CLEVELAND, Tenn. --- The Mississippi College baseball team will open a three-game series with Lee University on Sunday afternoon with a doubleheader at 1:00 p.m. (Central). The teams will wrap up the series on Sunday with a single game at 12:00 p.m.

SERIES RECORD
This will be the first-ever meeting between the Choctaws and the Flames as both teams are still in transition to Division II and the Gulf South Conference. Lee is scheduled to become a full member in the 2015-16 academic year, while MC will be a full member in 2016-17.

NOTES ON THE CHOCTAWS    
Brian Owens is in his 9th season as the head coach at Mississippi College. The former Mississippi State pitcher won his 200th career game on February 19th against Union Univiersity, needing 16 innings to get the milestone victory, 3-2.Owens earned his first career victory on February 10, 2007 with a 26-5 win over Tougaloo College. He led the 2010 Choctaws to the Division III West Region final, finishing just one game shy of the College World Series. That team went 39-11, opening the season at 17-1.

The Choctaws opened the season with their best start since 2003, winning their first six games. Since that hot start, however, they have gone just 1-11, including losing nine straight coming into the series with Lee. They showed signs of breaking out last weekend against West Georgia, taking the Wolves to extra innings in the opener. UWG ended up sweeping the Choctaws in three games at Frierson Field, but there were plenty of positives to take out of the series.

Senior Brooks Fortenberry opened the year with two wins but has taken no-decisions in each of his last three starts. He has left each of his last three games with MC either tied or in the lead. The Magee native is 2-0 with a 3.44 ERA over his five starts. He tied a career-high with 10 strikeouts aggainst Union three weeks ago and has nearly a 5:1 strikeout to walk ratio this season.

Freshman Jake Fraze has earned a starting spot in the weekend rotation, beginning games in each of the last two GSC series. The Plano, Texas native had an impressive outing in his last start against West Georgia, striking out four in 6.0 innings. Fraze gave up three earned runs in the first inning, but settled down to allow just one the rest of the way. Fraze also leads the nation with eight pick-offs this year.

Junior Kyle Cumlander had been looking for some consistency on the mound, and made some strides in his last outing against UWG. The Mobile, Ala. native cruised through four innings before an error allowed five unearned runs to score in the fifth, knocking Cumlander out through 4.2 innings pitched.

Junio Colton Caver has been MC's best hitter this season, posting a .427 average with a team-high 32 hits and six doubles. He ranks second on the team withi 16 runs scored. In the last series against West Georgia, Caver went 7-of-13 (.538) with a double and three RBI. He has hit safely in all but one game this season and has at least three hits in six games.
Junior Caleb Upton became the first Choctaw to post a four-hit game this season, going 4-for-5 with a run scored and an RBI in the series-opener against West Georgia. He is hitting .333, tying for second on the team with 22 hits and 12 RBI.

Senior Marty Stringfellow had a big weekend against the Wolves, going 4-for-9 with a double and his first career triple, driving in a run with the three-bagger. He has pushed hit batting average back over .300 for the season and is now hittiing .339 for his career.

RECORD WATCH    
Most Career Strikeouts
1.    Tim Watkins (1983-85) - 224
2.    Lee Gardner (1995-97) - 205
3.    Sam Graham (2002-05) - 196
4.    Scott Herrington (1993-96) - 166
5.    Jeff Walker (1993-96) - 164
6.    Wayman Grantham (1989-92) - 160
7.    Brooks Fortenberry (2012-15) - 159

Most Career Innings Pitched
1.    Tim Watkins (1983-85) - 273.1
2.    Wayman Grantham (1989-92) - 272.0
3.    Scott Herrington (1993-96) - 260.1
4.    Jason White (1993-95) - 232.1
5.    Sam Graham (2002-05) - 230.2
6.    Lee Gardner (1995-97) - 214.1
7.    Tony Richard (1987-89) - 210.0
8.    Brooks Fortenberry (2012-15) - 180.0

NOTES ON THE FLAMES    
Mark Brew is in his 9th season as the head coach at Lee University, leading the Flames to seven straight trips to the NAIA College World Series before the transition to Division II. He picked up his 400th career victory last season as Lee finished 37-19 in their first season in GSC play.

The Flames opened the year with nine straight wins, including a series sweep of Union in the opening weekend of GSC play. Since then, however, they are just 3-7-1 with a series sweep at the hands of West Georgia two weeks ago and a series loss at West Alabama last weekend. They outscored the Tigers, 23-19, but UWA picked up two one-run wins in the series.

The Flames have the top team ERA in the GSC, posting a 2.94 mark with a league-high 176 strikeouts. Dustin Lawson is the Game One starter and isi 1-1 with a 1.77 ERA in six starts. Chevis Hoover is 3-0 on the season with a 3.32 ERA, while Trenton Hill has a team-high 42 strikeouts.

Only three regular players are batting over .300 this season for Lee, led by MJ Brown (.314) with a team-high 12 RBI. Luke Toms has posted a team-high six doubles, while Andres Nelo leads the way with 16 runs scored. Siosi Poti is 14-of-14 stealing bases this season.