CLINTON, Miss. --- The Mississippi College softball team will welcome Shorter University to the MC Softball Complex for a three-game series this weekend, beginning with a doubleheader on Saturday at 3:00 p.m., followed by a single game on Sunday at 2:00 p.m.

SERIES RECORD    
The Lady Choctaws (17-10, 10-7 GSC) and the Lady Hawks (20-8, 10-7 GSC) will meet for the first time this weekend. The two schools are new members to the Gulf South Conference as Shorter is in their first year of full membership, while MC will be a full member in the 2016-16 academic year.

The matchup this weekend will pit two of the top five ranked teams in the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) as Shorter is ranked 3rd and MC is ranked 5th. The Lady Hawks won the 2014 NCCAA championship, while the Lady Choctaws finished 5th at nationals.

NOTES ON THE LADY CHOCTAWS    
Brooke O'Hair is in her 9th season as the head coach at Misisissippi College, earning her 200th career win last season. O'Hair opened her successful stint with 38-10 record and an American Southwest Conference East Division championship. The Lady Choctaws advanced to the NCAA Division III Tournament that season and also qualified for the postseason tournament in 2010 and 2011.

The Lady Choctaws have won 4-of-5 games since a series sweep at Lee two weekends ago. MC won a wild three-game set with West Alabama, taking the final game of the series by a score of 15-13 in 8 innings. They grabbed a sweep of Centenary (La.) on Wednesday night in Shreveport as senior Karla Beth Hux drove in seven runs over two games.

Hux (.405) has been on a tear as of late, going 10-for-14 (.714) at the plate over the last four games, driving in 10 runs with two home runs and two doubles. She has been the starting catcher in six straight games and has not made a single error in that span.

Sophomore Megan Everett (.409) has also been hot at the dish, hitting safely in 14-of-16 games, including eight multi-hit games and four with at least four base-hits. She leads the team with 27 RBI on the season, including driving in three while going 4-for-4 in the 10-0 win over Centenary.

Senior Macey Lee has 17 regular season games left in her stellar four-year career that has seen her be an all-conference performer in both soccer and softball. She is on pace to set the school record for most games played in a career and ranks in the top-2 in runs scored (120), doubles (39) and stolen bases (73).

Junior Carlie Sargent (12-4, 2.42 ERA) leads the Lady Choctaws in innings pitched (86.2) and strikeouts (79). In her last outing against Centenary, she struck out six and allowed just one hit in 3.2 innings. Senior Lacie Patterson (3-4, 3.65 ERA) has tossed two complete games with one shutout this season. She ranks 10th in school history with 19 career wins.

RECORD WATCH    
Most Career Hits
1.    Jennifer Jones (2008-11) - 201
2.    Brooke Smitherman (2011-15) - 165
       Macey Lee (2012-15) - 159
4.    Susan Musselwhite (1991-94) - 155
5.    Jessica Avery (1988-91) - 151

Most Career Runs Scored
1.    Jennifer Jones (2008-11) - 161
2.    Macey Lee (2012-15) - 120
3.    Jessica Avery (1988-91) - 110
4.    Leslie Shumock (2004-07) - 109
5.    Cindy Whitehead (1986-89) - 106
6.    Brooke Smitherman (2011-15) - 105

Most Career Doubles
1.    Brooke Smitherman (2011-15) - 41
2.    Macey Lee (2012-15) - 39
3.    Jennifer Jones (2008-11) - 31
4.    Kayla Watkins (2005-07) - 30
5.    Susan Musselwhite (1991-94) - 29

Most Career Stolen Bases
1.    Jennifer Jones (2008-11) - 84
2.    Macey Lee (2012-15) - 73
3.    Shay Mickens (2014-15) - 62
4.    Kasey Bomar (2008-10) - 39
5.    Cindy Whitehead (1986-89) - 38

NOTES ON THE LADY HAWKS
The Lady Hawks are led by 5th-year head coach Al Thomas, who guided Shorter to the 2012 NAIA national championship and the 2014 NCCAA title. In their first season as a member of the Gulf South Conference, Shorter went 48-11 and won the regular season championship.

The first-year full members of the GSC rank 4th in hitting (.313), pitching (2.57 ERA) and fielding (.962) on the season. They had won five straight games before a series loss at Lee last weekend. After dropping the first two games of the set, Shorter bounced back for a 3-1 win in the finale.

Niki Cook (.384) is the team's leading hitter and paces the squad with 29 runs scored and 32 stolen bases. Kameron Carter (.375) has a team-high eight home runs and 24 RBI, while Maggie Meacham (.312) leads the team with five doubles.

Amanda Blanchard (10-1, 1.95 ERA) ranks 8th in the GSC in ERA and is 4th in the league in wins. Her 79 strikeouts rank 3rd in the conference, while her three shutouts are 4th. Maddie Bray (7-5, 2.15 ERA) leads the team with six complete games, while Kalei Kimbrell (3-2, 3.37 ERA) has a team-high two saves on the year.