March 30, 2007

COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina softball travels to Starkville, Miss. for a three-game series against the Mississippi State Bulldogs. The Gamecocks are 25-10, 3-5 in the SEC, while the Lady Bulldogs are 21-15 and 4-7 in the conference. First pitch Saturday is set for 2 p.m. ET.

South Carolina leads the all-time series with Mississippi State, 21-12, including an 8-5 mark in Starkville. Last year, Mississippi State took two of three games from South Carolina, and the Gamecocks claimed the 2-1 series victory in 2005.

Mississippi State boasts a potent offensive attack, averaging five runs per game on the season .At the plate, the Bulldogs have five batter hitting above .300, led by Chelsea Bartlett’s .400 batting average and 36 runs scored. Bartlett is also second in the conference with 29 stolen bases. Courtney Bures leads the team with 34 RBI and boasts a .337 average while Hayle Guess leads the Bulldogs with five homeruns on the season. Kelli Miller leads the Bulldogs from the mound with an 8-6 record and a 1.33 ERA. Sara Hickerson has a team-high 45 strikeouts in 60 innings pitched and carries a 1.28 ERA with six saves.

For South Carolina, Ashton Payne leads the team with a .346 batting average and is tied for a team-high with three triples. McKenna Hughes is right behind batting a .298 and leads the team in runs scored (17), home runs (8) and RBI (23). The Gamecocks will counter the Mississippi State bats with the 1-2 pitching combination of Kate Pouliot and Melissa Hendon. Pouliot leads the team with 13 victories and carries a 0.85 ERA. Hendon has registered 160 strikeouts in 122.1 inning pitched, carrying a 10-6 record with a 1.20 ERA heading into the weekend.

As a team, the Gamecocks are hitting .252 and have a 1.17 ERA. That currently ranks South Carolina seventh in the conference in hitting, and third in ERA. The Gamecocks are third in the conference in least runs allowed (30), behind Tennessee (8) and Alabama (16).