April 15, 2008

HATTIESBURG, Miss. - After going 3-1 last week on the road, the Southern Miss softball team looks to continue its winning ways when they return home when they entertain South Alabama for a 6 p.m., single contest, Wednesday, at the USM Softball Complex.

The Lady Eagles (22-21) have won eight of their last 11 and have already surpassed last season's victory total of 19.

Junior catcher Kristin Pilgrim spearheaded the Lady Eagles surge last week - which included two wins in three tries over C-USA rival Memphis as well as a triumph at Ole Miss - with a 5-for-11 week (.455) at the plate to go along with two doubles and three runs driven in. For the season, Pilgrim is hitting .296 with two home runs and 22 RBIs.

The offensive leader in 2008 for Southern Miss has been sophomore Megan Hill. The Hattiesburg, Miss., native leads the team in batting average (.325), home runs and RBIs (26).

Senior Jennifer Fox continues to play solidly at third base for the Lady Eagles as she is batting .300 with three homers and 18 RBIs. Senior Brittany Pigott is next at .266 with a homer and nine RBIs, while Kristin Chaney has recorded a .259 average with a homer and nine RBIs.

The Lady Eagles will try to defeat the Jaguars (18-24) for the first time this season, after dropping a pair of contest to USA earlier this season. Southern Miss fell to the Jaguars 3-0 (Feb. 27) in Mobile and 1-0 in eight innings (March 1) in the LSU Purple and Gold Classic in Baton Rouge.

Following the USA contest, the Lady Eagles continue their homestand with a three-game C-USA series this weekend against Marshall. The Lady Eagles play a double-header starting at 1 p.m., Saturday, and then complete the series with a 12 noon contest, Sunday.