CLINTON, Miss. --- The Mississippi College softball team will play their first home games of the 2018 season when they host Lee University at the MC Softball Complex, opening a three-game series on Friday afternoon.

Due to expected rain on Saturday, the series was moved up to Friday with a doubleheader at 4:00 p.m. The series is scheduled to wrap up on Saturday with a single game at 1:00 p.m.
 

---

THE SERIES

MC and Lee have met 13 previous times with the Flames holding a 9-4 edge in the series. However, the Lady Choctaws are 4-2 in the last six meetings, including a series win in Clinton in 2016. The two teams met for the final regular season series of the year, and Kristen Qualls hit a walk-off home run for a 6-5 win to clinch the series in Game Two.

Last season, the teams met in Clinton for a weather-shortened series, splitting a doubleheader. MC won the first game 10-0 in six innings, while the Flames bounced back for a 1-0 win. The squads would meet again in the opening round of the GSC Tournament with MC coming from behind for a 4-2 win on their way to the tournament championship.
 

---

MISSISSIPPI COLLEGE
Record: 9-8, 4-5 GSC
ROSTER  |  SCHEDULE  |  STATISTICS

The Lady Choctaws, led by 12th-year head coach Brooke O'Hair, are coming off a road series win over Shorter last weekend, bouncing back from a 5-3 loss in the first game to outscore the Hawks 19-2 over the next two tilts.. MC currently ranks 7th in the league in batting average (.291) and 12th in earned run average (4.85) and fielding percentage (.944).

Sophomore Shayla McKissock (.388) is the team's leading hitter, tying for a team-high with three doubles and a triple. Junior Kristen Qualls (.339) has hit four home runs and leads the team with 20 RBI. Her four long balls this year have her with 25 for her career, ranking 2nd all-time.

Junior Brianna Caldwell (.321) leads the squad with five home runs and has a .642 slugging percentage. Senior Katherine Lee (.319) has a team-high 13 stolen bases and 15 runs scored. Freshman Kayla Murphy (.314) hit the first two home runs of her career in the series win over Shorter, sending a pair of three-run shots to left field in the victories.

Junior Adrianna Morgan (4-0, 3.04 ERA) tossed a complete game in the 11-2 victory over the Hawks and continues to be undefeated on the season. Junior Cori Cooper (2-0, 1.43 ERA) has a team-high 21 strikeouts, including 13 punch-outs in her first outing of the season against Miles. Junior Penny Nichols (2-3, 5.03 ERA) has tossed a team-high 32.0 innings this season.
 

---

LEE
Record: 11-11, 4-5 GSC
ROSTER  |  SCHEDULE  |  STATISTICS

The Flames, led by head coach Emily Russell, are coming off suffering a series sweep at the hands of #6 North Alabama last week and a doubleheader sweep on Wednesday against #2 North Georgia. They currently rank 8th in the GSC in fielding percentage (.954), 10th in earned run average (3.70) and 10th in batting average (.279).

At the plate, Taylor Moran is the top offensive threat, leading the team in batting average (.459), doubles (7), home runs (5), runs batted in (23) and hits (27). Kayla Louie (.387) leads the team with nine stolen bases and 18 runs scored through 22 games. Stevie Baird (.283) and Abby McKinney (.243) have each driven in 10 runs this season.

In the circle, Leah Beatenbough (5-2, 2.19 ERA) leads the team in strikeouts (35) and innings pitched (44.2), while Shonna Penney (4-5, 3.70 ERA) has started a team-high 12 games and has four complete games.
 

---

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.