Softball | 2/12/2018 9:13:00 AM

Lady Braves Open 2018 Campaign Tuesday at Southern Miss

Alcorn Game Notes | Live Stats

HATTIESBURG, Miss. – The defending SWAC East Division champion will begin its 2018 season Tuesday when the Alcorn State University softball program heads to Southern Miss for a doubleheader starting at 2 p.m. at the Southern Miss Softball Complex.
 
The Lady Braves are coming off a 13-5 SWAC season which was the best record in the conference for either division. They were picked second in the SWAC East Division this year in the Preseason Poll.
 
Senior first baseman Taylor Hughes was named the 2018 SWAC Preseason Player of the Year. She won both 2017 SWAC Player and Hitter of the Year honors last season. Hughes hit for a .404 average and led the league with a .491 on-base percentage.
 
Coming into the season, Hughes ranks third all-time in Alcorn history in both hits (142) and doubles (28), fourth in RBI (82), sixth in walks (48), eighth in both runs scored (75) and 11th in triples (6). She needs nine more hits and five more doubles to become the school's all-time leader in those categories.
 
Hughes is one of three returning All-Conference honorees for Alcorn. Senior pitcher Robin Harrison and senior outfielder Mariah Ortiz were selected to the 2017 All-Conference Second-Team.
 
Hughes carries over a 22-game on-base streak and two-game hitting streak from last season. Junior third baseman Victoria Tyler, who earned a spot on the Preseason All-Conference Second-Team, brings over a two-game hitting-streak as well.
 
Alcorn welcomed 11 newcomers to the 2018 roster including a pair of pitchers in Paige Taylor and Winter Ridgeway. The program brought back four of its eight starting field players.
 
USM (0-4) opened its season this past weekend at LSU's Tiger Classic. The Golden Eagles dropped games to UMass 4-0, LSU 4-0, UT Arlington 6-4 and Syracuse 8-3. Alyssa Davis led the team with a .417 average and a pair of doubles over the four games.
 
USM finished 27-26 overall and 9-14 in Conference USA last season. They brought back five starters including Samantha Reynolds who hit for a .320 average and .460 on-base percentage last year. 
 
Alcorn will be in action again Thursday when it takes on Kentucky State in a 5:15 p.m. doubleheader at Vicksburg High School. The Lady Braves will play at the Alcorn Softball Complex on Saturday when they host Rust College in a noon doubleheader.
 
PRESEASON NOTES
- The Lady Braves are trying to begin 2-0 for the third year in a row after sweeping doubleheaders over Kentucky State in back-to-back season openers.
 
- Alcorn is looking for its first win over Southern Miss since 2009 when it came out on top 4-1 on the road.
 
- The Lady Braves will try and defeat a Division I opponent on opening day for the first time since 2011 when they topped Hampton 14-0.
 
- Alcorn head coach Josef Rankin enters his fourth season at the helm. He's posted back-to-back winning seasons in conference for just the second time in school history. It came after he started the program from scratch and inherited just seven players including three walk-ons.
 
- The Lady Braves will attempt to put together three consecutive winning seasons in conference for the first time in school history.
 
- Rankin added a pair of new staffers this year in graduate assistant Alexandria Harris and student assistant Courtenay Holt. Harris played at Alcorn from 2012-15 and is the school's all-time home runs leader with 15. Holt also played for the Lady Braves the last two seasons.
 
- Seven Lady Braves earned perfect 4.0 GPA's this past semester (Fall 2017) which was the most of any sport on campus. The list included Ambria Dorsey, Lindsey Eldridge, Madison Creed, Malea Dickerson, Teona Bowles, Ridgeway and Taylor.
 
#FearTheBrave