Alcorn Game Notes
HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Playing its first games in 13 days, the Alcorn State University softball program will make the short trip to Southern Miss for a Tuesday doubleheader beginning at 4 p.m. at the USM Softball Complex.
The large gap in the schedule came after a weather cancelation on Saturday, March 2. The Lady Braves (2-8) planned the following week off due to mid-term exams.
"I look forward to us getting back on the field. We had a bit of a break in the schedule which isn't always ideal, but hopefully we took this time to take care of our academics and reset a bit on the field," said Alcorn head coach
Josef Rankin.
Tuesday will be the final non-conference tune-up for Alcorn, which begins SWAC play Friday against Prairie View A&M at home. The Lady Braves will begin their quest for a third consecutive SWAC East Division title.
"We have moved into conference week and USM is going to be a great test for us. We have got to find consistency in all phases of our game for the entire game. We've got to do that tomorrow," Rankin said.
Senior
Victoria Tyler ranks 13th all-time in Alcorn history with 103 hits. Her 100th hit came on a home run against Georgia Tech on Feb. 24. It was part of back-to-back homers for the Lady Braves as sophomore
Amari Ramsey followed with a bomb to right field.
Tyler became the 14th student-athlete in school history to reach 100 hits. She also ranks seventh all-time in school history with 69 RBI's, and is approaching the top-10 list in doubles with 17.
Sophomore
Bri Smith is at the top of the Alcorn stat sheet with a .375 batting average. She's knocked six hits in 16 at-bats including a pair of doubles. She also hoists a .500 on-base percentage.
Tyler leads the Lady Braves with a .580 on-base percentage and seven RBI's. She's one of four Lady Braves hitting .300 or better with a .360 average. Junior
Brittney Triplett carries a .367 average and junior
Simone McKinney is at .300. Triplett has a team-high four multi-hit games on the season.
USM (11-10) will play its third SWAC opponent on the year. The Golden Eagles already have wins over Jackson State 9-1 and Southern 11-0; both games were five innings.
USM carries a team ERA of 2.25 with a four-man rotation. Abby Trahan has thrown eight complete-games in 10 starts with a 2.12 ERA, while Bailie Springfield has a 4-0 record in seven appearances with a 1.24 ERA. Sarah Van Schaik leads the team at the plate with a .397 average, 10 doubles, a triple and 19 RBI's.
"Coach [Wendy] Hogue has an extremely talented group. They are going to compete their tails off," Rankin said. "Destini Brown and Tata Davis are two of the best athletes around. Sarah Van Schaik and Chase Nelson are swinging it pretty well. Their pitching staff is going to be a challenge for us. I believe Abby Trahan leads that group, but the freshman Kaylan Ladner, Bailie Springfield and Makenna Pierce can spin it well."
The Lady Braves are going for their first win over the Golden Eagles since 2009.
"We have to find a way to take care of ourselves and just compete. We need to put our best effort forward and compete with relentless effort and see what happens. We need to play with confidence in the face of adversity. Don't back down! That's what I need to see," Rankin said.
Alcorn has outscored the opposition 11-8 in the first inning and 4-1 in the seventh this year.
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