GAME NOTES: Delta State @ Montevallo
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CLEVELAND, Miss. - Coming off back-to-back strong showings at the Gulf Shores Invitational and the Charger Chillout,  the Delta State University softball team opens Gulf South Conference play this weekend at the University of Montevallo.

The Lady Statesmen (8-3, 0-0 GSC) and Lady Falcons (7-3, 0-0 GSC) will play a doubleheader on Saturday, Feb. 16 at 1 p.m. followed by the series finale on Sunday, Feb. 17 at 11 a.m. All three games will be played at Orr Park in Montevallo, Ala., and live stats, including complete recaps, will be available for each game at GoStatesmen.com.

Delta State and Montevallo are meeting for the first time in 2019 and just the third since 2016. The Lady Statesmen have won the last games with the Lady Falcons, including a 7-6 (9) victory at the GSC Opening Weekend Festival.

The Delta State University softball team was picked to finish seventh in the annual Gulf South Conference Preseason Coaches Poll, as released by the league on Thursday, Jan. 24. The University of Alabama in Huntsville edged out defending champion Valdosta State University by six points as the league's preseason favorite. Mississippi College, University of West Florida and Lee University rounded out the coaches' preseason top five.

Delta State finished its annual trip to the Charger Chillout, hosted by the University of Alabama in Huntsville, with a 4-2 record. The Lady Statesmen opened the tournament with a 9-7 win over No. 12 Illinois-Springfield and a 13-4 run-rule victory over defending national champion and No. 1 ranked Southern Indiana on Friday. DSU also claimed wins over West Liberty (11-2) and Missouri-St. Louis (2-1) while falling to Trevecca Nazarene (8-7) and Bellarmine (11-3).     

Seniors Kelly Byrd and Jordan Jones, and freshman Ta'mya Johnson are leading by example at the plate, combining for 43 hits, seven doubles, five home runs and 33 RBIs through the teams first 11 games. Byrd is leading the team with a .517 average (15-of-24) with 12 runs scored, a double, three home runs and 10 RBIs. Jones is hitting .424 (14-of-33) with three doubles, 10 RBIs and 10 runs scored. Johnson leads the squad with 13 RBIs while batting .412 (14-of-34) with three doubles, two home runs and seven runs scored.

AROUND THE HORN: @DELTASTATESB NEWS & NOTES
• LADY STATESMEN LOOKING TO TIE 2016 START: Delta State opens Gulf South Conference play this weekend at Montevallo with an 8-3 overall record. It's the second best start under head coach Casey Charles tenure with the Lady Statesmen. In 2016, the squad jumped out to an 11-3 start en route to a 34-20 overall record and a 21-12 finish in GSC play.

• DOWN GOES NO. 1: The Lady Statesmen defeated defending NCAA Division II national champion and reigning No. 1 Southern Indiana, 13-4, in last week's Charger Chillout, hosted by the University of Alabama in Huntsville. DSU scored nine runs in the first two innings against the Screaming Eagles and never looked back. Jordan Jones was 3-for-4 with three runs scored and four RBIs while Carli Vice and Mari Alex Sandridge drove in two runs apiece. Sandridge (4-1) also picked up the win in the circle, throwing 5.0 innings while allowing four runs on eight hits. It's the second time since 2016 that the Lady Statesmen have handed the nation's top-ranked team a loss in the opening weekend of the season. On Jan. 30, 2016, Delta State defeated then-No. 1 North Georgia, 3-2, at the Peachbelt-Gulf South Conference Showdown.

• AGAINST RANKED OPPONENTS: Delta State enters this weekend's series at Montevallo with a 3-0 record against teams ranked in the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Top 25 Poll. The Lady Statesmen upended No. 5 Saint Leo (1-0) at the Gulf Shores Invitational followed by back-to-back victories over No. 12 Illinois-Springfield (9-7) and No. 1 Southern Indiana (13-4) at the Charger Chillout in Huntsville, Ala.

• BATS POWERING FAST START FOR DELTA STATE: The Lady Statesmen are batting .297 on the season, ranking fifth in the GSC heading into the series at Montevallo. DSU's six home runs are second only to Shorter and Alabama Huntsville's seven while its 67 runs scored are third in the league.

• JONES RIDING HITTING STREAK: Senior outfielder/utility Jordan Jones is riding a team-high nine game hitting streak. The Crystal Springs native has also reached base safely in her last 10 games. At last week's Charger Chillout, Jones was 9-for-20 (.450) at the plate with a pair of doubles, eight runs scored and a team-leading nine RBIs in six games.

• BYE BYE BYRD: Senior infielder Kelly Byrd enters the Montevallo series leading the GSC in home runs with three. The Terry native also ranks in the GSC top 10 in batting average (7th), slugging percentage (3rd), on-base percentage (4th), runs scored (6th), hits (6th), RBIs (8th), and walks (3rd).

• ONE-TWO PUNCH: Delta State features a solid one-two punch in the circle this season with Nicole Fullilove and Mari Alex Sandridge. The duo the Lady Statesmen off to an 8-3 start, their best since 2016 (11-3). Fullilove, a senior from Batesville, is 3-2 on the year with a 3.38 ERA and 25 strikeouts. Her 25 strikeouts rank fifth in the GSC. Sandridge, a junior from Hernando, is 3-1 with a 4.67 ERA. The pair are tied for second in the league with three wins apiece. Both have also tossed wins against teams in the NFCA's Top five rankings.

• LADY STATESMEN COLLECT 850th WIN: Delta State's 1-0 victory over No. 5 Saint Leo on Feb. 3, 2019 at the Gulf Shores Invitational was the 850th in program history. The Lady Statesmen rank fourth among Gulf South Conference member institutions on the career victories chart.

Additional player notes available in the PDF file.