LADY STATESMEN SOFTBALL GAME NOTES VS. UWG/SHORTER (3.2-3.13)

CLEVELAND, Miss. - The Delta State University Lady Statesmen softball team enters play on the opening weekend of Gulf
South Conference action with a 5-7 overall record. Aside from it being the opening weekend of GSC play, it will also be the first time the Lady Statesmen have played at University Field in 2013. DSU held a 16-14 mark at the friendly confines last season, including a 7-7 record in conference action. The Green-and-White took 3-of-4 from the Wolves last season, and will be facing transitioning GSC member Shorter for the first time.

PREVIEWING THE OPPONENTS

UWG enters the series with a 7-4 mark, including four straight victories in the Pioneer Classic in Greenville, Tenn. The Wolves return only five players from a team that finished 14-40 last season with a 6-23 record in GSC play. UWG is led by 2012 All South Region performer Nicole Yancey. The Whitesburg,Ga., native has 30 career home runs, including 14 in each of the previous two seasons. The former high school All-American also has 93 career walks. The Wolves have also gotten a spark from reigning GSC Pitcher of the Week Megan Roberts. The freshman leads UWG with a 3-2 mark with a 0.96 ERA with 43 strikeouts and 16 walks in 36.1 innings pitched.

Shorter enters the weekend with a 9-1 mark including six straight victories at the UNA Invitational, where the Hawks also picked up an impressive 4-2 victory over No. 7 Indianapolis. Shorter is led by junior center fielder Kayla Cooper, who is batting .414 with three home runs, three doubles and 10 RBIs. Just as impressive, is the Hawks pitching staff, as starters Kristen Little and Christina Ezell have allowed only five earned runs in 35.2 innings pitched.


PROBABLE STARTING LINUEP

POSITION NAME NOTES
1B Kaitlin Moore         Leads team in BA,RBIs,TB and SLG
2B Taylor Holland       Batted .317 last season as a freshman
SS Amber Adcock      Second Team All-Region as a Freshman
3B Brook Cline           Second on team with .333 batting average
LF Kassidy Tally         Leads GSC with 13 stolen bases
CF Megan Mayfield    Three RBIs versus Ohio Dominican (2.16)
RF Mariah Alvarez      Second career hit was home run vs GC
C Taylor Hughes         Played in 174 career games for DSU
DP Emily Todd            All GSC as a freshman in 2011

LADY STATESMEN SOFTBALL NOTES

LADY STATESMEN READY TO START GSC PLAY

Delta State opens the 2013 Gulf South Conference schedule with its first home games of the season on Saturday, March 2, as the University of West Georgia comes to University Field. It gets tougher on Sunday, as defending NAIA National Champions Shorter University travel to Cleveland. As a transitioning member into the GSC, the Lady Hawks are not eligible for NCAA postseason play, although games against them count in the standings.

LET'S GET SOME RUNS

In the 12-6 victory over the Ohio Dominican Panthers in the fourth game of the season, the Lady Statesmen already surpased the 2012 total for most runs in a game. DSU scored in double digits one time last season, which came in a 15-11 loss at Henderson State. The Greenand-White have scored in double digits twice this season, with the last time being the 10-4 victory over Wisconsin Parkside on February 24.

GONZALES NAMED PRESEASON ALL-GSC

Senior pitcher Brittany Gonzales was named Preseason All-GSC in a vote by the league's coaches. The Denham Springs, La., native is coming off a stellar junior season in which she finished 16-11 with a 2.98 ERA. Gonzales currently ranks fourth in school history in innings pitched (493.0), sixth in strikeouts (254), sixth in appearances (99) and seventh in wins (34). The former Live Oak High School standout is currently 2-3 with a 3.64 ERA.

ADCOCK READY FOR SOLID SOPHOMORE SEASON

Sophomore shortstop Amber Adcock is poised to build on a solid freshman campaign in
which she was named Second Team All-GSC and Second Team All-South Region. The Brandon
native finished the season as the team leader in runs (35), hits (65) and doubles (17). Adcock
finished second on the team with a .343 batting average, and her 17 doubles were tied for
second in the GSC and in the top five in DSU history for doubles in a season. In the six game
UNA Invitational, Adcock finished 5-of-16, with her first two home runs of the season and four
RBIs.

LADY STATESMEN TABBED SIXTH IN GSC

One year after winning the national championship, Valdosta State comes in as the favorite to earn the Gulf south Conference crown. The Blazers, who have won the last four GSC titles, grabbed five of the eight first place votes and finished with 47 points. Alabama-Huntsville, always one of the top contenders in the GSC, earned the remaining three first place votes and finished second in the poll of league coaches with 42 points. West Alabama (36 points) - which made a solid run in the NCAA South Region Tournament last season - came in third. West Florida (32), which picked up a second place vote, was a close fourth. North Alabama
(22) came in fifth and was closely followed by Delta State (21), which finished second in last season's GSC Tournament. West Georgia (16) and Christian Brothers (7) rounded out the voting.

MOORE OFF TO SOLID START

Freshman Kaitlin Moore could not have asked for a much better start to her collegiate career. The Southaven, Miss., native recorded two doubles in her first career game versus Kentucky Wesleyan on Feb. 16. The former Desoto Central High School product currently leads the Lady Statesmen in batting average (.351), doubles (5), triples (1), RBI (9) and sslugging percentage
(.541).