Feb. 19, 2013

HATTIESBURG, Miss. - Fresh off a 3-1 weekend in their home opening tournament, the Southern Miss softball team (5-8) hits the road again, this time for a midweek doubleheader against in-state foe Ole Miss in Oxford on Wednesday beginning at 4 p.m.

Southern Miss is 5-5 all-time against the Rebels in Oxford and won the last meeting there with a 1-0 victory in 2008. The previous two meetings, both Rebel victories, and 14 games in the 23-game series have been by two runs or less.

Over the first 13 games of the season, Southern Miss has played just four games at home, so the road is a familiar place for co-head coaches Jon Malgradi and Kirsten Voak's squad.

"You want your team to be comfortable home and away," said Malgradi. "We structured our schedule so that we could go on the road, play in some hostile environments early on, and really give our team a chance to show what they are capable of. So far, we've been pleased with how our young team has responded. Ole Miss is an in-state school and they will be tough as ever."

In their home tournament, the Golden Eagles were led by senior Danielle LaPointe and junior Mackenzie Sher at the plate with true freshman Kaitlin Wilson tallying team-best marks inside the circle.

LaPointe and Sher both set career high-water marks over the weekend, including Sher's four RBI and five RBI games both setting and then re-setting her best marks as a Golden Eagle. Combined, the duo went 12-for-26 at the plate with Sher alone tallying 12 RBI and two roundtrippers.

The freshman, Wilson, allowed just one earned run in her pair of appearances over the weekend while going 1-1 with a save. For the season, the Sierra Vista, Ariz., native carries a 2.94 ERA but has allowed just four earned runs over the last 21.2 innings (1.29).

Under second year head coach Windy Thees, the Rebels are coming off a 2-2 performance in the Mardi Gras Invitational in Mobile with victories over Lamar and Jackson State and losses to Central Arkansas and South Alabama.

At the plate, Allison Brown and RT Cantillo lead the team with .440 and .394 averages, respectively, with Brown leading the team in RBI with 10.

In a gesture of Mississippi hospitality, Ole Miss is also preparing to provide aide to the Hattiesburg area after last week's devastating tornado. The Rebels' football equipment truck will be parked in the outfield driveway at the Ole Miss Softball Complex during the games and will be accepting nonperishable food items, hygiene items, and student school supplies.

To get the most up-to-date information on Southern Miss Softball, follow the team on Twitter at @USMSoftball, get live stats via the Gametracker platform from SouthernMiss.com, or like Southern Miss Softball on Facebook.