GAME NOTES: Lady Statesmen Softball at HSU/OBU Classic (Games 1-6)
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CLEVELAND, Miss. - The Delta State University Lady Statesmen (0-0, 0-0 GSC) will travel to Arkadelphia, Ark., to begin the 2012 campaign at the Henderson State University Tournament. DSU will take on former Gulf South Conference members Ouachita Baptist and Henderson State University, along with Missouri Western State, Rockhurst University and Missouri S&T.  All six games will be broadcast on the Statesmen Sports Network.  

OBU finished 21-25 in its final year as a GSC member. The Tigers feature two returning pitchers and 11 total freshmen.  Henderson State opened its season with a doubleheader split with No. 20 Midwestern State on Feb. 5. The Lady Reddies took game one 4-1 before falling 7-5 in game two. HSU features nine players that received significant playing time on the team that finished 20-34 in 2011.

MWSU returns seven players that saw time in the 2011 South Central Regional. The Griffons finished 40-15 in 2011, and return MIAA Freshman of the year Jackie Bishop in the circle. Rockhurst returns its second leading hitter and both starting pitchers from its 23-29 2011 squad. Missouri S&T features only three seniors from a team that finished a disappointing 13-29 in 2011. The Miners also return two pitchers from that saw significant time last season.

The Lady Statesmen will look to rebound from a 20-32 mark in the 2011 campaign that did not feature a trip to the GSC Tournament for the first time in school history. DSU returns six regular starters from that club, but will also look for contributions from nine newcomers as well. 

LADY STATESMEN ATTEMPTING TO REBOUND FROM DISAPPOINTING 2011
Delta State University softball finished its 2011 season with a final record of 20-32. The sub-.500 ledger marked the first time since the 1991 season that the green-and-white finished with a losing record.

SENIORS LOOK TO LEAD DSU
The 2012 version of the Delta State University Lady Statesmen features five seniors for coach Casey Charles. Four of the five transferred to DSU from junior colleges, while Ashleigh Allgood arrived at DSU via the University of West Florida.
 
YOUTH MOVEMENT
On opening day of the 2012 softball season, the DSU lineup will likely see only two seniors in the starting nine. In fact, two freshmen, one sophomore and four juniors are currently projected to be in the starting lineup.

TODD LOOKS TO CONTINUE MOMENTUM FROM BREAKOUT SEASON
Sophomore Emily Todd is the only Lady Statesman to be named to the 2012 Preseason All-Gulf South Conference Team. The Clinton, Miss., native led the Lady Statesmen in nearly every offensive category in 2011, including slugging percentage (.522), runs scored (25), hits (53), RBI's (28), doubles (13), home runs (6), total bases (84) and at bats (161).

STIFFLER BOUNCES BACK AFTER INJURY
After suffering a senior season injury in only her 13th career game at DSU, right fielder Raina Stiffler has fought her way back into the projected starting lineup. The Jacksonville, Fla., native was batting .357 with five RBI's and one triple before her injury.

READY FOR MORE
Junior pitcher Brittany Gonzales will help anchor a Lady Statesmen pitching staff that returns three pitchers from the 2011 season. The Denham Springs, La., native is creeping up rankings in the DSU record book in nearly every pitching category. Gonzales enters this season with a 16-23 career mark, which includes a perfect game against Southern Arkansas University on March 14, 2010.