CLINTON, Miss. --- The Mississippi College baseball team returns to Gulf South Conference action this weekend as it hosts nationally ranked and in-state foe Delta State in a three-game series. Friday's single game is slated for a 6 p.m. start. Saturday's doubleheader is marked for 3 p.m.
 
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THE SERIES

• Mississippi College and Delta State will meet for the 137th time when the two in-state institutions take the field on Friday at 6 p.m. DSU leads the series with a 106-29-1. MC logged the last win in the series history last season with a 6-2 win in Cleveland.

 
MISSISSIPPI COLLEGE NOTES

• The Choctaws enter the weekend tied for seventh in the GSC standings with the University of Alabama in Huntsville. The top eight teams in the conference standings following this weekend advance to the GSC Tournament to be held at the top seed on Saturday, May 6 – Tuesday, May 9.
• The Navy and Gold is coming off a GSC series win over Lee University last weekend. MC claimed the first game, 12-2, on Sunday evening, in a game that witnessed an hour and a half rain delay, and claimed the first game of the Monday doubleheader 6-2. The Flames took the finale 6-5.
• The Choctaws will honor their eight seniors prior to the doubleheader on Saturday as Hunter Austin, Hunter Bolin, Casey Echols, Will Elliott, Matt Payne, Perry Turner, Austin Warkentin and Chance Whitten take to Frierson Field for the final time.
• Blaine Crim has paced the Choctaws offensively in the last 10 games. The Mobile, Ala., sophomore is hitting .405 with a team-best 12 RBI during the span. His 15 hits sit just one back of Hunter Wilson's 16. Wilson is second on the team in batting during the 10-game span with a .390 clip.
• Hunter Mullis leads the pitching staff during the last 10 games. The Columbus, Miss., junior has registered a 2.70 ERA while holding the opposition to a .173 batting average and 21 strikeouts in 20 frames. All four marks sit tops on the team during the span. Zack Ingram sits second on the squad in strikeouts during the 10 games with 10 in 17.1 innings.
• On the season, Echols, Wilson and Whitten lead the Choctaws offensively. Echols has registered a .347 batting average on the campaign while Wilson and Whitten each have a .345 clip. Kyle Smith sits outside the top three spots with a .341 average at the dish.
• Crim leads the team in RBI with 35 followed by Whitten's mark of 31.
• On the bump, Mullis has taken over the top ERA slot for MC with a 3.70 and 53 strikeouts in 48.2 innings of work. The ERA and strikeouts are first on the team while the innings is third most on the team. Tim Holloway sits second on the team in strikeouts with 43 while Ingram is second in innings pitched with 59.2 and an ERA of 4.53.

 
DELTA STATE NOTES

• The Statesmen enter the weekend as the top seed in the NCAA Division II South Region Rankings. DSU is ranked in each of the national polls with the highest billing coming from the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association, which has the squad ranked No. 3.
• The Green and White are 35-10 on the season and 23-7 in GSC play after dropping two of three vs. Valdosta State last weekend. After the two squads split the Sunday twinbill, the Blazers claimed the series with a 4-3 victory on Monday in the series finale.
• Zack Shannon leads the DSU attack with a .461 batting average and a team-best 77 hits along with 71 RBI.
• Zach Osbon has registered a 1.45 ERA on the mound this season, which tops among DSU hurlers, while Corey Beard leads the team in strikeouts with 62 in 71 innings pitched.