LORMAN, Miss. – Texas Southern descends upon Lorman, Mississippi, as Alcorn welcomes the visiting Tigers for a big three-game Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Softball weekend series at Alcorn Softball Complex. The series kicks off Friday, April 10, with a doubleheader starting at 2 p.m., finishing with a single game the following day at noon.
 
THE SCHEDULE
Friday, April 10
2 p.m. – vs. Texas Southern | Alcorn Softball Complex | Lorman, Miss. | Live Stats
 
4 p.m. – vs. Texas Southern | Alcorn Softball Complex | Lorman, Miss. | Live Stats
 
Saturday, April 11
12 p.m. – vs. Texas Southern | Alcorn Softball Complex | Lorman, Miss. | Live Stats
 
SOCIAL MEDIA
Keep up with everything Alcorn Softball this season by following the Braves social media platforms. You can follow @BravesSports on X/Twitter and @AlcornSports on Instagram.
 
STATS & NOTES
▪ Alcorn comes into the series having won its last two games against Grambling State (minus the halted game) and in-state opponent Jackson State, respectively.
▪ The Braves are 7-5 at home this season.
▪ Yahnya Acevedo leads the Purple and Gold in batting average (.346) hits (36), doubles (8) and RBIs (22).
▪ In their midweek nonconference win from Jackson State on Tuesday, Alcorn used home runs from Olivia Miller (3) and Alainah Felton (3), each tying for the team lead in that department alongside Acevedo, Paris Thompson and Mariah Morgan.
▪ Thompson is batting .351 against SWAC pitchers, adding a .486 slugging percentage.
▪ Acevedo and Miller continue to be two of the hardest Braves to strike out, as each has been fanned just six times in a combined 205 at-bats across the season.
▪ As a unit, the Purple and Gold have accumulated 48 stolen bases in 53 attempts.
▪ Miller enters the series riding a seven-game hitting streak, while Rajayla McBride has a four-game streak intact. Altogether, McBride has reached base safely in six straight contests.
 
HISTORY
▪ Since 2013, Texas Southern has held a commanding 34-6 record against Alcorn.
▪ The Braves have dropped the last five against the Tigers, including nine of the last 10 overall.
▪ In 2025, Alcorn took one of three from Texas Southern, that being a 1-0 series-opening shutout in Lorman.
▪ In the records since 2013, the Purple and Gold hold a 9-3 mark against TXSO in Lorman.
▪ Last month, the Tigers swept a three-game series from the Braves in Houston by an aggregate score line of 18-3.
 
QUOTES FROM COACH BILLIE
"This is a big weekend for us. Texas Southern is a quality program, and we know what's at stake. These three games could go a long way in shaping where we end up in the SWAC standings, and our girls understand that."
 
"There's nothing like playing in front of our home crowd. We want to give our fans something to be excited about, and I know this team is ready to put on a show. Home field means a lot to us, and we plan to use that energy."
 
"We've put in the work this week. Our focus in practice has been sharp, and I feel really good about where our mindset is heading into this series. We've been preparing for a tough opponent, and I think you'll see that preparation show up on the field."
 
SCOUTING TEXAS SOUTHERN (20-10, 9-6 SWAC)
Rankings: USA Today/NFCA Coaches – NR | ESPN.com/USA Softball – NR
Head Coach: Raven Rodriguez (6th season)
2026 Batting Average: .297; Runs Per Game: 5.6; Hits Per Game: 7.5; Slugging Percentage: .435
2026 ERA: 3.27; K/BB Ratio: 1.70; Opp. Batting Avg: .250
 
NOTING THE TIGERS
▪ Away from home this season, Texas Southern is 10-7, collecting a 5-4 mark in true road games.
▪ The Tigers dropped their last SWAC series at home to Southern (La.) last weekend, despite winning the series-opener 1-0.
▪ As a team, TXSO is batting .297, while holding opponents to just a .250 batting average in reverse.
▪ Jade McQueen tops the team in batting average (.405), hits (32), home runs (5) and RBIs (20).
▪ Altogether, TXSO has hit 19 home runs.
▪ Right after McQueen, four other players are batting .300 or better – Kylie Wilson (.378), Lanay Carr (.329), Marisa Perla (.316) and KateLynn Cooper (.314).
▪ In the pitcher's circle, Miranda Peña has registered a 6-1 record with a 4.53 ERA.
▪ Zaria Turner is the team leader in ERA with a low of 1.58 through 80 innings worked, adding a team-high 56 strikeouts.
 
RECAPPING ALCORN'S LAST GAME (vs. Jackson State)
Alainah Felton delivered a dominant complete-game performance in the pitcher's circle and provided a pivotal two-run home run at the plate, leading Alcorn Softball to a hard-fought 10-8 victory over in-state opponent Jackson State on Tuesday afternoon at Alcorn Softball Complex in Lorman, Mississippi.
 
Felton was nothing short of spectacular in the circle, going all seven innings and striking out five while holding Jackson State to just four hits. However, the hard-throwing right-hander did hit four batters and issued six walks, but her groundball-heavy approach – inducing 14 groundouts compared to just two flyouts – kept the visiting Tigers from ever truly threatening to take the lead back. She earned her fourth win of the season in what was arguably her most complete outing of the year.
 
The offensive fireworks were ignited by shortstop Olivia Miller, who finished the afternoon with a jaw-dropping 3-for-3 line, three RBIs, three runs scored, including a three-run homer that sailed down the left field line. Miller was the heartbeat of the Alcorn offense from start to finish, and her presence at the plate created problems for Jackson State pitching all afternoon. She also added a stolen base for good measure.
 
After Jackson State jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning, aided in large part by a pair of unearned runs off stolen bases and a fielding error by the Braves defense, Alcorn answered with a vengeance in the bottom of the second, erupting for six runs on six hits to seize control of the ballgame and never look back.
 
Braves catcher Paris Thompson got things started with a single, followed by a Rajayla McBride knock to put two runners on. First baseman Chiara Olison then smoked a double to left to plate Thompson and move McBride to third. The big blow came from Miller, who deposited a three-run homer down the left field line to make it 4-2 Alcorn.
 
The rally continued when left fielder Yahnya Acevedo was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to score a run, and Thompson capped the frame with a sacrifice fly to push the lead to 6-2 in favor of the hosts.
 
Alcorn added two more runs in the third inning on a Mariah Morgan sacrifice fly and an RBI groundout by designated player Karmen Bernard, who finished 2-for-4 on the day. Bernard was a reliable presence at the top of the order all afternoon, providing timely contact and setting the table for the middle of the lineup.
 
JSU chipped away with single runs in the third and fourth innings to keep things interesting, but the Purple and Gold responded with the dagger in the bottom of the fifth.
 
With two outs, Felton launched a two-run shot of her own down the left field line, driving in Miller, who had singled and stolen second, to extend the lead to 10-5.
 
The Tigers mounted a three-run rally in the top of the sixth on a two-RBI single from pinch hitter Avelina Mclean and an RBI groundout by designated player Sommer Tyes, pulling within 10-8.
 
But Felton tightened down the screws when it mattered most, cruising through a clean seventh to seal the victory.
 
Olison was stellar in her own right, finishing 2-for-3 with a double, an RBI and two runs scored while anchoring the defense at first base with 12 putouts. Thompson went 1-for-3 with a sacrifice fly and a run scored, while Felton and Miller each went 2-for-2 at the plate to complement their big extra-base hits.
 
For JSU, Thenya Kennedy finished the day 1-for-4 with an RBI and a team-high four stolen bases in a losing effort.
 
Tigers starting pitcher Madison McDowell took the loss, surrendering eight runs on nine hits over four innings of work. Brooklyn Morris tossed the final two innings in the circle for JSU, allowing two runs on three hits.
 
UP NEXT
Alcorn travels to Memphis on Tuesday, April 14, for a single nonconference game against the Tigers at 4 p.m.