GAME NOTES: Union @ Lady Statesmen Softball (2.24-25.19)
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CLEVELAND, Miss. - After playing its first 14 games of the season on the road and traveling over 2,000 miles, the Delta State University softball team is set to host Union University this weekend for a Gulf South Conference series at University Field. The Lady Statesmen (10-4, 2-1 GSC) and Bulldogs (7-6, 0-0 GSC) will play a single game on Sunday, Feb. 24 at 4 p.m. followed by the series-ending doubleheader on Monday, Feb. 25 at 1 p.m. All three games will be played at University Field. The Statesmen Sports Network will provide complete coverage, including a live broadcast, live stats, and complete recaps for each game at GoStatesmen.com.

Delta State and Union are meeting for the first time in 2019. The Lady Statesmen won last year's series in Jackson, Tenn., taking game one (3-1) and three (12-5). In Union's last trip to Cleveland, Delta State swept the Bulldogs 4-0, 2-1, and 16-6.

The Lady Statesmen claimed the series victory over the University of Montevallo this past weekend at Orr Park, winning games two (6-5) and three (2-1). Carlie Vice provided the heroics in game two, going 2-for-4 with a pair of RBIs, including the game-winner. Home runs by Kelly Byrd and Taylor Picou in the 6th and 7th innings of Saturday's series finale were enough to lift DSU to the 2-1 win. Nicole Fullilove went 1-1 on the weekend after allowing two runs, one earned, on seven hits with 13 strikeouts.  

Seniors Kelly Byrd and Jordan Jones, and freshman Ta'mya Johnson are leading by example at the plate, combining for 51 hits, nine doubles, seven home runs and 36 RBIs through the teams first 14 games. Byrd is leading the team with a .486 average (18-of-37) with 13 runs scored, two doubles, four home runs and 12 RBIs. Jones is hitting .381 (16-of-42) with three doubles, 11 RBIs and 12 runs scored. Johnson leads the squad with 13 RBIs while batting .395 (17-of-43) with four doubles, two home runs and nine runs scored.

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 10-4 start, their best since 2016 (11-3). Fullilove, a senior from Batesville, is 5-3 on the year with a 2.64 ERA and 38 strikeouts. Her 38 strikeouts rank third in the GSC. Sandridge, a junior from Hernando, is 5-1 with a 4.74 ERA. The pair are tied for second in the league with five wins apiece. Both have also tossed wins against teams in the NFCA's top five rankings.

AROUND THE HORN: @DELTASTATESB NEWS & NOTES

• Carlie Vice. a junior catcher/infielder, played a major role this past weekend in Delta State's series victory at Montevallo. In DSU's 6-5 victory over the Falcons in game two, Vice drove in the tying and go-ahead runs in her last two at-bats. She finished the day 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs. Through 14 games, the Biloxi, Miss., native is batting .333 (12-for-36) at the plate with six runs, a double, one home run and five RBIs. The two-year starter is a career .263 hitter with eight doubles, seven home runs and 35 RBIs.
    
• Senior infielder Kelly Byrd enters the Union series leading the GSC in home runs with four. The Terry native also ranks in the GSC top 10 in batting average (7th), slugging percentage (2nd), on-base percentage (2nd), hits (9th), RBIs (10th), and walks (3rd). She has also reached base safely in 13 consecutive games for the Lady Statesmen. This past weekend at Montevallo, Byrd hit .378 with a run scored, one double, one home run and two RBIs.
   
• Jordan Jones is making the most of her senior season, as the Crystal Springs native is batting .381 (16-for-42) with 12 runs scored, three doubles, a home run and 11 RBIs. Jones slapped a home run in last week's series at UM.
   
• Ta'mya Johnson, a true freshman outfielder, has made an immediate impact for the Lady Statesmen in the outfield. The Atoka, Tenn., native is batting .395 with a team-leading 13 RBIs. The former Atoka High star is 17-for-43 at the plate with four doubles, two home runs and nine runs scored. Her 13 RBIs are tied for sixth in the GSC. This past weekend at Montevallo, Johnson was 3-for-9 (.333) with a double and a pair of runs scored.
   
• Abi Gibson continues to shine at the plate and in the field during her senior season. The Coldwater native is batting .310 (13-for-42) with 11 runs scored. The four-year letter winner and three-time GSC All-Academic Team pick leads the team with 29 assists as well. In 163 games, including 161 starts, Gibson is batting .302 with 146 hits, 102 runs scored, 24 doubles, one triple, three home runs and 64 RBIs.
   
• Nicole Fullilove has been solid in the circle for the Lady Statesmen, posting a 4-3 record with a 2.64 ERA. In eight starts, the Batesville native has thrown 50.1 innings while striking out a team-high 38 opponents. In DSU's 2-1 series clinching victory, Fullilove worked 7.0 innings, allowing one run on five hits with a walk and six strikeouts, In a 1-0 loss in game one, she allowed one run on three hits with seven strikeouts.
   
• Olivia Dick , a junior outfielder, had her best weekend at the plate this season against Montevallo. The Brandon native was 3-for-10 (.300) with a run scored and a pair of stolen bases. Coming off a career-best .308 season at the plate as a sophomore, Dick is 76-for-279 (.272) at the plate in three seasons with 44 runs scored, four doubles, and 16 RBIs.
   
• After playing its first 14 games on the road, Delta State welcomes Union to University Field for a three-game Gulf South Conference series. Saturday's doubleheader is slated for a 2 p.m. start with Sunday's series finale at 1 p.m. The Lady Statesmen are coming off a series win at Montevallo, taking games two (6-5) and three (2-1). The Bulldogs went 2-1 last weekend with a 14-5 victory over Georgia Southwestern State and a 5-2 win over Columbus State. In the previous 10 season, the Lady Statesmen are 119-85 at University Field.
        
• Delta State enters this weekend's series versus Union 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.
   
• The Lady Statesmen are batting .292 with runners in scoring position this season while opponents are managing a .241 clip. Senior outfielder/utility Jordan Jones has been the best in these situations, hitting .588 (10-for-17) with 10 of her 11 RBIs.
     
• Freshman infielder Taylor Picou smashed the game-winning home run in the top of the 7th inning in DSU's 2-1 series-clinching victory at Montevallo on Saturday, Feb. 16. It was her first career home run.