FIRST PITCH: After crossing the midway point of conference play last week, each of the 12 Sun Belt Conference softball programs are set to continue conference action with six matchups slated to begin on Friday. 
 
SUN BELT STRONG: Seven Sun Belt teams rank in the top 100 of the RPI heading into the sixth weekend of league play: Louisiana (10), South Alabama (52), Texas State (54), Troy (55), Marshall (58), Coastal Carolina (64), and James Madison (86). The Sun Belt also ranks first among non-autonomy conferences at sixth in the national RPI. 
 
AT THE TOP: The No. 25 Ragin’ Cajuns seek to protect their lead in the Sun Belt standings, entering the weekend with a two-game lead over second-place Marshall and three wins clear of everyone in the league. Louisiana will also aim to extend its conference win streak which currently stands at nine straight games, the program’s longest since winning 13 straight in 2021. The Ragin’ Cajuns also carry a streak of 78 consecutive Sun Belt Conference series won into the Troy series, the nation’s longest active win streak of consecutive conference series won, which dates back to March 2013. 
 
NOT sLACKin’: South Alabama’s Olivia Lackie was named the league’s pitcher of the week for the fifth time this spring on Tuesday.  The honor marks the 10^th time in Lackie’s career and the 35^th time in which the program has had a pitcher earn the award. Lackie’s selection also marks the sixth time this spring that a Jaguar pitcher has earned the honor. Olivia Lackie continued to be dominant in the circle over the weekend as she tossed 15 scoreless innings and went 3-0. The junior tossed a pair of complete-game shutouts versus App State and struck out 18 batters while holding opponents to a .164 batting average. The Jags pitcher is the national leader with 10 shutouts this spring. Lackie’s 1.50 ERA also ranks second in the Sun Belt while her 159 strikeouts are good for third in the conference.

Sun Belt Softball Games – Week Six
 

Matchup	Friday April 21	Saturday April 22	Sunday April 23
James Madison at Marshall	12:00 p.m. CT	12:00 p.m. CT	11:00 a.m. CT
Georgia State at App State	3:00 p.m. CT 5:00 p.m. CT	--	TBA
Coastal Carolina at Southern Miss	4:00 p.m. CT	1:00 p.m. CT	11:00 a.m. CT
South Alabama at Georgia Southern	5:00 p.m. CT	2:00 p.m. CT	11:00 a.m. CT
ULM at Texas State	6:00 p.m. CT	2:00 p.m. CT	12:00 p.m. CT
Louisiana at Troy	6:00 p.m. CT	2:00 p.m. CT	12:00 p.m. CT

 
James Madison at Marshall 
Huntington, W.Va. | Dot Hicks Field
April 21, 12:00 p.m. CT| April 22, 12:00 p.m. CT | April 23, 11:00 a.m. CT
James Madison: 23-14 | 8-7 SBC | RPI: 86
Marshall: 36-6 | 11-2 | RPI: 58
Series Record: Marshall leads, 3-1
Last Meeting: March 27, 2019 – Marshall 8, James Madison 5
• James Madison and Marshall will meet for the fourth time in program history, and for the first time as Sun Belt foes, when the Dukes make the trip to Huntington, W.Va. this weekend. 
• The Herd came out on top in the last meeting between the two squads back in 2019, 8-5. 
• The Dukes are coming off a 10-2 loss to in-state opponent Virginia on Tuesday evening. Kylah Berry tossed four innings in the circle and tallied five strikeouts, yielding two walks, and allowing three hits. KK Mathis had a stellar night at the plate notching two hits with a double, one scored run and one RBI. Kylee Gleason also recorded two hits and one RBI. 
• James Madison outlasted Troy in a 10-7 victory to secure the series on Sunday afternoon. With the win, the Dukes handed the Trojans their first Sun Belt Conference series loss of the 2023 season. 
• Kylah Berry picked up her ninth win of the season in the circle on Sunday, throwing for four innings. She recorded four strikeouts, two walks, and yielded four hits during her time on the mound. Bella Henzler led the way at the plate with three hits, three RBI and scored one run, while Reed Butler barreled up a grand slam, raked in four RBI and scored two runs. 
• The Dukes tied its season best of four home runs in a game two times over the weekend against the Trojans. James Madison finished the series with 10 home runs. 
• James Madison ranks fourth in the Sun Belt with a batting average of .282 and third with a slugging percentage of .505. The Dukes’ fielding percentage (.970) also sits second in the league. 
• Kylee Gleason is fifth in the conference with a .379 batting average. 
• Alissa Humphrey leads the Dukes in the circle with a 3.08 ERA. Her 129 strikeouts this spring also ranks sixth in the Sun Belt. 
• Marshall dropped a 3-1 decision to No. 14 Alabama on Tuesday. Sydney Nester had a quality start against a potent Crimson Tide offense, pitching a complete game, allowing just five hits, and two earned runs, while striking out eight. 
• After falling to Coastal Carolina (4-3) in the first of its three-game series, Marshall battled back with a pair of back-to-back victories, 5-3 and 3-2, to pull away with the series win. 
• Sunday’s victory over the Chants marked the 150^th win for head coach Megan Smith Lyon at Marshall. 
• Sydney Nester is just one of five pitchers in Marshall softball history to have multiple 20-win seasons. 
• The Herd currently sit second in the Sun Belt with 11-2 league marks. South Alabama follows closely behind in third at 11-4 in conference action. 
• Marshall boasts a league-best .348 batting average, a mark that’s good for second nationally.
• The Herd tops the Sun Belt in multiple statistical categories: ERA (1.42), on-base percentage (.437), scoring (7.14), slugging percentage (.542), stolen bases per game (2.24), and total stolen bases (94). 
• Marshall’s pitching staff has an ERA of 1.42, a mark that ranks fourth in the country. Nester is the strongest in the circle for the Herd, ranking first in the Sun Belt and ninth in NCAA Division I with an ERA of 1.04. Her 184 strikeouts this spring also pace the conference and sit eighth in the country. 
• Autumn Owen is leading the conference and is sixth in the country with 17 home runs this spring. Owen’s 60 RBIs also top the conference and rank second nationally. 
• Alex Coleman is strong at the plate for the Herd, ranking first in the conference and sixth nationally with 60 hits. Coleman also tops the league and paces all NCAA Division I softball with 38 stolen bases in 2023.
 
Georgia State at App State 
Boone, N.C. | Sywassink/Lloyd Family Stadium
April 21, 3:00 p.m. CT / 5:00 p.m. CT | April 23, TBA
Georgia State: 16-28 | 5-10 SBC | RPI: 162
App State: 20-22 | 1-12 SBC | RPI: 132
Series Record: Georgia State leads, 18-7
Last Meeting: March 20, 2022 – Georgia State 8, App State 5
• Georgia State holds a commanding 18-7 advantage in the series with App State. 
• Despite shutting out Georgia State 11-0 (5 inn.) in the first game of the three-game series a year ago, the Mountaineers dropped its next two games to the Panthers, 6-2 and 8-5, to fall in the series, 2-1. 
• Georgia State fell in its midweek matchup to Georgia Tech on Tuesday evening, 6-1. Hallie Adams (4-9) threw two innings, striking out two batters but letting up three hits and walking two giving her the loss. 
• Georgia went 1-2 in the series with in-state rival Georgia Southern last weekend. The Eagles took the first matchup, 4-0, before the Panthers fired back in the second game with a 6-3 victory. Georgia Southern rallied in the third game to clinch the series, topping the host Panthers 14-3 in five innings. 
• In the lone victory against Georgia Southern, Emily Hodnett (5-10) was rewarded the win after pitching a complete game, only walking three and striking out six. 
• Georgia State sits ninth in the Sun Belt with 5-10 marks in league play. 
• Georgia State ranks third in the conference and 26th nationally with 78 total bases stolen this spring. Emily Brown paces the Panthers in that category with 20, a mark that’s good for fourth in the Sun Belt and 44^th in the country. 
• Emily Brown also leads Georgia State at the plate with 53 hits in 2023.
• App State dropped its midweek matchup at Western Carolina, 9-0, after five innings. Sejal Neas started in the circle and tallied three strikeouts among five hits. Kaylie Northrop relieved for the last 1.2 innings and struck out two batters while allowing four hits. 
• The Mountaineers suffered a three-game series loss at the hand of South Alabama over the Weekend. App State sits at the bottom of the Sun Belt standings at 1-12. 
• Kayt Houston is fifth in the conference with 50 hits and 14^th with a .365 batting average. 
 
Coastal Carolina at Southern Miss 
Hattiesburg, Miss. | Southern Miss Softball Complex
April 21, 4:00 p.m. | April 22, 1:00 p.m. CT | April 23, 11:00 a.m. CT
Coastal Carolina: 30-14 | 7-8 SBC | RPI: 64
Southern Miss: 19-17 | 3-11 SBC | RPI: 103
Series Record: Coastal Carolina leads, 1-0
Last Meeting: March 3, 2007 – Coastal Carolina 7, Southern Miss 5
• Coastal Carolina and Southern Miss will meet for the first time since March 2007 when they go head-to-head this weekend for a three-game series. 
• In that meeting, the Chants pulled away with a narrow 7-5 victory over the Golden Eagles in Oxford, Miss. 
• Coastal Carolina remains in sixth place in the Sun Belt standings (7-8) after dropping its series with Marshall over the weekend, 2-1. 
• The Chants currently rank 64^th in the NCAA RPI rankings and have seven players listed in the top 100 individual rankings. 
• As a team, Coastal ranks top 50 in the nation in eight categories: batting average (.308, 29^th), home runs per game (1.18, 21^st), ERA (2.36, 40^th), on-base percentage (.385, 36^th), shutouts (9, 36^th), slugging percentage (.508, 21^st), strikeout-to-walk ratio (2.96, 37^th), and win/loss percentage (.682, 32^nd). 
• Raelee Brabham ranks tied for 28^th nationally in total strikeouts (149) and 22^nd in strikeouts per seven innings (9.8). 
• Diamond Williams leads the way for the Chants offensively. Williams is fourth in the conference with 51 hits on the year while her .703 slugging percentage is good for fifth in the Sun Belt. Her 97 total bases this spring also ranks second in the league and 21^st in the country. 
• Southern Miss secured its first-ever Sun Belt Conference series victory by way of a sweep over ULM last weekend (2-0, 3-1, 2-1). 
• Morgan Leinstock aided the Golden Eagles in their first conference sweep. In game one, Leinstock forced a 2-0 shutout allowing only two hits and striking out 10 batters. In game three, she issued only one walk and struck out three. For the weekend, the Arizona native recorded a .470 ERA.  
• Janna Lee is Southern Miss’ strongest player at the plate with a .389 batting average, .465 on-base percentage, and 23 RBI. 
• Morgan Leinstock leads the Golden Eagles in the circle with a 2.60 ERA. Her 150 strikeouts this spring ranks fourth in the conference and 25^th nationally 
 
South Alabama at Georgia Southern 
Statesboro, Ga. | Eagle Field at GS Softball Complex
April 21, 5:00 p.m. | April 22, 2:00 p.m. CT | April 11, 11:00 a.m. CT
South Alabama: 29-13 | 11-4 SBC | RPI: 52
Georgia Southern: 17-23 | 6-9 SBC | RPI: 142
Series Record: South Alabama leads, 15-7
Last Meeting: Mary 1, 2022 – South Alabama 4, Georgia Southern 0
• South Alabama completed a 3-0 series sweep of Georgia Southern a year ago, topping the Eagles 8-1, 3-1, and 4-0. 
• The Jags hold a 15-7 advantage in series history. 
• South Alabama ranks third in the Sun Belt with 11-4 league marks. 
• After posting a perfect 4-0 record this past week, including a series sweep of App State over the weekend, South Alabama swept the Sun Belt Player of the Week honors as Olivia Lackie was named the league’s pitcher of the week for the fifth time this spring and Bailey Welch was selected the player of the week on Tuesday. 
• The honor marks the 10^th time in Lackie’s career and the 35^th time in which the program has had a pitcher earn the award. Lackie’s selection also marks the sixth time this spring that a Jaguar pitcher has earned the honor. 
• Bailey Welch had one of the best weeks of her career as she helped the Jaguars record a perfect 4-0 record this past week, including a series sweep of App State. In her four games, Welch batted .625 with an .875 slugging percentage and reached base safely in seven of her 10 plate appearances. Welch also had a pair of doubles, scored a run, and drove in three. 
• Olivia Lackie continued to be dominant in the circle as she tossed 15 scoreless innings in the circle and went 3-0. The junior tossed a pair of complete-game shutouts versus App State and struck out 18 batters and held opponents to a .164 batting average.
• The Jags rank fourth in the conference with 8-4 league marks.
• South Alabama is one of the strongest teams in the circle, boasting a 1.74 ERA, a mark that ranks second in the Sun Belt and 12^th nationally. The Jags’ 16 shutouts also top the conference and sit 10^th in NCAA Division I softball. 
• Olivia Lackie is the national leader with 10 shutouts this spring. Her 1.50 ERA also ranks second while her 159 strikeouts are good for third in the conference.
• The Eagles are 17-23 overall and 6-9 in the Sun Belt after taking two of three from Georgia State last weekend and splitting a midweek doubleheader against Mercer on Wednesday. 
• Georgia Southern took the first game of its doubleheader with Mercer on Wednesday evening, 5-2. Picking up hits were Emma Davis, Faith Barth, Janai Conklin, Olivia Creamer, and Brooke Kell (2). Bailey Holland (W, 6-12) went the distance in the circle, allowing two runs on seven hits. 
• Georgia Southern used a 15-hit attack to split a Sun Belt doubleheader from host Georgia State on Saturday, claiming the series from the Panthers. Georgia State took game one of the doubleheader, 6-3, but the Eagles won the second game, 14-3, in five innings. 
• The 14 runs scored in the final game of the series are the most for Georgia Southern against a Sun Belt opponent since the Eagles picked up a 17-3 win in five innings at App State on April 3, 2015. 
• Emma Davis paces the Eagles at the plate with a .371 batting average and 46 hits while Bailey Holland leads Georgia Southern in the circle with her 3.99 ERA. 
 
ULM at Texas State 
San Marcos, TX | Bobcat Softball Stadium
April 21, 6:00 p.m. | April 22, 2:00 p.m. CT | April 11, 12:00 p.m. CT
ULM: 21-25 | 4-11 SBC | RPI: 115
Texas State: 26-19-1 | 6-7-1 SBC | RPI: 54
Last Meeting: April 10, 2023 – Texas State 4, ULM 1
• Despite besting ULM 4-1 in the last meeting between the two squads, Texas State dropped a pair of contests, 4-5 and 2-10 (6), to fall 1-2 in the series with the Warhawks a year ago.
• Texas State will look to snap a five-game skid when it hosts ULM this weekend. 
• The Bobcats suffered an 8-0 setback in six innings to Texas A&M on Wednesday evening. Texas State was able to get two hits in the fifth and sixth innings but were unable to put any runs on the board. 
• Texas State fell to seventh in the Sun Belt standings (6-7-1) after being swept by Louisiana last weekend. 
• Hannah Earls leads the team with a .361 batting average where she has 53 hits and 22 runs while tacking on 12 RBI. She has been walked 15 times this season and leads the team with 17 stolen bases. 
• Ciara Trahan remains dominant in the batter’s box in her sophomore season, boasting a .309 batting average with a team-high 29 runs on 43 hits while adding 16 RBI. 
• Jessica Mullins leads the Bobcats in the circle with a 2.19 ERA and 112 strikeouts in 131.1 innings pitched. 
• ULM remains in 10^th in the conference standings after being swept by Southern Miss last weekend. 
• The Warhawks are coming off a 9-2 loss at the hand of Sam Houston on Wednesday night. 
• ULM tops the Sun Belt with its .975 fielding percentage. 
• Lourdes Bacon boasts 22 stolen bases this spring, a mark that ranks third in the Sun Belt and 32^nd nationally. 
 
Louisiana at Troy 
Troy, Ala. | Troy Softball Complex
April 21, 6:00 p.m. | April 22, 2:00 p.m. CT | April 11, 12:00 p.m. CT
Louisiana: 34-12 | 14-1 SBC | RPI: 10
Troy: 29-13-1 | 10-4-1 SBC | RPI: 55
Series Record: Louisiana leads, 46-6
Last Meeting: May 12, 2022 – Louisiana 9, Troy 1
• Louisiana holds a dominant 46-6 advantage in the series history with Troy. The Ragin’ Cajuns enter the weekend having bested the Trojans in each of their last 10 meetings. 
• Mihyia Davis’ first collegiate home run ended a scoreless duel in the sixth inning and ignited a seven-run frame as the No. 25 ranked Louisiana Ragin Cajuns went on to post a 7-0 victory over Southeastern Louisiana on Tuesday. 
• Meghan Schorman and Kandra Lamb combined for a three-hit shutout of a Lions squad that came in hitting .318. It was the second straight game the pitching staff tossed a shutout and the 15^th overall this season. The two Cajun hurlers combined for 11 strikeouts (9 by Schorman, 2 by Lamb). 
• Tuesday’s victory marked Louisiana’s 20^th win of the season over a Top 100 RPI opponent. The Ragin’ Cajuns are also now just six wins shy of reaching the 40-win mark for the 24^th consecutive season. 
• Louisiana sits atop the conference standings with a 14-1 mark in league action. 
• The Ragin’ Cajuns sit in the top three of the Sun Belt in numerous statistical categories: batting average (3^rd, .304), on-base percentage (3^rd, .378), scoring (2^nd, 5.57), shutouts (2^nd, 15), stolen bases per game (2^nd, 1.98), strikeout-to-walk ratio (3^rd, 2.79), and total stolen bases (2^nd, 91). 
• Louisiana’s .304 batting average also ranks 42nd nationally while its 15 shutouts are good for 11^th.
•  Karly Heath’s 11 home runs this spring sits third in the Sun Belt while Alexa Langeliers’ nine homers are good for seventh.
• Heath was chosen 19^th overall by the Smash It Sports Vipers in the 2023 Women’s Professional Fastpitch (WPF) draft on Monday night. Heath is having a banner senior campaign for the Ragin' Cajuns, leading the team in home runs (11), extra base hits (17), and runs scored (38) and is a close second in total hits (40) and RBI (30). The North Augusta, South Carolina native is batting .354, slugging .708, has a 1.113 OPS and is 3-1 with a 2.59 ERA and 31 strikeouts over 27 innings in the circle.
• For the first time in 2023, Troy dropped a Sun Belt series after a 10-7 loss to James Madison on Sunday. Efforts for a comeback were heavily influenced by Libby Baker and Jade Sinness, who both earned two runs in the final 10-7 game. Baker also finished the game going 4-for-4 in the batter’s box. 
• With a .330 batting average, Sinness racked up a total of five runs throughout the three games at James Madison. Anslee Finch also gave the Dukes a run for their money with a .883 slugging percentage. Overall, the team went .280 at the plate for a total of 37 bases. 
• With three series left in their regular season, the Trojans sit fourth in the Sun Belt at 10-4-1. 
• As a team, the Trojans rank fifth in the Sun Belt with a .277 batting average and .440 slugging percentage. Their nine shutouts are also good for third in the league and 44^th nationally. 
• Leanna Johnson is a powerhouse for Troy in the circle and leads both the Sun Belt and NCAA Division I softball with 22 victories this spring. The Trojan pitcher sits third in the conference with a 1.79 ERA and ranks second in the conference and 18^th nationally with 163 strikeouts. 
• At the plate, Taylor McKinney’s 10 home runs are good for fifth in the conference along with teammate Libby Baker. 
• Kelly Horne boasts a .476 on-base percentage, a mark that’s good for third in the Sun Belt and 94^th in the country.