CLINTON, Miss. --- The Mississippi College softball team will hit the road for the final time in the 2017 regular season when they travel to Cleveland, Tenn. for a three-games series with rival Lee University on Sunday and Monday.

The games, which were pushed back a day due to inclement weather in the area this weekend, will start with doubleheader on Sunday at noon (CT), followed by a single game on Sunday at noon (CT) at Butler Field.
 

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MATCHUP INFORMATION
Matchup: Mississippi College (27-17, 18-9 GSC) at Lee (32-13, 18-9 GSC)
Location: Cleveland, Tenn.  |  Butler Field
Time: Sunday - 12:00 pm (CT)  |  Monday - 12:00 pm (CT)
 

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ALL-TIME SERIES
MC and Lee have met 10 previous times with the Flames holding an 8-2 edge in the series, including winning the first seven matchups and all five played in Cleveland. Last season, the Lady Choctaws took 2-of-3 from Lee in Clinton last season, highlighted by a 2-run, walk-off home run by Kristen Qualls with two outs to grab a 6-5 victory in a Saturday doubleheader sweep. Two years ago, Lee swept a three-game set, including a 4-3 win in nine innings in the finale.
 

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MISSISSIPPI COLLEGE INFORMATION
Head Coach: Brooke O'Hair  |  305-195 (.610), 11th Season at MC

ROSTER  |  SCHEDULE  |  STATISTICS

THE LATEST
- The Lady Choctaws opened the 2017 season at 10-11, but have answered with a 17-6 stretch, including winning 11 consecutive games in March.
- They have won each of the last six Gulf South Conference series, which includes sweeps of Christian Brothers and West Georgia.
- The latest run has them tied for 2nd in the GSC standings with three other schools, just one game behind conference-leader West Florida.
- Junior Katherine Lee (.388) has been MC's top hitter this season, leading the team with 57 hits and sitting second in stolen bases (29) and at-bats (147).
- Senior Tylan Buckley (.367) enjoyed a big series against #16 UAH last weekend, hitting a game-winning grand slam in a 4-0 victory, while also improving her streak to 31 straight games reaching base safely.
- Senior Haley Thompson (.305) leads the conference and ranks 4th nationally with 39 stolen bases, which is the third-best single-season total in school history.
- A pitching staff that has seen all five hurlers toss at least 36.0 innings on the season, got an outstanding effort from junior Kristen Gardner (2-2, 4.47 ERA) on Friday night, shutting down the nationally-ranked Chargers in a 4-0 win.
- Sophomore Adrianna Morgan (5-5, 3.18 ERA) also threw a shutout against UAH, giving her a team-high two blankings on the season.
 

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LEE INFORMATION
Head Coach: Emily Russell  |  551-223 (.712), 15th Season at Lee
 
THE LATEST
- The Flames are also tied for second in the Gulf South Conference standings with just two weekends left in the regular season, sitting just the one game behind West Florida.
- Lee is coming off a three-game sweep of Christian Brothers and have won each of their last four conference series, also sweeping defending Division II national champion North Alabama (March 11-12).
- Kayla Louie (.391) is the team's leading hitter, pacing the squad with 19 stolen bases and sitting second with 50 hits on the year.
- Brooklynn Frazier (.320) has a team-high eight home runs and three triples, tying for the team-lead with 44 RBI with Abby McKinney (.357), who has a team-high 51 hits.
- Stevie Baird (.354) leads the team with 13 doubles and is coming of a win over Christian Brothers that saw her hit two grand slams in one game.
- Leigh Beatenbough (16-5, 2.93 ERA) has been the work-horse for the pitching staff, tossing 138.1 innings in 27 starts.
- Taylor Moran (10-4, 1.26 ERA) has 80 strikeouts in 88.2 innings and is allowing hitters to bat just .219 on the year.
 

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GAME NOTES
- The Lady Choctaws are ranked 9th in the initial NCAA Division II South Region rankings, it was announced on Wednesday (April 19). MC also is receiving votes in the latest NFCA Top 25 Poll, marking the first time the Lady Choctaws have shown up in an NCAA national poll since the 2011 season in the Division III rankings.
- The Lady Choctaws have been off and running in the 2017 season, leading the Gulf South Conference and ranking 3rd nationally with 125 stolen bases through 44 games, which already ranks 2nd in school history for most in a single season. Senior Haley Thompson has swiped 39 bases in 42 attempts in 2017, which is the 3rd-highest total in school history.
- By winning 2-of-3 in the series against #16 UAH last weekend, the Lady Choctaws locked up a spot in the GSC Tournament, making their first appearance since the 1995 season. In its history, MC has made 10 appearances and advanced to the championship game five times.
- On Monday, March 13th, the Lady Choctaws secured the 700th victory in program history with a 13-8 win over Union. The first win for MC came on March 22, 1986 with a 6-2 win over Tennessee-Martin. On Friday, February 10th, the Lady Choctaws played at Montevallo, which was the 1,200th game in Mississippi College softball history. The first game on record was on March 14, 1986 when MC played Troy State in Columbus, MS (L, 13-14).
- Brooke O'Hair is in her 11th season as MC's head softball coach,  and secured her 300th career victory in a 10-9 victory in 11 innings over #9 Valdosta State last Saturday. She is already MC's all-time winngest softball coach and is heading towards her sixth 30-win season. O'Hair led the Lady Choctaws to an NCCAA national championship and a school-record 39 wins in 2016, being named NCCAA National Coach of the Year.
 

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Mississippi College is a private Christian university located in Clinton, Mississippi with an enrollment of over 5,000 students. MC is recently finished their transition process back to NCAA Division II and the Gulf South Conference and will be competing for conference and national championships in the 2016-17 academic year.
 
The athletic department sponsors 17 intercollegiate athletic programs: Baseball, Men's and Women's Basketball, Men's and Women's Cross Country, Football, Golf, Men's and Women's Soccer, Softball, Men's and Women's Tennis, Men's and Women's Indoor Track & Field, Men's and Women's Outdoor Track & Field and Volleyball.
 
For more information on Mississippi College athletics, please contact David Nichols at 601-925-3234 or nichols@mc.edu.