MEMPHIS, Tenn. --- The Mississippi College baseball team will play their first Gulf South Conference games in 19 years when they travel to Memphis for a three-game series with Christian Brothers, beginning Friday with a single-game at 2:00 pm. The two teams will play a doubleheader on Saturday at noon at Nadicksbernd Field.

The Choctaws (5-0) are led by head coach Brian Owens, who is just two wins away from the career milestone of 200. MC opened the season with a three-game sweep of Tougaloo before taking both games of a doubleheader on Tuesday at LeMoyne-Owen.

The Bucs (3-3) are led by head coach Phil Goodwin, who is entering his 13th season at the helm. CBU opened the season with two wins over LeMoyne-Owen before a loss to Freed-Hardeman. They followed that by taking one of the three games against William Woods.

SCOUTING THE BUCS
The Bucs went 12-37 in 2014 and were picked to finish 10th in the GSC preseason poll. Senior Mac Cooley was selected to the preseason All-GSC Team, while Cameron Coker and Myles Holliman were each picked to be on the Top Newcomers List.

Cooley is hitting .381 with team-highs in hits (8), doubles (3) and RBI (6). Coker is second on the team with five RBI, while Holliman is hitting .389 and is tied for the team-lead with three runs scored.

ROAD TRIP!!
The Choctaws are in the midst of their longest road swing of the season that will see them play eight straight contests away from Frierson Field. The Choctaws will be back at home on February 28th when they host Alabama Huntsville for a three-game series. The longest homestand of the season will be a six-game stretch from March 25-31 against Belhaven, Shorter and Spring Hill.

A CLOSER LOOK AT THE SERIES
The Choctaws and the Bucs have met 10 previous times with the teams splitting the series, 5-5. They have not played since 1998 when the teams split a doubleheader in Memphis with MC winning 9-8 after CBU picked up a 5-3 win.

RECORD WATCH
Head coach Brian Owens is on the verge of a major milestone as he is just two wins away from 200 in his career. After opening his career with the big win over Tougaloo, the former Mississippi State reliever has had a succesful run with the Choctaws. In 2010, he led MC to a 39-11 record and got the team within one game of the Division III World Series. His 100th career win came on April 20th of that season, a come-from-behind victory over Millsaps, 7-6.

Fortenberry has been a part of the starting rotation for the past two seasons and is climbing the lists in the record books at MC. With 151.0 career innings pitched, he is just 20 away from breaking into the top 10, while his 134 career strikeouts is just six away from getting into the career record books.

HOT START
The Choctaws have opened the season by outscoring their opponents 79-10 over the first five games, including scoring 20 or more on two occasions. They are hitting .396 as a team and have stolen 19 bases in the early going.

NATIONAL HONORS
Sophomore Hunter Bolin was named the National Christian College Athletic Association Student-Athlete of the Week after hitting .667 (6-for-9) with six runs scored, six RBI and four stolen bases in the season-opening series sweep of Tougaloo.

NEWCOMERS TO WATCH
Juniors Kyle Cumlander and Hunter Hall were named to the Gulf South Conference Top Newcomers List, recognizing the top first-year players in the league. Cumlander is a right-handed pitcher that transferred from Mississippi Gulf Coast CC, while Hall is a shortstop from Pensacola State College.