GAME NOTES: Lady Statesmen Softball at Gulf South Conference Tournament (April 27-29, 2012)
Complete Weekly Release with notes, standings and stats in PDF

CLEVELAND, Miss. – The Delta State University Lady Statesmen softball team will enter the 2012 Gulf South Conference Softball Tournament fresh off one of its best weeks in recent memory.

The Lady Statesmen used late inning heroics to pick up its fifth and sixth straight wins in GSC play with a doubleheader sweep (2-1, 7-4) of West Georgia on Saturday, April 21. DSU then surprised the ranks of NCAA Division II softball with a 1-0 upset of No. 1 Valdosta State on Sunday, April 22. The win ended a GSC record 35 game win streak for VSU. The Blazers rebounded in a big way for a 9-4 win in game two.

The win over VSU was win number 100 for Lady Statesmen head coach Casey Charles.

DSU enters the 2012 GSC Softball Tournament winners in eight of its last 10 contests. The Lady Statesmen will take on the University of West Alabama at 11 a.m. to open the tournament, before playing a yet to be determined opponent at 1:30 p.m. for game two.

West Alabama was the only team to sweep all four games of a GSC series against the Lady Statesmen this season. The Tigers won the first game of the series 5-4 in both doubleheaders. UWA will be lead by All-GSC pitcher Kristen Skinner and All-GSC outfielder Tamara Vickers. Skinner enters postseason play with a 13-8 mark with a 1.94 ERA, while Vickers leads UWA with a .397 batting average.

LADY STATESMAN TO WATCH/PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP
Senior Maggie Jackson is this week's Lady Statesman to watch, as she enters the weekend with a team best .338 batting average with two home runs and 11 RBIs. The McComb, Miss., native is batting .408 in Gulf South Conference play.

POS. NO./NAME NOTES
1B / 13-Taylor Holland - Leads team with .435 OBP
2B / 1-Kendall Sizemore - Game-winning RBI vs. CBU 4/18
3B / 20-Brook Cline - Grand slam vs. UAM 4/19 
SS / 7-Amber Adcock - Second Team All-GSC
LF / 17-Kayla Wilson - Third on team with six steals
CF / 21-Maggie Jackson - Game-winning RBI vs. VSU 4/22
RF / 14-Ashleigh Allgood - Leads team with 41 RBIs
DP / 5-Katie Hebert - RBIs in four of last eight games
C / 8-Taylor Hughes - GSC best 10 caught stealing
P / 25-Brittany Gonzales - GSC Pitcher of the Week 4/24 

PICKING IT UP AT THE RIGHT TIME
Going into the Gulf South Conference play, the Lady Statesmen have won 8-of-10, which included a seven game GSC win streak. The seven straight GSC wins were the most for a Lady Statesmen team since a nine game streak in 2006.

WE LIKE TO PARTY
The Lady Statesmen have appeared in 25 of 26 Gulf South Conference Tournaments all-time, posting a 28-40 record.  Delta State claimed its lone Gulf South Conference title in 1992 with a 6-1 victory over Valdosta State in Florence, Ala. 

DSU is 12-16 this season against the field, but 8-2 in its last 10 conference games.  The Lady Statesmen snapped No. 1 Valdosta State's 36-game win streak during the stretch with a 1-0 victory on April 22 in Valdosta, Ga.

CHARLES GETS NUMBER 100
With the 1-0 win over No. 1 Valdosta State University on April 22, Casey Charles picked up her 100th career win as a head coach. The Walker, La., native is currently 100-113 in nearly four full seasons at the helm of Lady Statesmen softball.
 
ADCOCK NAMED SECOND TEAM ALL GSC
Amber Adcock was named All-GSC Second Team as released on April 25, as voted on by the league's coaches. The freshman was one of only two first year players on either team. Adcock finished the regular season with a .322 batting average with a team best 16 doubles, 180 at bats and 33 runs scored. Her 16 doubles were tied for second in the GSC, and placed her in the top 10 in DSU history for doubles in a season.

GONZALES NAMED GSC PITCHER OF THE WEEK
Brittany Gonzales was named Gulf South Conference Pitcher of the Week following an amazing week in which she went 4-0 in the circle for the Lady Statesmen. The Denham Springs, La., native finished the week with a 1.00 ERA in 28 innings, as she tossed a complete game in all four of her starts.

JACKSON LEADING BY EXAMPLE
Senior Maggie Jackson has found new confidence at the plate during her second season at DSU. Through 55 games this season, the McComb, Miss., native leads the team with a .338 batting average with two home runs and 12 RBI. The Southwest (Miss.) Community College transfer had the game-winning RBI double over No. 1 Valdosta State on April 22.

HOLLAND FINDING A WAY
Taylor Holland has continued to find a way to reach base for the Lady Statesmen during her debut campaign at DSU. The Grenada, Miss., native ranks third on the team with a .310 batting average with 12 RBIs. More importantly, Holland leads DSU with a .435 on base percentage with a team best 22 walks.