CLINTON, Miss. --- The Mississippi College softball team will open their 2015 home schedule this Thursday when they host William Carey University for a doubleheader. The games are scheduled to start at 3:00 pm at the MC Softball Complex.

The Lady Choctaws (3-1) are coming off a productive weekend at the Ronnie Hawkins Invitational that saw them win three straight games after dropping the opener to Missouri Western State. Senior Tori Bankston hit two home runs on the weekend, while senior Brooke Smitherman hit .667 with eight hits and four RBI.

Senior Macey Lee had, arguably, the biggest hit of the weekend, a two-run home run in the sixth inning of a 2-1 victory over Arkansas-Monticello on Friday night. Lee led the team with five RBI in the four games. Senior Shay Mickens continued to be a pest on the basepaths as she went 6-for-16 (.375) with four runs scored and two stolen bases.

Junior Carlie Sargent went 2-0 on the weekend and was named the NCCAA Student-Athlete of the Week after not allowing an earned run over 12.0 innings. She also struck out 14 batters, including 10 in the victory over Arkansas-Monticello.

The Lady Crusaders come into the doubleheader as the #2-ranked team in the National Association for Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). They finished the 2014 season at 52-12 and advanced all the way to the NAIA national championship game, a loss to Auburn-Montgomery.

They opened 2015 with a doubleheader split against Spring Hill College, dropping the opener 3-2 before bouncing back for a 9-3 win in the second game.

Lindsey Webb and Relanda McFarland each tallied triples in the two games, while Tiffany De Fore recorded a double. The three each led the team with two RBI. Brittany LeBlanc took the loss in the circle in the opener, while Brittany Lang was credited with the victory in the second game.

A CLOSER LOOK AT THE SERIES
The Lady Choctaws and Lady Crusaders have met 19 previous tiimes, but the two schools have not faced off since playing a doubleheader in 2008 in Clinton. WC swept the two games and holds a 10-9 advantage in the series.

Head Coach Brooke O'Hair made her debut in the dugout on April 20th, 2007 by hosting William Carey for a doubleheader in Hattiesburg. MC split the two games and the 4-1 victory in game two was her first career victory.

RECORD WATCH
Senior Brooke Smitherman is already MC's all-time leader in home runs (24), runs batted in (108), slugging percentage (.761) and walks (118). She ranks 2nd in school history in batting average (.427), just two points behind Renee Brown-Sumlin (.429). Smitherman and senior Macey Lee are MC's allt-ime leader in doubles (38).

Senior Shay Mickens set a school record with 44 stolen bases in 2014 and is currently third in school history in career stolen bases (46). She is 38 swipes behind record-holder Jennifer Jones, who stole 84 bases from 2008-11. Macey Lee is ranked second with 58 in her four-year career.

NEWCOMERS TO WATCH
Juniors Madison Oliver and Carlie Sargent were named to the Gulf South Conference Preseason Top Newcomers List, honoring the top fresh faces for each program in the league. The two transferred from Southern Union State CC in Alabama and wil make an immediate impact on the program. Sargent is a left-handed pitcher expected to earn a starting spot, while Oliver should crack the lineup from the first game.

NCCAA STUDENT-ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Sargent earned the National Christian College Athletic Association Student-Athlete of the Week award in her first appearances in the circle for the Lady Choctaws. She went 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA and 14 strikeouts over two games at the Ronnie Hawkins Invitational in Arkadelphia, Ark. last weekend.