 record in the circle. The redshirt freshman is also atop the team with 58 strikeouts in 49 innings of work. 
• Coastal Carolina dropped its series with Georgia State, 1-2, last week. In their lone win, the Chants topped the Panthers, 11-3. Iyanla De Jesus (4-2) recorded four strikeouts and allowed three runs in 5.1 innings of work to secure her fourth win of the season. 
• Abbey Montoya set a career-high of four hits and four runs to help Coastal secure an 11-3 win over Georgia State in its final matchup on Sunday afternoon. During the game, Montoya smashed an RBI double and her second home run of the season. 
• With 25 victories already on the season, Coastal has bested its win count from 2022. 
• The Chants rank 27^th nationally with a .314 batting average and 29^th with a .396 on-base percentage. Coastal has also used the long ball to their advantage and ranks 15^th in the country with 1.29 home runs per game. 
• Diamond Williams is a key player for Coastal’s offense and has recorded nine home runs on the season, a mark that ranks 27^th nationally. The transfer senior also ranks 21^st in NCAA Division I with 34 RBIs.
• In the circle, the Chants boast a 2.08 ERA, a mark that’s good for 30^th in the country. Starting pitcher Raelee Brabham paces the squad with 129 strikeouts on the year to sit 30^th nationally, while her 10.8 strikeouts per seven innings rank 11^th. 
 
Troy at Southern Miss 
Hattiesburg, Miss. | Southern Miss Softball Complex
March 31, 5:00 p.m. CT | April 1, 2:00 p.m. CT | April 2, 12:00 p.m. CT
Series Record: Troy leads, 13-5
Last Meeting: March 6, 2021 – Southern Miss 4, Troy 3
• The Trojans (23-9-1, 4-1-1 SBC) continue Sun Belt action against the Golden Eagles (15-12, 0-6 SBC), looking to grab their third straight series win to open conference play after going 2-1 at ULM this past weekend. 
• Leanna Johnson cemented her name at ULM when she earned the 94^th win of her career to become Troy’s all-time leader in wins as she led Troy to a 9-2 victory to clinch the series win on Sunday. A sacrifice fly by Libby Baker in the top of the fifth drove in the game-winning run – and a grand slam by Taylor McKinney to open the sixth were critical in the triumph. 
• Game two saw McKinney and Baker shine again as they combined for six RBIs and four hits. Anslee Finch joined them with a multi-hit game, going 2-for-4 in her at-bats.  
• Leanna Johnson leads the country in wins (17) and is third for innings pitched through 24 appearances at 122.1. She also ranks 19^th in ERA with a 1.12 and 22^nd in strikeouts with 118. 
• The two wins over Texas State last weekend marked the second straight season that Troy won multiple games over Top 25 opponents – defeated No. 21 LSU and No. 25 Ohio State in 2022. 
• Jade Sinness has shined since Troy opened conference play. Through two series against Texas State and ULM, she is the only Trojans with a .400-plus batting average. In 20 at-bats, she has eight hits for six runs and three RBIs. 
• Through 33 games, Taylor McKinney leads the Trojans in numerous statistical categories, including batting average (.375), slugging percentage (.729), on-base percentage (.465), runs scored (26), hits (36), runs batted in (33), homers (8), and total bases (70). 
• When the Trojans score five or more runs, they boast a record of 14-3. 
• Southern Miss is still seeking its first conference victory headed into the third weekend of Sun Belt action. 
• Southern Miss’ last win came against Jackson State on March 7. This past weekend, the Golden Eagles got blanked twice, 4-0, 4-0, and dropped another by eight runs, 17-8, against first-place Marshall. 
• Jana Lee, at 5-10, stands as the best batter for USM at .355 for 21^st in the league. Their next highest average is ranked 48^th at .301 from Hannah Borden. Bordon has the ability to knock the ball for extra-base hits. Through 27 games, she ranks seventh in the conference with eight doubles in 2023. 
• Morgan Leinstock is USM's ace in the pitcher's circle, leading the Golden Eagles with 20 appearances for a team-high 2.44 ERA. With over 100 innings pitched, Leinstock has given up 90 hits while striking out 121 batters for fifth in the conference. 
 
ULM at South Alabama 
Mobile, Ala. | Jaguar Field
March 31, 6:00 p.m. CT | April 1, 3:00 p.m. CT | April 2, 1:00 p.m. CT
Series Record: South Alabama leads, 40-9
Last Meeting: April 24, 2022 – South Alabama 2, ULM 0 
• Coming off a series win at Texas State, South Alabama (22-10, 5-1 SBC), winners of eight of its last nine, returns home to welcome ULM. 
• Dating back to last spring, the Jaguars have won six-straight regular-season Sun Belt games at Jaguar Field. 
• The Jags will aim to extend their series win streak against the Warhawks, entering the weekend besting ULM in the last five. 
• Meredith Keel enters the weekend series having had a hit in seven of her last nine and reached base safely in nine of 10 while Victoria Ortiz has had a hit in each of her last six and 10 of her last 11. 
• Ortiz (.359) and Keel (.355) lead the club at the plate, while Ortiz leads the club in doubles (7), home runs (6) and RBI (32).  Both Ortiz and Keel have a team-best 33 hits, scored 23 runs and 10 multi-hit outings this spring, while Ortiz also has 10 multi-RBI outings, registering eight of them over her last 13 games.
• Olivia Lackie is 24 strikeouts shy of reaching 600 for her career and 27 shy of matching Farish Beard's (2012-15) total of 603, which ranks fourth all-time at South. Lackie has been credited with the win in four of her last five starts. Since her Feb. 17 start vs. Mississippi Valley State, Lackie has allowed one or fewer runs in 11 of her last 14 starts, tossing nine shutouts over that stretch.
• Jenna Hardy 1.67) and Lackie (1.76) rank third and fourth in the Sun Belt in ERA, while Lackie (.184) is second in opposing batting average and fifth in strikeouts. 
• As a staff, South Alabama has a 1.73 ERA and is holding opponents to a .198 batting average - which both rank second in the Sun Belt - while the Jags are third in the conference in strikeouts (220). The Jaguars' 66 strikeouts also lead the league.
• ULM (19-15, 3-3 SBC) will look to snap a three-game skid when it travels to Mobile this weekend. 
• The Warhawks dropped the series with Troy (1-2) in the second weekend of conference play.
• Victoria Abrams tossed a one-hitter en route to her first career shutout while Campbell Selman and Madison Blount each provided two-out RBI singles as ULM notched its lone victory against Troy (2-0). 
• The Warhawks fell to Mississippi State, 7-1, in their midweek matchup. 
• ULM boasts a conference-best .980 fielding percentage, a mark that’s also good for ninth nationally. 
• Lourdes Bacon sits third in the Sun Belt and 44^th in the country with 16 stolen bases in 2023.