CLINTON, Miss. --- The Mississippi College softball team will open an eight-game home stand on Friday when they host Union for a three-game Gulf South Conference series at the MC Softball Complex.

The series is scheduled to begin on Friday with a doubleheader at 4:00 p.m., wrapping up with a single game on Saturday at 12:00 p.m.

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THE SERIES

MC and Union have met 11 previous times with the Choctaws holding an 8-3 edge in the series. The Bulldogs won the first two contests in 2014, but MC has responded by taking eight of the last nine, including a pair of sweeps (2015, 2016). Last time the teams met in Clinton (2015), the Lady Choctaws won a low-scoring set with a pair of one-run wins (3-2, 2-1) and a 2-0 victory.

Last season, MC bounced back from a series-opening loss (16-6) to take the final two games of the series in Jackson. The Lady Choctaws hit .344 as a team in the series, led by Katherine Lee (.462) and Makenzie Nieto (.455). Nieto had the big blow in the series finale with a grand slam in the sixth inning to take a 10-7 lead.

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MISSISSIPPI COLLEGE
Record: 16-11, 9-8 GSC
ROSTER | SCHEDULE | STATISTICS

The Lady Choctaws, led by 12th-year head coach Brooke O'Hair, are coming off a big road series win over #4 North Alabama last weekend, sweeping Friday's doubleheader by a combined score of 13-3. The Lions salvaged a game with a win in the finale, but the wins for MC handed UNA their first league losses of the year and snapped a 21-game win streak.

MC is creeping up the rankings in the GSC statistical categories, ranking 7th in fielding percentage (.957), making just two errors in the past eight games with six errorless contests. The Lady Choctaws are also 9th in batting average (.290) and 11th in earned run average (4.34).

Junior Makenzie Nieto (.356) has hit safely in a career-high six straight games and has scored in a run in six straight. Over that span, she is 8-of-18 (.444) with three home runs, a double and eight RBI, moving her up to 9th in the league in slugging percentage (.711).

Junior Brianna Caldwell (.337) leads the team with seven home runs and had her first career three-hit game last weekend against her old team in North Alabama. Junior Carly Crawford (.350) is second on the team in slugging percentage (.650), while junior Kristen Qualls (.292) has a team-high 27 RBI.

Senior Katherine Lee (.313) has a team-best 17 stolen bases, followed by freshman Kayla Murphy (.280) with 15 and sophomore Shayla McKissock (.338) with 11. Freshman Jessica Aron (.286). had a big week last week with her first career home run and two triples over MC's 4-1 road trip.

In the circle, junior Cori Cooper (4-1, 2.35 ERA) collected a win and a save in the series at UNA. She leads the team with 37 strikeouts and four complete games with two shutouts.

Junior Adrianna Morgan (6-0, 2.97 ERA) has tossed two complete games while not recording a loss this season. Junior Penny Nichols (3-5, 5.21 ERA) has appeared in a team-high 13 games and has pitched 43.0 innings.

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UNION
Record: 11-18, 5-12 GSC
ROSTER | SCHEDULE | STATISTICS

The Bulldogs, led by 11th-year head coach Heather Hall, bounced back from a pair of shutout losses to nationally-ranked Valdosta State last weekend to run-rule the Blazers in the series finale, 10-1. They traveled to St. Louis on Wednesday and split a doubleheader with Maryville. Union ranks 5th in the league in batting average (.301), 9th in fielding percentage (.955) and 12th in earned run average (4.91).

Gabby Morris (.407) is the team's top hitter, pacing the squad with six home runs, 21 RBI and 37 hits. Peyton Mathis (.303) leads the team with eight doubles, while Emily Bennett (.279) has a pair of triples. Samantha McDaniel (.373) has scored a team-high 21 runs.

Morris (7-7, 3.45 ERA) is also the team's top pitcher with 70 strikeouts in 73.0 innings. Taylor Griffith (3-2, 3.78 ERA) and Parker Davis (0-7, 5.76 ERA) have logged over 37 innings in the circle for Union, as well.

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Mississippi College is a private Christian university located in Clinton, Mississippi with an enrollment of over 5,000 students. MC recently finished their transition process back to NCAA Division II and the Gulf South Conference and started 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.