Softball

Sun Belt Softball News & Notes [April 6-9]

FIRST PITCH: Sun Belt softball will wrap up the first half of the conference slate this weekend with six series featuring all 12 teams. 
 
FLEX ON THEM: The Herd enter week four of conference action with an unblemished 7-0 mark in league action and riding on a 21-game win streak, the third-best active win streak in the country. Marshall sits behind Oklahoma in first with 25 victories and Clemson in second with 23 wins. As a team, Marshall leads the Sun Belt and is top-five in the nation in batting average (.370), on-base percentage (.454), stolen bases (86), and slugging percentage (.586). Sydney Nester also leads the Sun Belt in earned run average (.81), shutouts (8), and strikeouts (159). Her 18 wins are second in the conference and country overall. 
 
SWEET 76: With its three-game sweep of James Madison last weekend, Louisiana collected its 76thconsecutive Sun Belt series victory. The Ragin’ Cajuns’ streak of 76 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 back on March 29, 2013 with a double header sweep of FIU. 
 
RPI TRACKER: The Sun Belt boasts five teams in the top-75 of the RPI. Louisiana continues to top the conference at No. 12, followed by Texas State (45), South Alabama (51), Troy (53) and Marshall (57). As a conference, the Sun Belt sits sixth in the RPI behind the SEC, Pac-12, Big 12, ACC, and Big Ten. 

Sun Belt Softball Games – Week Four
 
Matchup Thursday
April 6		 Friday
April 7		 Saturday
April 8		 Sunday
April 9
James Madison at Georgia State 2:00 p.m. CT
4:00 p.m. CT		 12:00 p.m. CT
App State at Georgia Southern 3:00 p.m. CT
5:30 p.m. CT		 5:00 p.m. CT
South Alabama at Louisiana 2:00 p.m. CT
4:00 p.m. CT		 2:30 p.m. CT
Marshall at ULM 3:00 p.m. CT 6:00 p.m. CT 12:00 p.m. CT
Coastal Carolina at Troy 3:00 p.m. CT
6:00 p.m. CT		 1:00 p.m. CT
Southern Miss at Texas State 6:00 p.m. CT 4:00 p.m. CT 11:00 a.m. CT
 
James Madison at Georgia State 
Atlanta, Ga. | Bob Heck Softball Complex
April 6, 2:00 p.m. CT / 4:00 p.m. CT| April 7, 12:00 p.m. CT
James Madison: 20-10 | 5-4 SBC | RPI: 86
Georgia State: 13-22 | 2-7 SBC | RPI: 165
Series Record: Georgia State leads, 18-11
Last Meeting: May 4, 2013 – James Madison 8, Georgia State 0 (5inn.)
• James Madison and Georgia State will faceoff for the first time as conference foes and for the 29th time in program history. The two squads last met in 2013, with the Dukes sealing the series sweep by blanking the Panthers, 8-0, in five innings. 
• The Dukes fell to 5-4 in Sun Belt play after being swept by No. 25 Louisiana over the weekend. James Madison had its best shot against the Ragin’ Cajuns in Friday’s matchup, pushing the game to extra innings, but coming up short, 8-4. 
• James Madison ranks fifth in the Sun Belt with a .278 batting averaging and .371 on-base percentage. The Dukes are also fourth in slugging percentage at .484. 
• In the circle, Alissa Humphrey ranks sixth in the conference with 126 strikeouts on the season. Humphrey also boasts a team-best ERA of 2.71. 
• At the plate, five Dukes are batting above the .300 mark. Kylee Gleason paces James Madison at the plate (.348), followed by Jasmine Hall (.319), Hallie Hall (.316) KK Mathis (.311) and Hannah Shifflett (.300). 
• Georgia State dropped both games against Chattanooga on Wednesday evening, 5-4 and 5-1. The Panthers are now on a seven-game losing streak heading into conference play against James Madison this weekend. 
• The Panthers rank third in the Sun Belt with 69 stolen bases this spring. Emily Brown leads Georgia State in that category and sits seventh in the conference with 15 on the season. 
• Emily Brown is third in the league with 44 hits. Her .359 batting average also tops the team. 
• Bailee Richardson’s 25 RBIs pace the Panthers. Chloe Nader follows closely behind with 17 of her own. 
 
App State at Georgia Southern
Statesboro, Ga. | Eagle Field at GS Softball Complex
April 6, 3:00 p.m. CT / 5:30 p.m. CT | April 7, 5:00 p.m. CT
App State: 18-15 | 1-6 SBC | RPI: 94
Georgia Southern: 11-20 | 1-8 SBC | RPI: 150
Series Record: Georgia Southern leads, 50-20
Last Meeting: April 3, 2022 – Georgia Southern 11, App State 8
• The Mountaineers will make the trip to Statesboro this weekend to face the Eagles for the 71st time in program history. 
• App State dropped both of its contests in its doubleheader with Queens on Tuesday. Despite the outing, Riley Becker stole the show with the first hit of her career in the bottom of the sixth of game two – a home run over the left field wall. All five pitchers on App State’s roster saw playing time and collectively allowed just four earned runs across two games. 
• Coming off its first ranked win in program history against then-No. 23 Louisiana, App State has dropped its last five to Texas State and Queens. 
• Kayt Houston has totaled 43 hits with a batting average of .384 and a slugging percentage of .527. 
• In conference games, Mary Pierce Barnes has improved her offensive output, averaging .421 with eight hits across seven contests. 
• Kaylie Northrop has had her best season yet in the circle with an ERA of 2.04 and 72 strikeouts. The junior struck out 14 batters in a win over N.C. Central last week, the most by a Sun Belt pitcher in a game this season. Georgia Southern has lost its last six to Sun Belt opponents James Madison and Coastal Carolina after picking up one win against ULM. 
• Emma Davis leads the team with 36 hits and a .375 batting average. In conference action, her average has improved to .393. 
• Morgan Kendrick has led the Eagles to six of their 11 wins in the circle, totaling 60 strikeouts and an ERA of 4.48
• Georgia Southern leads the all-time series against App State, 50-20. The Mountaineers have won four of the last five. 
 
South Alabama at Louisiana
Lafayette, La. | Yvette Girouard Field at Lamson Park
April 8, 2:00 p.m. CT / 4:00 p.m. CT | April 9, 2:30 p.m. CT
South Alabama: 25-10 | 8-1 SBC | RPI: 51
Louisiana: 27-10 | 8-1 SBC | RPI: 12
Series Record: Louisiana leads, 42-11
Last Meeting: April 15, 2022 – Louisiana 2, South Alabama 1
• Louisiana and South Alabama met last season in Mobile, with the Ragin’ Cajuns sweeping the series to improve to 42-11 against the Jags. 
• The Jaguars – winners of 11 of their last 12 – and the Ragin’ Cajuns enter the weekend series tied for second place in the conference standings. 
• For the second-straight week and the fourth time this spring, South Alabama’s Olivia Lackie was named the Sun Belt Pitcher of the Week on Tuesday after leading the Jags to a series sweep of ULM over the weekend. The honor marks the ninth time in her career and the 34th time in which the program has had a pitcher earn the award. The nine selections are second-most in program history. Lackie’s selection also marks the third-consecutive week a Jaguar pitcher has earned the honor as Jenna Hardy was selected the league’s pitcher of the week two weeks ago. 
• Lackie had a hand in all three victories over the Warhawks as she was 2-0 and earned her second save of the year in game two of the series. In her 14.2 innings of work, Lackie allowed seven hits and a pair of walks, and struck out 17 batters, while holding ULM to a .137 batting average in all three of her appearances.
• Currently, Lackie holds a 13-4 record with a 1.52 earned run average, 11 shutouts, 11 complete games, and in her 110.1 innings in the circle, she has struck out 135 batters and held opponents to a .178 batting average. She ranks second in the SBC in opposing batting average and strikeouts, and third in ERA and wins.
• As a team, South Alabama tops the Sun Belt and ranks eighth nationally with 14 shutouts this spring. The Jags also pace the conference with a 3.67 strikeout-to-walk ratio, a mark that’s also good for 15th in the nation. 
• South Alabama has five players batting above the .300 mark: Meredith Keel (.363), Victoria Ortiz (.347), Mackenzie Brasher (.333), Sophia Mendoza 9.333), and Sasha Willems (.315). 
• Louisiana is coming off a commanding midweek shutout of McNeese on Tuesday, 7-0. Karly Heath finished the day with two home runs as the pitching staff mesmerized the Cowgirls with a one-hit shutout. 
• Landry (4.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 K), Riassetto (1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 K) and Lamb (2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 K) combined for the one-hit shutout – the Ragin' Cajuns 11th shutout pitched in the 2023 season.
• The win followed up Louisiana's impressive road Sun Belt series sweep at James Madison and upped the squad's winning streak to four games. The Ragin' Cajuns handed the Dukes their third consecutive home loss – and are the lone visiting team to win in Harrisonburg in the 2023 season – and picked up their own 17th win away from Lamson Park (nine true road wins, eight neutral site wins). Louisiana remains perfect at 6-0 on the road in Sun Belt play.
• The Ragin’ Cajuns sit in the top three of the Sun Belt in numerous statistical categories: batting average (3rd, .305), on-base percentage (3rd, .381), scoring (2nd, 5.76), shutouts (2nd, 11), slugging percentage (3rd, .489), stolen bases per game (2nd, 2.05), strikeout-to-walk ratio (3rd, 2.75), and total stolen bases (2nd, 76). 
• Louisiana’s .305 batting average also ranks 39th nationally while its 11 shutouts are good for 15th.
•  Karly Heath’s nine home runs this spring sits second in the Sun Belt while Alexa Langeliers’ eight homers are good for fifth. 
 
Marshall at ULM
Monroe, La. | Softball Complex
April 6, 3:00 p.m. CT | April 7, 6:00 p.m. CT | April 8, 12:00 p.m. CT
Marshall: 31-3 | 7-0 SBC | RPI: 57
ULM: 19-19 | 3-6 SBC | RPI: 108
Series Record: First Meeting
• Marshall hits the road to face ULM for the first time in program history this weekend. 
• The Herd enter week four of conference action with an unblemished 7-0 mark in league action and riding on a 21-game win streak, the third-best active win streak in the country. Marshall sits behind Oklahoma in first with 25 victories and Clemson in second with 23 wins. 
• Marshall blanked Georgia State over the weekend, capping the 3-0 series with a pair of victories on Sunday (G1: 5-1, G2: 6-0). Pitchers Savannah Rice and Sydney Nester earned the victories in the circle. For Nester, Sunday’s shutout marked her eight of the season, a mark tied for the country’s lead. 
• With its 3-0 mark over the weekend, Marshall improved to 17-0 at Dot Hicks Field. 
• As a team, Marshall leads the conference and is top-five in the nation in batting average (.370), on-base percentage (.454), stolen bases (86), and slugging percentage (.586). 
• Sydney Nester leads the Sun Belt in earned run average (.81), shutouts (8), and strikeouts (159). Her 18 wins are second in the conference and country overall. 
• Autumn Owen continues to dominate at the plate as the national home run leader with 16 on the year. Owen also paces all of NCAA Division I softball with 57 RBIs, a number that is three away from tying the Marshall program record for RBIs in a season. 
• ULM sits even at 19-19 on the season and 3-6 in conference play after falling to South Alabama, 0-3, last weekend. The Warhawks will look to snap a seven-game skid after falling in their midweek matchup to Louisiana Tech, 4-5 (10 inn.), on Tuesday evening. 
• Leading the ULM offensively is junior outfielder Lourdes Bacon with 41 hits and a .315 batting average. Bacon is also the team’s top stolen base threat, having swiped 18 bases in 21 attempts. 
• A trio of pitchers lead the ULM staff. Victoria Abrams has the most starts in the rotation with a 3.35 ERA in 19 starts. Adrianna Chavarria sports a 2.12 ERA in 23 appearances while Gianni Hulett leads the conference with six saves. 

Coastal Carolina at Troy
Troy, Ala. | Troy Softball Complex
April 6, 3:00 p.m. CT / 6:00 p.m. CT | April 7, 1:00 p.m. CT
Coastal Carolina: 28-10 | 5-4 SBC | RPI: 79
Troy: 26-9-1 | 7-1-1 SBC | RPI: 53
Series Record: Troy leads, 10-6
Last Meeting: May 13, 2022 – Coastal Carolina 3, Troy 2
• Troy returns home for the first time in two weeks to host Coastal Carolina in a three-game series set to start on Thursday. 
• With three series wins to start conference play, the Trojans (26-9-1, 7-1-1 SBC) sit fourth on the second-longest win streak of five. The Chanticleers (28-10, 5-4 SBC) are right behind them in fifth despite only winning one of their series against Georgia Southern. 
• Despite playing in 38 games in 2023, the Chanticleers are playing in just their sixth road game on Thursday night, having gone 2-3 in the previous five. Before Tuesday's non-conference loss to Charlotte, Coastal won four in a row after outscoring the Soaring Eagles 18-4.
• Iyanla De Jesus stands as the premiere batter for Coastal and the SBC as she sits 10th in the conference in batting average at .381. She also ranks seventh in hits and RBIs at 43 and 31, respectively. 
• Three Chanticleers also rank in the top 10 for homers in the conference in Diamond Williams (4th – nine), Delaney Keith (7th – eight) and Maddy Jennings (10th – seven).
• Through the regular season, Coastal has been elite on the offensive end, with the second-highest batting average at .314. They are also one of three conference teams that scored over 200 runs in 2023 with 207 – Louisiana (213) and Marshall (268). Since conference play started, it took a small drop to fifth at .280. However, an improvement to a 1.87 ERA on the field allows them to remain above .500 in conference. 
• The Trojans outscored Southern Miss 19-4 over a three-game sweep that included the team run-ruling the Golden Eagles in game three, 11-3, in five innings. Combined efforts from Leanna Johnson and Olivia Cato limited the Golden Eagles to one earned run on a homer from Jana Lee in game one. 
• D’Aun Riggs and Taylor McKinney couldn’t have been more efficient at the plate as Riggs ended the series with a team-high .556 batting average and McKinney went 1.000 in slugging percentage. Overall, the team went. 325 at the plate for 43 total bases. 
• Taylor McKinney continued her breakout season with three extra base hits, including a grand slam, in Troy's sweep at Southern Miss. She was named the Sun Belt Softball Player of the Week on Tuesday. The Montgomery, Ala., native, finished the week with a 1.583 OPS and 1.000 slugging percentage. She was also perfect on four stolen base attempts and played error-free defense. McKinney drove in five of Troy's 19 runs on the week. The second baseman currently ranks second in the league in homers and is third in RBIs and slugging percentage.
• Leanna Johnson paces the Sun Belt along with NCAA DI softball with 19 victories on the season. Her 1.13 ERA and 134 strikeouts are also good for 14th and 19th in the country, respectively.
 
Southern Miss at Texas State
San Marcos, Texas | Bobcat Softball Stadium
April 6, 6:00 p.m. CT | April 7, 4:00 p.m. CT | April 8, 11:00 a.m. CT
Southern Miss: 16-15 | 0-9 SBC | RPI: 109
Texas State: 23-14-1 | 4-4-1 SBC | RPI: 45
Series Record: Texas State leads, 1-0
Last Meeting: February 9, 2006 – Texas State 9, Southern Miss 0
• Southern Miss snapped an 11-game skid on Tuesday evening, defeating Nicholls, 8-1. Morgan Leinstock pitched seven whole innings to notch her eighth victory of the season. The Arizona native struck out seven batters while giving up just two walks and one run. 
• Jana Lee is the sole Golden Eagle batting above a .300 this season. Lee has 12 runs on 30 hits and 20 RBI in 78 at bats. She has seen action in the circle in 16 games, pitching 47 innings with an ERA of 2.89. 
• Hannah Borden is also batting well for Southern Miss and has a batting average of .295 with 12 runs in 26 hits with 14 RBI. She also has four home runs on the season and has been walked 12 times. 
• Mogan Leinstock leads Southern Miss in the circle. Leinstock has started all 16 of the Golden Eagle’s games and has an ERA of 2.89 with 126 strikeouts. Batters are averaging .240 against her. 
• The Bobcats head into weekend four of the conference slate with a 23-14-1 record and 4-4-1 mark in league play after completing a road series sweep at App State last weekend. 
• Texas State capped its weekend at App State with a 7-2 victory on Sunday. Jessica Mullins went three-for-three in the final inning of play, including a swinging strikeout on the first batter up in the seventh. Mullins ended the game with her sixth strikeout, having thrown a complete game. 
• Hannah Earls leads the team with a .361 batting average where she has 44 hits and 18 runs while tacking on 10 RBI. She has been walked 13 times this season and leads the team with 15 stolen bases. 
• Ciara Trahan remains dominant in the batter’s box in her sophomore season, boasting a .328 batting average with a team-high 26 runs on 42 hits while adding 14 RBI.