CLINTON, Miss. --- The Mississippi College baseball team returns to the diamond this weekend as it travels to Rome, Ga., for a Gulf South Conference series against Shorter University.

The series opens on Saturday (Mar. 3) with a doubleheader at 11:00 a.m. (CT) at the Robert H. Ledbetter Baseball Complex. The weekend concludes with a 12:00 p.m. (CT) first pitch on Sunday (Mar. 4). Live stats are available for all three contests at www.gochoctaws.com.
 

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WEEKEND STORY LINES & NOTES
- The Choctaws and Hawks have met nine previous times with Shorter holding an 8-1 edge in the series.
- SU has won six straight in the series with MC's last win coming on March 29, 2015 (13-8) in Clinton.
- The only time the teams faced off in Rome, the MC pitching staff held the Hawks to just 13 total runs but the offense could muster just five across the plate in a three-game sweep for Shorter.

- So far this season, MC has opened at 10-2 and is receiving votes in the latest top 25 poll after winning nine straight games at one point this season.
- Last weekend, they took the first two games against #9 West Georgia in Carrollton, but the Wolves won the finale 1-0 to halt MC's long winning streak.
- Statistically, the Choctaws lead the Gulf South Conference in batting average (.337) and earned run average (3.31) and are second in fielding percentage (.977).
- Hunter Sykes (.415) is the team's leading hitter this season, while Billy Cameron (.400) has all three home runs and is second on the team with 12 RBI, despite missing the first three games of the year.
- Kyle Smith (.388) has a team-high 19 hits and 16 runs scored and leads the GSC with eight doubles, while Grant Barber (.314) leads the squad with 14 RBI.
- Chris Crosby (3-0, 1.33 ERA) leads the pitching staff with 20.1 innings pitched and has allowed just three earned runs.
- Hunter Mullis (1-2, 3.72 ERA) has a team-high 17 strikeouts, while Brandon Kennedy (2-0, 3.55 ERA) and Christian Bellew (0-0, 6.75 ERA) lead the squad with five appearances on the mound.

- The Hawks are 9-7 in 2018 and are coming off a series win at Union last weekend.
- They have now won four of their last five after a 6-4 mid-week victory over Georgia College on Tuesday.
- Statistically, the Hawks rank 4th in the league in earned run average (3.37) and are 6th in the fielding percentage (.965). They also rank 10th in batting average (.251).
- Isaiah Maddela (.340) is the team's leading hitter with 18 hits, 16 RBI and 13 runs scored.
- Samyr Santos (.275) paces the squad with seven home runs and 16 RBI, while Luis Acevedo (.273) has a team-best five doubles.
- Banks Woodley (2-1, 2.54 ERA) has tossed a team-high 28.1 innings with 24 strikeouts.
- Jacob Ramos (1-3, 2.96 ERA) and Trey Urban (2-0, 4.50 ERA) have also made four starts for the Hawks, while Victor Santana (2-0, 3.97 ERA) has two saves on 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.