CLINTON, Miss. --- The Mississippi College softball team will play their 6th ranked opponent of the season and second-straight top-ten team when they welcome #5 Valdosta State for a three-game series at Rene T. Warren Field in Raymond, MS.
The teams will play a doubleheader on Sunday (2:00 pm) with a single game on Monday (12:00 pm).
SERIES INFORMATION
MATCHUP: Mississippi College (15-6, 3-3 GSC) vs. #5 Valdosta State (16-3, 5-1 GSC)
TIME: Sunday, March 10th - 2:00 p.m. (DH) || Monday, March 11th - 12:00 p.m.
LOCATION: Raymond, Miss. || Rene T. Warren Field
THE SERIES
>> The two schools have met 24 previous times with VSU holding a 15-9 edge in the series. The teams met just once during the 2018 season with the Blazers winning 9-4 in extra innings. Last time they met in a GSC series, MC went to Georgia and took 2-of-3 games.
MISSISSIPPI COLLEGE (15-6, 3-3 GSC)
ROSTER || SCHEDULE || STATS
>> The Lady Choctaws are led by 13th-year head coach
Brooke O'Hair, who won her 350th career game on Wednesday (Feb. 13) with a 5-0 victory over Kentucky State. She is already the winningest coach (357 wins) in school history and has the top winning percentage (.619) among the school's five head coaches.
>> MC had won nine straight games before a three-game sweep at the hands of #2 West Florida last weekend, dropping two one-run games. MC was picked to finish 3rd in the Gulf South Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll after finishing 4th in the final standings in 2018 with a record of 29-16 and 19-12 in league play.
>> The Lady Choctaws, out of Clinton, Miss., had won nine straight games and 13-of-14 to get off to their best start since going 21-3 to open the 2007 season, Coach O'Hair's first campaign. The Lady Choctaws then traveled to Pensacola and dropped three games to West Florida, who jumped to a #2 national ranking and have now won 17 straight games.
>> MC opened the season by going 2-2 at the Gulf Coast Invitational in Gulf Shores, falling to nationally-ranked Saint Leo (#5) and North Georgia (#3). MC then traveled to Huntsville and went 5-1 at the Charger Chillout, including a 9-4 win over the then top-ranked team in the country and defending national champion Southern Indiana.
>> MC then went on to open GSC action last weekend with a three-game sweep of West Georgia, led by the pitching efforts of senior
Cori Cooper and freshman
Hannah Creel, who were named GSC Pitcher and Freshman of the Week. The Lady Choctaws won a pair of one-run games around a 13-0 run-rule victory.
>> Junior
Morgan Bradford (.370) is the team's top hitter, also leading the squad with a .516 on-base percentage. She drove in both runs in a tight 3-2 loss against West Florida last Saturday. Junior
Shayla McKissock (.333) leads the way with 19 hits and 19 runs scored, also stealing 11-of-11 bases on the year.
>> Junior
Carly Crawford (.320) and freshman
Annemarie Peavy (.333) lead the team with three and two home runs, respectively, while senior
Alexia Harmon (.300) has a team-high eight doubles and 16 RBI.
>> Senior
Cori Cooper (3-4, 1.82 ERA) has allowed opponents to hit only .181 on the season and has collected 45 strikeouts with just 11 walks. Freshman
Hannah Creel (6-1, 2.01 ERA) leads the team with 50 strikeouts in 55.2 innings pitched.
#5 VALDOSTA STATE (16-3, 5-1 GSC)
ROSTER || SCHEDULE || STATS
>> The Blazers, out of Valdosta, Ga., have won six straight games, including a doubleheader sweep of Georgia Southwestern State on Wednesday, outscoring their opponent, 19-1. They are 5-1 to open the GSC schedule, including a three-game sweep of Union last weekend. The needed extra innings for a 7-6 victory on Sunday before finishing the series with a 5-3 victory on Monday.
>> Led by long-time head coach Thomas Macera, the Blazers boast a long history of success that includes winning the 2012 NCAA National Championship. He is closing in on 600 career victories and has led VSU to the South Regional 11 times in his tenure. This season, the Blazers were picked to finish 2nd in the GSC Preseason Poll, collecting three first-place votes, after going 42-13 with a 23-9 record in the league in 2018.
>> The Blazers opened 2019 with four wins at the Gulf Coast Invitational in Gulf Shores, including a 3-2 win over #3 North Georgia. They then went to the NFCA Leadoff Classic in Clearwater, Fla. where they shut out four opponents and defeated three ranked teams (Palm Beach Atlantic, Southern Arkansas, Lenoir-Rhyne). VSU then opened GSC play by taking 2-of-3 games at Lee before coming home to sweep Union.
>> They currently rank 2nd in the league in earned run average (1.37), striking out a GSC-high 148 batters over 19 games. VSU also sits 7th in the conference in fielding percentage (.965) and 8th in batting average (.289), leading the league with 24 home runs.
>> Jordenne Gaten (.318) leads the squad with five home runs, 21 hits, 19 runs scored, 15 RBI and 14 stolen bases. Haley Garrett (.417) has the top batting average, while Taylor Strickland (.328) has a team-best two triples. Logan Hill (.304) has a team-best six doubles, while Kiley Robb (.167) is tied for the team-lead with 15 RBI.
>> Caylie Van Auken (6-1, 1.24 ERA) and Kasie Johnson (7-1, 1.55 ERA) have pitched the bulk of the innings this season for VSU. Van Auken leads the squad with 50.2 innings pitched and six complete games. Johnson has a team-high 65 strikeouts in 10 appearances. As a team, the Blazers have allowed just 13 walks with 148 strikeouts.
GAME NOTES
TOUGH SCHEDULE
The Lady Choctaws are scheduled to play 29 teams that combined to post a record of 821-689 (.544) in 2018, including four teams that finished the season ranked in the top 12 in the final NFCA rankings. They wiil play defending national champion Southern Indiana (#1), Saint Leo (#5), North Georgia (#3) and Illinois Springfield (#12). USI, SLU and UNG all made it to the College World Series.
TOUGH OPPONENT, TOUGH WEEKEND
The Lady Choctaws went on the road for the first time in GSC play this season, falling to #2 West Florida three times in Pensacola. Two of the games were decided by one run, however, while MC put up six runs in the 9-6 loss, the most UWF has allowed in a single game this season. The Argos have now won 17 straight games with their only loss being a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Florida Tech.
In the series opener, a pitcher's duel between senior
Cori Cooper and Grace Gilbert finished with just one run scored, a solo home run from Kathleen Smiley to lead off the fourth inning. Junior
Morgan Bradford went 2-for-6 at the plate with three RBI and a run scored against the Argos, including drving in both runs in the 3-2 loss on Saturday.
HOW WE STACK UP
The Lady Choctaws currently rank 3rd in the league in earned run average (2.22), only allowing more than four runs twice in a game this season. MC has also allowed a league-low three home runs this season, while their 111 total strikeouts ranks 5th in the conference.
The Lady Choctaws also sit 7th in the GSC with a .292 batting average, ranking 2nd in triples (10) and 4th in doubles (34). MC ranks 9th in the conference in field percentage (.950), making 32 errors over the first 21 games.
WE WERE MERELY FRESHMEN
The 2019 Lady Choctaws have five players that opened their careers in 2016 with an NCCAA National Championship in Troutville, Va.
Alexia Harmon,
Shelby Miller,
Penny Nichols,
Makenzie Nieto and
Kristen Qualls were all a part of the first women's team in MC history to win a national title. The Lady Choctaws cruised through the NCCAA World Series, allowing just 10 runs and scoring 46. They closed out the historic run with a shutout victory over Belhaven that saw only two Blazer baserunners even reach second base against Carlie Sargent.
NEW FACES ALL OVER THE PLACE
The Lady Choctaws welcome 11 newcomers to the 2019 squad, including five freshman and six transfers. Junior
Morgan Bradford (Southern Union State CC) and freshman
Hannah Creel (Bowling Green School) were named to the GSC's Top Newcomer List. The newcomers are from four different states, including Georgia (Bradford,
Hayden Claypool), Louisiana (
Ashley Elsensohn,
Paige Hulin,
Annemarie Peavy,
Gracie Trahan), Mississippi (Creel,
Kendal Daniels,
Abbey Salvo) and Texas (
Baylee Freudenberg,
Grace Hahn).
HOME RUN QUEENS
Junior
Kristen Qualls became MC's all-time home run leader with her 28th long ball on Friday (April 13) against #22 UAH. The home run came with two outs in the seventh inning to tie the score at 6-6. The former Madison Central standout broke the record of 27 home runs held by Brooke Smitherman (2011-15). Qualls also ranks 2nd in school history with 125 runs batted in, just 10 shy of Smitherman (135).
Brianna Caldwell set a single-season record with 14 home runs in 2018. She would set the record with a pair of long balls in the GSC Tournament against Montevallo. It was Caldwell's second time to hit two home runs in a game, also sending two out on February 24th against West Georgia. Her 15 home runs in 2018 already has her 5th in school history for career long balls.
EYE ON THE RECORD BOOKS
There are other Lady Choctaws that are on pace to make their mark on the MC Softball record books, starting with senior
Alexia Harmon, who has played in 176 career games. The record for games played is currently held by
Megan Everett (2014-17), who saw action in 209 contests. The former Madison Central standout also sits in the top 15 in school history in at-bats, hits, runs scored, doubles, runs batted in, total bases, hit-by-pitches, stolen bases and stolen base attempts.
Qualls, Harmon's teammated at MCHS, is also set to rise up the lists, sitting in the Top 15 in games played, slugging percentage, at-bats, hits, runs batted in, total bases, base on balls and hit-by-pitches
LIONS, TIGERS AND BEARS, OH MY!
The 2019 campaign features several unique mascots for the Lady Choctaws as they will face 30 teams with 25 different personalities. The most common mascot opponent for MC will be the Tigers (Ouachita Baptist, Tuskegee and West Alabama), followed by the Bearcats (McKendree and Northwest Missouri State), Lions (Saint Leo and Missouri Southern State) and Tritons (Eckerd and Missouri-St. Louis).
DEFENDING GSC TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONS
The Mississippi College softball team are the last time to win the Guf South Conference Tournament championship game after the 2018 tournament was cut short due to weather. In their first full year of eligibility in Division II and the GSC, the Lady Choctaws capped off a perfect run with an 18-5 win over the hosts UAH in the championship game.
Kristen Qualls was named the Tournament's Most Outstanding Player, while
Carly Crawford,
Megan Everett,
Adrianna Morgan and
Haley Thompson joined her on the All-Tournament Team.
NEW STAFF
The Lady Choctaws welcome a pair of new staffers in 2019 as
Roland Rodriguez joins as an assistant coach and
Kasey Cox will be the graduate assistant. Rodriguez has recently been the head softball coach at Millsaps and Ozarks, while Cox just wrapped up her playing career at Tennessee State.
ALL-GSC RETURNERS
The Lady Choctaws return a pair of All-GSC performers from 2018 in junior
Carly Crawford and senior
Cori Cooper. Crawford earned a First Team nod for the second straight season after hitting .341 with seven doubles, four home runs and 26 RBI. Cooper earned Second Team laurels after going 11-3 with a 2.66 ERA and 79 strikeouts in 94.2 innings.
PRESEASON ALL-GSC
The 2018 Preseason All-GSC Softball Team was voted on by the head coaches. Positions were not a factor, and coaches were not allowed to vote for their own players. Senior
Brianna Caldwell and junior
Carly Crawford were named to the team after both earning a spot on the GSC All-Tournament Team in 2018. Caldwell (.333) set a school record with 14 home runs in 2018, while Crawford (.341) was selected to the All-GSC First Team for the second consecutive year.
GSC PRESEASON POLL
The Lady Choctaws were predicted to finish third in the Gulf South Conference preseason poll, following a vote by the league's head coaches. MC also picked up two first-place vote after finishing fourth in the 2018 final standings. Alabama Huntsville was predicted to win the conference after advancing to the Division II Super Regionals last season. The top four teams in the conference were only separated by 29 total points and all receivied first-place votes.
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 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.
#MC#
