GAME NOTES: Lady Statesmen Softball @ Shorter (3.2-3.19)
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CLEVELAND, Miss. - The Delta State University softball team will hit the road again this weekend, as the Lady Statesmen (10-7, 2-4 GSC) travel to Rome, Ga., to face the Hawks (10-6, 3-3 GSC) of Shorter University. The three-game Gulf South Conference series begins on Saturday, March 2 with a 12 p.m. doubleheader followed by Sunday's series finale at Noon. All three games will be played at the Alto Park Softball Complex. Live stats and complete game recaps will be available at GoStatesmen.com.

Delta State and Shorter are meeting for the 20th time on the diamond in a series that dates back to 2013. The Lady Statesmen, who lead the series standings 10-9, swept last year's series at University Field in Cleveland 8-7, 3-2 and 2-1. In fact, DSU has won the series each of the last four seasons, with victories in nine of the last 12 games between the two schools. In their last trip to Rome, the Lady Statesmen won 2-of-3 from the Hawks during the 2016 campaign.   

The Lady Statesmen dropped all three games of their series with Union University (10-6, 3-0 GSC) this past weekend at University Field. After playing their its 14 games on the road and traveling over 2,000 miles, Delta State is 0-3 at home after the Lady Bulldogs edged the Lady Statesmen 5-3, 10-3, and 9-7 (8).

AROUND THE HORN: @DELTASTATESB NEWS & NOTES

• After dropping all three games of last weekend's series to Union at University Field, the Lady Statesmen are back on the road for a five game stretch at Shorter University (10-6, 3-3 GSC) and Miles College (1-11). Delta State is 10-4 away from the friendly confines of University Field this season, including an 11-3 victory over Miles at the Gulf Shores Invitational in the second game of the season. The Lady Statesmen and Hawks will play a three-game Gulf South Conference series this weekend at Alto Park Softball Complex in Rome, Ga., before wrapping up the trip on Monday with a doubleheader against the Golden Bears in Birmingham, Ala. Live stats will be available for all five games.
   
• Senior first baseman Kelly Byrd is having a phenomenal year, batting .500 with a GSC-leading five home runs.  The Terry native has reached base in 16 consecutive games for DSU, thanks in part to 17 walks. Byrd also ranks in the GSC top 15 in batting average (3rd), slugging percentage (2nd), on-base percentage (1st), hits (15th), RBIs (T-7th), and walks (2nd). The two-year starter and 2018 NFCA All-Region selection is a career .400 hitter with 13 doubles, three triples, 16 home runs and 65 RBIs. In 185 at-bats, she has 74 hits, 35 walks and 19 hit-by-pitches for an incredible .529 on-base percentage.
   
• Delta State enters this weekend's series versus Shorter 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 .289 with runners in scoring position this season while opponents are managing a .247 clip. Senior outfielder/utility Jordan Jones has been the best in these situations, hitting .545 (12-for-22) with 12 of her 15 RBIs.
     
• 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 10-7 start. Fullilove, a senior from Batesville, is 5-5 on the year with a 3.03 ERA and 51 strikeouts in 62.1 innings. Her 51 strikeouts are tops in the GSC. Right-handed hitters are also batting a mere .196 (33-of-168) against her. Sandridge, a junior from Hernando, is 5-2 with a 4.95 ERA. The pair are tied for third in the league with five wins apiece. Both have also tossed wins against teams in the NFCA's top five rankings.
   
• A pair of freshmen have made an immediate impact, as infielder Taylor Picou and outfielder Ta'mya Johnson have become mainstays in the Lady Statesmen lineup.  Picou, who smashed the game-winning home run in the top of the 7th inning in DSU's 2-1 series clinching victory at Montevallo, has anchored third base while hitting .262 with six runs scored, a double, two home runs and four RBIs. Johnson enters the week with a .365 (19-of-52) average with four doubles, two home runs, nine runs scored and 15 RBIs.
   
• Junior catcher Carlie Vice has reached base safely in eight consecutive games for the Lady Statesmen. The Biloxi native has started 15 games for DSU behind the plate, batting .304 with a home run and six RBIs. She has also scored nine runs and been hit by six pitches, which ranks second in the GSC. In her 15 starts at catcher, Vice has played error-free defense at a taxing position. In 78 chances, Vice has recorded 65 put-outs with 13 assists.
   
• Jordan Jones is making the most of her senior season, as the Crystal Springs native is third on the team with a .353 (18-for-51) average, 13 runs scored, four doubles, two home runs and 15 RBIs.
   
• Taylor Picou, a true freshman infielder, has made an immediate impact for the Lady Statesmen at third base. The Morgan City, La., native has started all 17 games and is hitting .262 (11-of-42) with six runs scored, a double, two home runs and four RBIs. She is second on the team with 27 assists in 47 chances. In Sunday's 9-7 (8) loss to Union, Picou was 2-for-4 with a season-high two runs scored, a home run and and one RBI.
   
• Abi Gibson continues to shine at the plate and in the field during her senior season. The Coldwater native is batting .283 (15-for-53) with 13 runs scored. The four-year letter winner and three-time GSC All-Academic Team pick leads the team with 35 assists as well. In 166 games, including 164 starts, Gibson is batting .300 with 148 hits, 104 runs scored, 25 doubles, one triple, three home runs and 65 RBIs.
   
• Mallory Myers, a sophomore outfielder, collected a season-high three hits and two runs scored in five plate appearances in Sunday's 9-7 (8) loss to Union. The Batesville, Miss., native was 4-for-8 (.500) on the weekend with an RBI and a walk. The two-year starter is batting .200 (7-of-35) at the plate with six runs scored and an RBI in 13 games.
   
• Casey Charles, a former All-Gulf South Conference shortstop for the Lady Statesmen from 1999-2002, is entering her 11th season as head coach at Delta State. In her previous 10 seasons, the Lady Statesmen are 266-276 with nine trips to the Gulf South Conference Tournament and a 2014 NCAA South Regional Tournament appearance. She has coached 21 All-GSC selections, four NFCA All-South Region players, and two D2CCA All-Region performers. Off the field, 77 Lady Statesmen have been named to the GSC Academic Honor Roll while five have won the prestigious Charles S. Kerg Senior Athlete of the Year Award at DSU.