CLEVELAND, Miss. -- The Delta State University softball team (25-6, 14-1) will look to keep its first place standing in the Gulf South Conference when it hosts No. 3 University of Alabama in Huntsville (25-4, 13-2) for a three-game series at University Field. The teams are scheduled to play a doubleheader at 3 p.m. on Saturday, March 19, and will finish the series with a single game on Sunday, March 20 at 1 p.m.

LADY STATESMEN SOFTBALL GAMEDAY INFO

 

DATE | OPPONENT | TIME	March 19  | No. 3 UAH (DH) | 3 p.m. March 20 | UAH | 1 p.m.
INTERNET RADIO	CLICK HERE Philip Tang (Play-by-Play)
LIVE STATS	CLICK HERE
GAME NOTES	Lady Statesmen Softball Game Notes
SOCIAL MEDIA UPDATES	@DSUScores

 

















DSU HOSTS No. 3 ALABAMA HUNTSVILLE FOR GULF SOUTH CONFERENCE SERIES
The Lady Statesmen will look to maintain their first place standing in the GSC when they play host to Alabama Huntsville on March 19-20 at University Field. UAH and North Alabama are currently tied for second place with a 13-2 mark in GSC contests.

• The Lady Statesmen are 13-2 in their last 15 contests. DSU dropped its first GSC contest of the season to West Georgia by a score of 3-2 (8) on March 11.
• In the doubleheader sweep of Miles (3-15) the Lady Statesmen recorded their second and third mercy rule victories of the season. DSU claimed its first in a 9-1 triumph over West Alabama (3-19).

 
QUICK HITS

• For the first time under coach Casey Charles the Lady Statesmen are receiving votes in the NFCA top 25 poll.
• DSU is 11-2 at University Field this season.  

 
SETTING THE STAGE: UAH

• The Chargers took all four contests from DSU in 2015, including a pair of 1-0 decisions, the second of which ended DSU's season at the GSC Tournament. 
• UAH holds a 9-1 advantage in the last 10 meetings with DSU, with four of those contests occurring at the GSC Tournament.
• Kaitlin Moore collected led the way for DSU, as she was 5-for-10 against UAH last year. Two-of-three memebers of the 2016 pitching staff saw action against the Chargers in 2015. In two outings, Taylor Tucker allowed just one run in 7.1 innings.

 
200 CLUB
In the second game of the doubleheader sweep of Miles (3-15) Kassidy Tally appeared in her 200th career contest. Tally needs just nine more games to break into the DSU record book. Kaitlin Moore should enter the 200 club against Alabama Huntsville on Saturday, March 19.
 
 
WHEN IT MATTERS
Freshman Abi Gibson is tied for the team lead, as 14 of her 24 RBIs have come in GSC contests. The Coldwater, Miss., native ranks fourth on the team with a .333 batting average. Jordan Jones is tied with Gibson, as she has also driven in 14 runs in conference tilts. 
 
HIT PARADE
DSU currently ranks second in the GSC with a .330 team batting average. The Lady Statesmen also rank second in the league with 58 doubles and a .407 on base percentage.
All but three of DSU's regular starters currently have a batting average over .300. Kaitlin Moore leads the team, hitting .421, while Morgan Kazerooni, who has a hit in all but six games, is batting .417. Kassidy Tally, who has reached base safely in all but three games, is batting .386.
 
SPEED KILLS
On March 17, 2015 Kassidy Tally slid into the GSC record book as she broke the career stolen bases record (135) of former Lady Statesman Alyse Hasty. Tally, who currently ranks fourth in NCAA Division II history, is the active NCAA leader with 206 swipes, also holds the GSC single-season record with 74 in 2014. The Raleigh, Miss., native is tied for first in GSC history and second in NCAA Division II history with 67 consecutive steals without being caught.
 
 
EARLY AND OFTEN
The Lady Statesmen are 18-2 when scoring the first run of a game. DSU has outscored opponents 83-22 in the first two innings, compared to a 40-37 deficit in the fourth and fifth.  
 

WE WANT SOME MOORE
During her three-plus year career, Kaitlin Moore has made her mark on the DSU record book. Moore has a .372 career batting average, which ranks third in DSU history. On Feb. 6 in a 12-4 victory over Rogers State, Moore broke former teammate Amber Adcock's school record with her 51st double.
 
With her RBI single in the 8-3 loss to Arkansas-Monticello Moore drove in her 147th career run, passing Meredith Coleman for second in school history. Former Lady Statesman great Alyse Hasty is the all-time leader with 172.
 
 
LADY STATESMEN TABBED SIXTH
For the second straight season, the Delta State University softball team was picked to finish sixth in the Gulf South Conference preseason poll.
 
For the second straight year, Valdosta State (92 points) and Alabama Huntsville (87) were picked first and second. 2015 GSC Champion and NCAA Semifinalist Shorter (86) was picked to finish third. North Alabama (80) received the final first place vote.
 
Lee (65), in its first year as a full member of the GSC, was selected fifth.
 
The Lady Statesmen had three fifth place votes, four sixth place votes and three seventh place votes. Union (39), West Alabama (38), West Florida (33 points), West Georgia (24) and Christian Brothers (11) rounded out the poll.