FIRST PITCH: With just one series left in the regular season, Louisiana sits atop the conference standings and will look to hold on to and secure the Ragin’ Cajun’s fourth consecutive Sun Belt regular season title. All 12 teams return to action on Thursday for the high stakes series as each program vies for a spot in the 2023 Sun Belt Conference Softball Championship. 
 
STILL STANDING: Louisiana (40-13, 19-2 SBC) enters the weekend needing only one win against ULM to lock up the Sun Belt Conference regular season title for the fourth straight season. South Alabama sits two games back in second (17-4) while Marshall ranks third in the standings with 14-5 league marks, followed by Troy (14-6-1), Texas State (11-8-1), James Madison (12-9), Coastal Carolina (9-12), ULM (7-14), Georgia Southern (6-15), Georgia State (6-15), Southern Miss (4-16), App State (3-16). 
 
NUMBERS TO KNOW: 
80 – Louisiana will seek to extend its streak of consecutive Sun Belt series won through another season. The streak currently stands at 80 straight series won dating back to March 2013. 
10 – South Alabama rides into the final weekend of regular season Sun Belt action on a 10-game win streak. The Jags are one of just 10 teams in NCAA Division I softball currently on a double-digit win streak. 
6 – The Sun Belt ranks sixth in the national conference RPI behind the Big 12, Pac-12, SEC, ACC, and Big Ten. 
7 – Seven Sun Belt teams sit in the top 100 of the RPI. Louisiana leads the way at No. 10, followed by Texas State (42), South Alabama (52), Troy (54), Marshall (58), Coastal Carolina (69), and James Madison (78). 
11 – The Sun Belt boasts 11 players who rank in the top 10 nationally in multiple statistical categories. South Alabama’s Olivia Lackie paces all of NCAA Division I softball with 12 shutouts this spring while Louisiana’s Mihyia Davis is the national leader in stolen bases per game (1.00). 
 
REGULAR SEASON WRAP-UP: The 2023 Sun Belt Conference Tournament will take place May 10-13, 2023 at Yvette Girouard Field at Lamson Park in Lafayette, La. The top 10 teams at the conclusion of the regular season will advance to the Sun Belt Softball Championship. The No. 1 and No. 2 seeds will be determined based on overall conference win percentage within their division. Seeds 3-10 will be determined based on overall conference win percentage regardless of division. The bracket will be released after the conclusion of the regular season on Saturday, May 6. 

Sun Belt Softball Games – Week Eight

 

Matchup	Thursday May 4	Friday May 5	Saturday May 6
Coastal Carolina at App State	1:00 p.m. CT 3:30 p.m. CT	1:00 p.m. CT
Southern Miss at Georgia State	4:00 p.m. CT	12:00 p.m. CT	11:00 a.m. CT
Marshall at Georgia Southern	5:00 p.m. CT	5:00 p.m. CT	11:00 a.m. CT
ULM at Louisiana	6:00 p.m. CT	6:00 p.m. CT	2:00 p.m. CT
Troy at South Alabama	6:00 p.m. CT	6:00 p.m. CT	2:00 p.m. CT
James Madison at Texas State	6:00 p.m. CT	4:00 p.m. CT	12:00 p.m. CT

 
Coastal Carolina at App State 
Boone, N.C. | Sywassink/Lloyd Family Stadium
May 4, 1:00 p.m. CT / 3:30 p.m. CT | May 5, 1:00 p.m. CT 
Coastal Carolina: 33-18 | 9-12 SBC | RPI: 69
App State: 22-26 | 3-16 SBC | RPI: 137
Series Record: Coastal Carolina leads, 21-7
Last Meeting: May 12, 2022 – Coastal Carolina 3, App State 2
• Coastal Carolina heads to App State having won each of the last seven meetings between the two squads. The Chants, who are 21-7 in the all-time series with the Mountaineers, are also 4-2 when playing in Boone, N.C.
• The Chants dropped their final home Sun Belt Conference series of the year, 3-0, to the No. 24 Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns. In the final two games of the series, Coastal was edged 2-1 in game one of the doubleheader and suffered a 10-6 loss in game two on Saturday. 
• In game one on Saturday, Raelee Brabham pitched three, 1-2-3 innings while Louisiana’s Kandra Lamb recorded three strikeouts and 5.0-perfect innings of work to give Louisiana the 2-1 win. Brabham dropped to 11-10 with the loss giving up two runs while recording two strikeouts in her eighth complete game of the season. 
• Coastal Carolina sits seventh in the conference standings with 9-12 league marks heading into the final weekend of the regular season Sun Belt slate. 
• As a team, Coastal ranks top 50 in the nation in four categories: doubles (67, 46^th), home runs per game (1.04, 36^th), slugging percentage (.476, 35^th), and strikeout-to-walk ratio (2.90, 31^st).  The Chants’ .296 batting average is also good for third in the conference. 
• Raelee Brabham ranks 36^th nationally in total strikeouts (161) and 28^th in strikeouts per seven innings (9.1). 
• Diamond Williams leads the way for the Chants offensively. Williams is eighth in the conference with 54 hits on the year while her .627 slugging percentage is good for ninth in the Sun Belt. Her 101 total bases this spring also ranks third in the league and 57^th in the country. 
• App State dropped a trio of games to James Madison over the weekend. The Dukes opened the series with a 2-0 shutout over the Mountaineers before downing App State in a doubleheader on Saturday, 6-2 and 8-5. 
• In game one of the doubleheader, Delani Buckner pitched the first five innings and struck out five batters while Kapri Toone relieved for the final three outs with one strikeout. In game two, Toone made her fourth start in the Black and Gold, pitching three innings with three earned runs and six hits. Kaylie Northrop entered the circle for the second half, striking out three batters with four earned runs on four hits.  
• App State currently sits at the bottom of the conference standings at 3-16. 
• Preseason all-conference selection Kayt Houston ranks sixth in the conference in batting average (.385) and is one of only four players to have recorded 60 hits this spring. 
 
Southern Miss at Georgia State 
Atlanta, Ga. | Bob Heck Softball Complex
May 4, 4:00 p.m. CT| May 5, 12:00 p.m. CT | May 6, 11:00 a.m. CT
Southern Miss: 20-22 | 4-16 SBC | RPI: 102
Georgia State: 17-33 | 6-15 SBC | RPI: 192
Series Record: Georgia State leads, 3-2
• Georgia State welcomes Southern Miss to the Bob Heck Softball complex for the sixth meeting between the two programs. The Panthers hold a narrow 3-2 edge in the series. 
• Southern Miss closed its final home series against South Alabama on Sunday with a double header. The Golden Eagles fell 4-1 in game one and 11-0 in game two to drop the series 3-0. 
• In game one on Sunday, Morgan Leinstock (11-14) was credited the loss in eight innings of work, she allowed ten hits, struck out four, and issued no walks. In the second game of the doubleheader, Jana Lee (3-5) started off in the circle, tagged the loss, allowed seven hits, and issued two walks before Paige Kilgore came in to relieve her in the second inning. 
• With three games to go in the Sun Belt regular season, Southern Miss ranks 11^th in the conference standings with 4-16 league marks. The top 10 teams earn a bid to the Sun Belt Conference tournament.
• Janna Lee is Southern Miss’ strongest player at the plate with a .349 batting average and 23 RBI. 
• Morgan Leinstock leads the Golden Eagles in the circle with a 2.67 ERA. Her 163 strikeouts this spring ranks fourth in the conference and 35^th nationally.  
• Georgia State enters the final series of regular season Sun Belt action after suffering a 3-0 setback at the hand of ULM over the weekend. The Warhawks edged the Panthers in the first meeting on Friday, 5-4, before topping Georgia State in the final two games, 1-0 and 6-2. 
• The Panthers sit in a tie for ninth in the conference standings at 6-15 along with in-state rival Georgia Southern. 
• Emily Hodnet (5-12) started in both games giving up seven walks and 12 hits to tally both final two losses. 
• Georgia State ranks third in the conference and 24^th nationally with 91 total bases stolen this spring. Emily Brown paces the Panthers in that category with 24, a mark that’s good for third in the Sun Belt and 36^th in the country. 
• Emily Brown also leads Georgia State at the plate and ranks second in the conference with 62 hits in 2023.
 
Marshall at Georgia Southern 
Statesboro, Ga. | Eagle Field at GS Softball Complex
May 4, 5:00 p.m. CT| May 5, 5:00 p.m. CT | May 6, 11:00 a.m. CT
Marshall: 40-9 | 14-5 SBC | RPI: 58
Georgia Southern: 17-31 | 6-15 SBC | RPI: 147
Series Record: Marshall leads, 17-7
Last Meeting: March 4, 2017 – Marshall 8, Georgia Southern 6
• Marshall holds a commanding 17-7 advantage in the all-time series with Georgia Southern. The Herd have come out on top in each of the last eight meetings, last besting the Eagles 8-6 in 2017. 
• Marshall dropped its first Sun Belt series of the spring over the weekend, falling to Texas State 2-1. The Bobcats shutout the Herd on Friday (3-0), but Marshall battled back on Saturday with a 2-1 victory. Texas State took the series finale, 9-1 (6 inn.), to secure the series win. 
• With its win over Texas State on Saturday, Marshall joined elite company with its 40^th victory of the season, joining the 2003, 2017, and 2019 teams as the only in program history to surpass 40 wins in a season. 
• The Herd’s 21^st home win also marked a new record for home wins in a season. 
• Marshall currently sits third in the conference with 14-5 league marks. Entering the final weekend of regular season Sun Belt action, the Herd would earn the No. 2 seed. The No. 1 and No. 2 seeds are determined based on overall conference win percentage within their division. Seeds 3-10 will be determined based on overall conference win percentage regardless of division. 
• Sydney Nester earned her 24^th win of the year on Saturday. She is one of five pitchers in program history to have multiple 20+ win seasons. 
• Marshall boasts a league-best .340 batting average, a mark that’s good for third nationally.
• The Herd tops the Sun Belt in multiple statistical categories: on-base percentage (.430), scoring (6.71), and slugging percentage (.532).
• Marshall’s pitching staff has an ERA of 1.70, a mark that ranks 11^th in the country. Nester is the strongest in the circle for the Herd, ranking first in the Sun Belt and eighth in NCAA Division I with an ERA of 1.12. Her 202 strikeouts this spring also pace the conference and sit 12^th in the country. 
• Autumn Owen is leading the conference and is fifth in the country with 18 home runs this spring. Owen’s 65 RBI also top the conference and rank second in all NCAA Division I softball. 
• Alex Coleman is strong at the plate for the Herd, ranking first in the conference and fifth nationally with 73 hits. Coleman also ranks second in the league and fifth in all NCAA Division I softball with 41 stolen bases in 2023.
• The Eagles are 17-31 overall and 6-15 in the Sun Belt after Troy swept Georgia Southern in last weekend’s three-game series in Troy. 
• One win this weekend for the Eagles clinches a spot in next week’s Sun Belt Championships. Georgia Southern can also advance based on results of the Georgia State/Southern Miss series in Atlanta this weekend. 
• Emma Davis leads Georgia Southern at the plate batting .369. Her 48 hits and .442 on-base percentage also pace the squad. 
• Bailey Holland has a 4.15 ERA to top the Eagles in the circle. 
 
ULM at Louisiana 
Lafayette, La. | Yvette Girouard Field at Lamon Park
May 4, 6:00 p.m. CT| May 5, 6:00 p.m. CT | May 6, 2:00 p.m. CT
ULM: 24-28 | 7-14 SBC | RPI: 123
Louisiana: 40-13 | 19-2 SBC | RPI: 10
Last Meeting: May 7, 2022 – Louisiana 10, ULM 3
• ULM completed its first Sun Belt series sweep over the weekend against Georgia State. The Warhawks opened the weekend on Friday with a 5-4 victory before shutting out the Panthers on Saturday, 1-0. ULM cemented the sweep with a 6-2 win on Sunday. 
• The Warhawks sit eighth in the conference standings with 7-14 league marks. 
• ULM owns a .976 fielding percentage, a mark that tops the conference and ranks 22^nd nationally. 
• Gianni Hulett’s six saves this spring sits second in the conference and seventh in NCAA Division I softball. 
• Lourdes Bacon has stolen 22 bases on the year, a mark that’s good for fifth in the league. 
• The No. 24-ranked Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns sit atop the conference standings with 19-2 league marks and will look to claim the Sun Belt Regular season title for the fourth consecutive year this weekend. 
• The Ragin’ Cajuns are just one win away – or one loss from both South Alabama and Marshall – from clinching the Sun Belt regular season title. 
• Louisiana protected a lead for four innings then pulled away with a six-spot in the final inning for an 8-1 win over Louisiana Tech on Wednesday in Ruston which locked up the 40^th win of the 2023 season.
• Louisiana reached the 40-win mark for the 24^th consecutive completed season, a streak which dates back to 1999. The accomplishment this spring came with the nation’s No. 4-rated strength of schedule. 
• The Ragin’ Cajuns will seek to extend its streak of consecutive Sun Belt series won through another season. The streak currently stands at 80 straight series won dating back to March 2013. 
• Louisiana is coming off a series sweep over Coastal Carolina last week. The Ragin’ Cajuns shutout the Chants in six innings (11-0) on Friday, before topping Coastal 2-1 and 10-6 in a doubleheader on Saturday. 
• Mihyia Davis, a Top 25 finalist for the NFCA National Freshman of the Year Award, leads Louisiana with 18 multiple-hit games, 57 total hits, a .393 average and is one of only two players nationwide average over 1.0 steals a game. 
• Lauren Allred (.376, 10 HR, 41 RBI) leads a trio of Cajuns with 30-plus RBI with her team-high total of 41 RBI, senior Karly Heath (.348, 13 HR, 36 RBI) has matched her career-high with 13 home runs and Alexa Langeliers (.288, 11 HR, 38 RBI) is batting .385 since April 1. 
• Sam Landry (15-4, 2.21 ERA, 120 K) and Meghan Schorman (13-6, 1.86 ERA, 130 K) combined have started all but nine games this spring and have each surpassed the 100-strikeout mark for the second straight season. Kendra Lamb has excelled in her transition into becoming the pitching staff’s closer, tossing 10 scoreless relief efforts in her past 12 appearances while yielding just eight hits and totaling 34 strikeouts over the 27 innings pitched during the stretch. 
 
Troy at South Alabama 
Mobile, Ala. | Jaguar Field
May 4, 6:00 p.m. CT| May 5, 6:00 p.m. CT | May 6, 2:00 p.m. CT
Troy: 34-15-1| 14-6-1 SBC | RPI: 54
South Alabama: 35-13 | 17-4 SBC | RPI: 52
Series Record: South Alabama leads, 28-18
Last Meeting: May 7, 2022 – South Alabama 9, Troy 0 (6 inn.)
• Despite South Alabama shutting out Troy in the last meeting between the two squads, the Trojans took the series from the Jaguars (2-1) a year ago with back-to-back victories, 3-2 and 7-2. 
• With postseason seedings on the line, Troy travels to battle in-state rival South Alabama this weekend. 
• The Trojans currently sit fourth in the Sun Belt standings with a chance to rise to second with a weekend sweep over the Jaguars and a loss by Marshall. 
• Senior weekend was picture-perfect for the four seniors as the Trojans swept Georgia Southern in the weekend series, outscoring them 22-3 and run ruling them in the sixth in game two and three. 
• Kelly Horne finished with a .556 batting average on nine at-bats. She ended the weekend with two homers, three RBI, 11 total bases and a walk-off in game three. Katelyn de Leon had four hits to end with a .571 batting average. Katie Lively earned two walks for a .286 on-base percentage.
• Troy swept the Sun Belt Softball Player of the Week honors this week. Taylor McKinney was named the Sun Belt Player of the Week for the second time this spring after playing a pivotal role in Troy’s sweep over Georgia Southern. McKinney finished the week hitting .714 with an .800 on-base percentage and .714 slugging percentage. The sophomore had two doubles, a triple, and a home run in addition to driving in seven of Troy's 19 runs on the week. She also drew three walks and scored five runs, reaching base in 8-of-10 plate appearances.
• Leanna Johnson was named the Sun Belt Pitcher of the Week after pitching a pair of shutouts over the weekend.  Johnson didn’t allow a run in 13 combined innings of work, threw 5.1 no-hit innings on Senior Day before a 1-out base hit in the sixth broke up the no-hitter. The Brantley, Ala., native, scattered five hits over the course of the weekend with 14 strikeouts and became just the 105th pitcher in NCAA Division I Softball history to reach 100 wins with her victory in the circle on Friday. 
• South Alabama enters the final weekend of regular season Sun Belt action having won the last 10 straight games for three consecutive series sweeps over Southern Miss, Georgia Southern and App State. In those three series, the Jaguars outscored their opponents 62-13. 
• The Jaguars still have a shot to claim the Sun Belt regular season title as they sit two games behind Louisiana. To have a chance at the title, South must sweep the Trojans and hope the Ragin' Cajuns get swept themselves. USA carries a 17-3 record at Jaguar Field into the weekend to boost its fate. 
• Gabby Stagner went a combined 5-of-7 with three doubles and eight runs driven in as South Alabama swept Sunday’s doubleheader versus Southern Miss to complete the conference series sweep of the Golden Eagles over the weekend. For the series, Stagner was 7-for-10 at the plate with three doubles, a grand slam, three runs scored and 12 RBI to lead the Jags. 
• In the circle, Jenna Hardy (15-7) went eight innings and struck out a career-high 13 batters in the opener, while Olivia Lackie (19-6) struck out nine in her one-hit shutout. 
• South Alabama leads the league in ERA with a 1.61. Directed by Olivia Lackie, the Jaguars pitchers have pitched 18 shutouts while allowing the lowest number of hits (228) and runs (104) and making the fewest errors (72) in the Sun Belt. 
• As a team, South is hitting .353 over its current 10-game win streak, while all nine starters are hitting .296 or better with eight of those at .313 or higher.
• Bailey Welch (.545), Gabby Stagner (.517) and Victoria Ortiz (.419) top the team at the plate. 
• Jenna Hardy is three strikeouts from reaching the 300-strikeout plateau. 
 
James Madison at Texas State 
San Marcos, Texas | Bobcat Softball Field
May 4, 6:00 p.m. CT| May 5, 4:00 p.m. CT | May 6, 12:00 p.m. CT
James Madison: 27-16| 12-9 SBC | RPI: 78
Texas State: 31-21-1 | 11-8-1 | RPI: 42
Series History: First Meeting
• James Madison will face Texas State for the first time in program history this weekend. 
• The Dukes are coming off a three-game sweep over App State last week, advancing to 27-16 with a 12-9 mark in Sun Belt play. 
• Rogers worked seven innings in the circle for James Madison in game one of Saturday’s doubleheader. She noted one strikeout, zero walks, and allowed six hits. In game two, Kylah Berry tossed 5.2 innings of work for the Dukes. Berry tallied three strikeouts, two walks, and yielded five runs. Rebecca Muh made her debut in relief and collected the win. 
• James Madison ranks first in the conference with 1.42 home runs per game, a mark that’s good for eighth in the country. Hannah Shifflett paces the Dukes in that category. Her 17 home runs this spring are good for second in the Sun Belt and 11^th nationally while her .40 home runs per game tops the league and sits fifth in NCAA Division I softball. 
• Shifflett also ranks in the top 10 in the Sun Belt in on-base percentage (.465, 7^th), RBI (1.00, 4^th), slugging percentage (.839, 2^nd), and total bases (104, 2^nd). 
• In the circle, Alissa Humphrey boasts a 3.08 ERA with 129 strikeouts while Kylah Berry sports a 3.00 ERA and 73 strikeouts. 
• Texas State improved to 31-21-1 and 11-8-1 in Sun Belt play after earning the 2-1 series victory over Marshall last week. The Bobcats shut out the Herd, 3-0, on Friday before being narrowly edged on Saturday, 2-1. Texas State bounced back in dominate fashion, downing Marshall 9-1 in six innings on Sunday. 
• Hannah Earls leads the team with a .325 batting average, accumulating 53 hits and 23 runs while tacking on 12 RBI. She has also been walked 15 times this season and leads the team with 19 stolen bases. 
• The Bobcats have two other batters batting above the .300 mark this spring, Sara Vanderford (.314) and Ciara Trahan (.302). 
• Texas State boasts three pitchers with 15+ appearances with ERAs under 2.60. Jessica Mullins leads the Bobcats pitching staff with a 2.13 ERA and 16-9 record while Karsen Pierce has a 2.52 ERA (6-3) and Tori McCann has a 2.38 ERA (7-7).