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CLEVELAND, Miss. - This week, the Delta State University Lady Statesmen welcome two of the most successful Gulf South Conference programs over the last three seasons, as the University of Alabama in Huntsville and the University of West Alabama travel to University Field.

PREVIEWING UAH/UWA

The Tigers have advanced to the NCAA Tournament two straight seasons, including a berth in the Super Regional in 2011, only to fall to UAH. The Chargers have had 17 straight winning seasons and 10 straight NCAA Tournament berths under head coach Les Stuedeman, including a loss in the National Championship game in 2011.

The Chargers ( 11-9, 4-2) return 10 players who started full or part time starters from a team that advanced to NCAA Tournament, finishing with a 42-16 record. UAH returns six Preseason All-GSC performers, including pitchers Whitney Toler and Whitney Gilbert. The Chargers also feature a pair of returning NFCA All-American performers in Mary Kelley and Courtney McNett. Freshman Brianna Sullivan currently leads the way for UAH, as she enters play with a .383 batting average.

No. 17 UWA (14-5, 5-3) returns eight starters from a team that finished 35-25 last season, including a berth in the NCAA Tournament, where it defeated No. 1 seed Tampa twice, before being eliminated by Florida Southern. The Tigers return a trio of Preseason All-GSC performers, including a pair of outfielders, in Stephanie Shoup and Tamara Vickers. First baseman Rebecca Schick was also named Preseason All-GSC for head coach Will Atkinson. UWA is currently led at the plate by a newcomer, Whitney Brown. The Fyffe, Ala., native leads the GSC with a .483 batting average. The Tigers also lead the GSC in team batting average with a .388 mark. Sarah Ray leads the Tigers in the circle with an 8-1 mark, with 43 innings pitched.

The Lady Statesmen claimed wins over each team in the 2012 Gulf South Conference Tournament, including a 6-5 victory over UAH to advance to its first GSC Championship game since 2006.

LADY STATESMEN SOFTBALL NOTES

A MASTER THIEF

Outfielder Kassidy Tally has taken advantage nearly every time she has reached base this season. The freshman leads the Gulf South Conference with 19 stolen bases. The Raleigh, Miss native has stolen a base in all but four games this season, and has reached base safely in 10 of her 14 starts.  

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 surpassed 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 Green-and-White have scored in double digits twice this season, with the last time being the 10-4 victory over Wisconsin Parkside on February 24. Through 22 games this season, the Lady Statesmen have are batting 21 points higher as a team (291) and have six more base hits (164) than this point in 2012.
    
GONZALES MOVING UP DSU RECORD BOOK

Following a solid junior season, that helped her earn Preaseason All-GSC honors, senior pitcher Brittany Gonzales currently ranks fourth in school history in innings pitched (513.1), sixth in strikeouts (264), sixth in appearances (104) and fifth in wins (37). The former Live Oak High School standout is currently 4-4 with a 3.82 ERA. In the 5-2 victory over West Georgia on March 2, Gonzales made her 100th career appearance and pitched in her 500th career inning.  

ADCOCK PICKING UP WHERE SHE LEFT OFF

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. In the 5-4 victory over West Georgia on March 2, Adcock had the first four hit game of her career, as she finished 4-of-5. The sophomore also had four RBIs versus UNA on March 7.

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. In her first career Gulf South Conference doubleheaders versus West Georgia and Shorter, Moore finished a combined 9-of-13, including five doubles. The former Desoto Central High School product currently leads the Lady Statesmen in batting average (.440), doubles (10), triples (1), RBI (12) slugging percentage (.680) and on base percentage (.500).
 
MADDOX BAFFLES FORMER TEAM

Junior pitcher Miller Maddox had a career day in the 3-0 victory over Arkansas Monticello on 3-13. The Greenville, Miss., native struck out 10 batters, including five straight, to give DSU its second win over the Cotton Blossoms in 13 tries. The career best performance was even more memorable for Maddox, as she pitched for UAM as a sophomore in 2011.