CLEVELAND, Miss. -- Delta State University Athletics encourages fans to Pack the Park for the No. 21 Lady Statesmen softball doubleheader against  West Florida on Saturday at 3 p.m.
 
General admission tickets at softball and baseball will be $6 for adults and $3 for youth. Reserved chairback seats at baseball have been reduced to $8 for adults and $3 for youth (ages 7-18).


 

DATE | OPPONENT | TIME	April 15  | West Florida (DH) | 3 p.m. April 16 | West Florida | 1 p.m.
RANKINGS | RECORDS	DSU | No. 21 NFCA | 33-12, 21-6 GSC UWF | RV | 33-11, 19-8 GSC
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 RETURNS HOME TO FACE WEST FLORIDA IN GSC SERIES
After picking up a GSC series victory on the road at Shorter, the Lady Statesmen host West Florida in a battle for second place in the GSC.  

• DSU is 6-4 in its last 10 contests, which includes a three-game sweep of Christian Brothers and a GSC series victory at Shorter.  
• DSU is 16-3 at University Field this season.

 
QUICK HITS

• For the first time in school history the Lady Statesmen are ranked in the NFCA Top 25 poll. DSU checked in at No. 21 in the March 23 edition of the poll, and also checked in at No. 21 in the latest poll.
• The Lady Statesmen pounded out 18 hits in a 9-6 victory in game three at Shorter (4.10). The 18 hits mark the second highest of the season.

 
SETTING THE STAGE: UWF

• DSU holds a 6-4 edge in the last 10 meetings with UWF. The Argos claimed the series, 2-1, last year in Pensacola.
• Kaitlin Moore leads returning players, as she finished the series 3-for-8 against UWF last year. Moore was the difference in the lone victory for DSU, as she hit a solo home run in the 1-0 win in game two.
• Taylor Tucker earned the shutout victory in game two, surrendering just four hits.
• Katie Justice took the loss in the final game, as she allowed three runs, two earned, on eight hits in five innings.

 

DOUBLE TROUBLE
With 75 doubles through 45 games, the Lady Statesmen have more doubles than in four of the last six full seasons. DSU had 86 doubles in the 2014 season, a campaign that saw it make the second NCAA Tournament appearance in school history. Kaitlin Moore entered the week as the NCAA Division II leader with 19 doubles. Morgan Kazerooni is tied for fifth with 15. Moore has 66 career doubles, which moved her into second place all-time in GSC history. The 2006 edition that smacked 98 two-baggers set the DSU record.
 

BOMBS AWAY
The Lady Statesmen have hit 28 home runs this season, which ranks fourth in the GSC. The total marks the most round-trippers for a DSU team since hitting 30 in 2009.
 

WE LIKE THEM CLOSE
DSU is 10-5 in contests decided by one run. By comparison, the Lady Statesmen were 6-7 in 2015, and 4-10 in 2014.
 

WINNING WAYS
With its 33 wins this season, DSU has its highest total since having the same total in 2008, in which it played 59 games. The Lady Statesmen won a program-best 49 games in 2006.
 

LEADERS OF THE PACK
Kaitlin Moore and Kassidy Tally entered the week in the top-five among all active NCAA players in two statistical categories, and in five categories among NCAA Division II players. Moore ranks second in all divisions with 66 career two-baggers, while Tally is the active NCAA leader with 222 stolen bases.
 
Among NCAA Division II players, Tally is second in at bats (716), fourth in runs (187), while Moore is third in hits (262). Tally currently leads the nation with 61 steals, while Moore also leads the nation with 19 doubles.
 
 
TAYLOR SQUARED
Taylor Johnson and Taylor Tucker have combined for 25 victories in the circle this season. Johnson leads DSU with a 13-5 record, while Tucker has 12 wins and leads the team with a 2.89 ERA. This marks the first time since 2006 (Britni Adcox and Randa Blenden) that two pitchers have had 12 or more victories.
 

EARLY AND OFTEN
The Lady Statesmen are 27-5 when scoring the first run of a game. DSU has outscored opponents 103-44 in the first two innings, compared to a 53-52 deficit in the fourth and fifth. The Lady Statesmen have scored first in eight of their last 10 contests.
 

LET'S GET A ROUND-TRIPPER
The Lady Statesmen are 11-1 when hitting at least one home run this season, and 7-1 when they have hit two or more. 
 

MAKING HISTORY
DSU was No. 7 in the initial release of the NCAA South Region rankings. Other than the final poll in 2014, this marks the first appearance for DSU in any edition of the NCAA South Region rankings during the tenure of head coach Casey Charles.
 
With their appearance in the March 23 edition of the NFCA Top 25 poll (No. 21), the Lady Statesmen are ranked for the first time in the history of the program. After going 3-2 on the road last week, DSU checked in at No. 21 in the latest edition of the NFCA poll.