CLINTON, Miss. --- The Mississippi College softball team will play their first Gulf South Conference series of the season this weekend when they travel to Carrollton for a three-game set with West Georgia.

The Lady Choctaws (4-5, 1-2 GSC) and Wolves (8-4, 1-2 GSC) are scheduled to play a single game on Friday (Feb. 23) at 3:00 p.m. with a doubleheader on Saturday (Feb. 24) at noon to close the series. All times listed are Central.
 

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THE SERIES

MC and West Georgia have met 19 previous times with the Lady Choctaws holding a 15-4 edge in the series, including winning seven straight. MC has swept the season series from the Wolves each of the past two seasons with UWG's last win coming on March 7, 2015.

Last season, the first two games of the series were decided by one run, whlie the Lady Choctaws ran away with the finale by a score of 10-2. Megan Everett and Katherine Lee each had a team-high five hits in the series, while Penny Nichols went 2-0 with a 1.50 ERA, tossing two complete games.
 

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MISSISSIPPI COLLEGE
Record: 4-5, 1-2 GSC
ROSTER  |  SCHEDULE  |  STATISTICS

The Lady Choctaws, led by 12th-year head coach Brooke O'Hair, went 1-2 at last week's GSC Opening Weekend Festival in Montgomery, Ala., bouncing back from losses to Auburn Montgomery and #20 Valdosta State to grab a 5-3 come-from-behind win over Montevallo. MC ranks 4th in the league in batting average (.323) but rank 13th in earned run average (5.40) and fielding percentage (.931).

Junior Kristen Qualls is the reigning GSC Player of the Week after hitting .500 with four extra-base hits in Montgomery last weekend. The Madison native capped off the tournament by recording her third multi-home run game in the victory over Motnevallo. On Sunday alone, Qualls had five hits (three for extra bases) with five RBI.

Sophomore Shayla McKissock (.440) is the team's leading hitter and is the only Lady Choctaw to hit safely in all nine games this season. Junior Shelby Miller (.435) ranks 2nd in the conference in on-base percentage (.567). Qualls leads the team with three home runs on the season, while junior Brianna Caldwell has two long balls.

The pitching staff has struggled to find consistency early in the season, but senior Kristen Gardner (1-3, 4.76 ERA) had her best outing of the year in the win over Montevallo. The Vancleave native allowed just four hits and two earned runs over a complete game effort.
 

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WEST GEORGIA
Record: 8-4, 1-2 GSC
ROSTER  |  SCHEDULE  |  STATISTICS

The Wolves, led by 2nd-year head coach Al Thomas, went into the GSC Opening Weekend Festival with an 8-2 record, but went just 1-2 with a win over West Alabama and losses to Union and UAH. They currently are 3rd in the league with a 1.82 ERA, leading the league with an opponent's batting average of .211. UWG is 2nd in the conference in fielding percentage (.974) and 9th in batting average (.282).

The pitching staff is led by Katie Foote (4-2, 2.20 ERA), who paces the squad with 35.0 innings pitched and the only two complete games thus far. Lexi Close (3-0, 1.42 ERA) leads the team with 21 strikeouts and has allowed just four earned runs in 19.2 innings. Four different pitchers have made at least five appearances on the year.

Close (.458) is also the team's leading hitter, while Lexie Stohr (.417) has a team-best 15 hits, 10 RBI and eight runs scored. Raven Smith (.257) is the reigning GSC Freshman of the Year, while Sierra Stella (.259) was a First Team All-GSC selection in 2017.
 

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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.