MOREHEAD, Ky. – The Morehead State softball team will take its first ever trip to the Magnolia State where it will face some of its toughest competition of the season at Southern Mississippi's Eagle Hub City Classic at the Southern Miss Softball Complex in Hattiesburg, Miss.
The Blue and Gold will play five games over three days at the four-team event. Morehead State (0-9) will open with Lamar (7-8) at 10 a.m. ET and then Jackson State (7-5) at 12:30 p.m. ET on Friday. The Eagles will then return to play host Southern Miss (8-8) at 5:30 p.m. ET and Chattanooga (8-7-1) at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday, before concluding their stay with another game against Lamar on Sunday at 11 a.m. ET.
"We're looking to take the lessons we've been learning and put it all together this weekend," MSU head coach
Megan Griffith said. "We'll need pitchers to keep hitters off balance, play clean defense behind the battery and (have) our offense execute at the plate."
Morehead State has played in two tournaments this season, dropping all five contests at last weekend's Blues City Invitational in Memphis, Tenn. The Eagles fell to Bradley (7-6 in eight innings), Indiana State (5-0 and 11-3 in five innings), Northern Illinois (11-3 in six innings) and North Carolina A&T (11-10). The Eagles have played all nine games this season on the road and have now dropped their last 34 contests away from home.
Four players have had hot starts at the plate this season, led by reigning first-team all-conference performer junior outfielder
Maddy Christopher (.394 batting average, nine runs, .424 slugging percentage, .400 on-base percentage), junior shortstop
Sage VanDemark (.357 batting average, two doubles, eight RBI, six walks, a .536 slugging percentage and a .471 on-base percentage), junior catcher/third baseman
Sydney Farmer (.310 batting average, 11 runs, three doubles, two homers, seven RBI, a .690 slugging percentage and a .313 on-base percentage) and sophomore infielder
Victoria Spencer (.310 batting average, five RBI, .345 slugging percentage and .323 on-base percentage).
The Eagles have had limited success in the circle, but the numbers have improved. Freshman
Allicen Harris is 0-2, with a 5.14 ERA, seven strikeouts and four walks in 16 and one-third innings. Junior
Ainsley Stubbs is 0-4, with a 11.95 ERA, 21 strikeouts and 14 walks in 21 and two-thirds innings. Senior
Rylie Burney is 0-3, with a 12.78 ERA, with 11 strikeouts and 12 walks in 15 and one-thirds innings.
Morehead State has seen a significant rise in strikeout to walk ratio over last year, when the team had a negative total with 107 strikeouts to 223 walks. This year's group has 40 strikeouts and 32 walks.
In team statistics, MSU has a .268 batting average, with 5.11 runs per game, six homers, three stolen bases, a 10.11 ERA and a .937 fielding percentage. Its opponents are hitting .389, with 10.22 rpg, six home runs, 15 stolen bases, a 4.15 ERA and a .918 fielding percentage
Lamar (154), Southern Miss (123) and Chattanooga (48) all boasted RPI's in the top half of the nation in 2025. MSU and Lamar have never met. Southern Miss (1-0) and Chattanooga (4-0) have slight series leads, while the Eagles and JSU are tied at 2-2.
MSU and the host Golden Eagles met in 2020 (a 13-2 Southern Miss win), with the UTC games coming in 2005 (two 9-1 Chattanooga victories) and 2019 (6-2 and 10-2 Mocs' wins). The Eagles and Tigers faced off in 2008 (an 8-0 Morehead State victory), 2015 (splitting at JSU; with a 4-1 defeat and an 11-5 win) and 2020 (a Jackson State win 7-2).
In 2025, Lamar finished 29-27, while Jackson State, the Southwestern Athletic Conference title winner and an NCAA Tournament participant, had a similar record at 29-25. Perennial power USM was 23-29. Chattanooga, the Southern Conference regular-season champ, had the best overall mark of the bunch at 41-15.
Lamar has dropped four straight games, all at the Best on the Bayou Tournament. It is 7-8 away from home this season. The Cardinals have played a tough slate and have wins over Illinois (5-2 on February 7) and Sam Houston State (9-4 on February 17). At the Best on the Bayou, Lamar opened with a 9-1, five-inning victory over Arkansas-Pine Bluff, before falling to Northern Iowa (12-3 in five innings and 8-6) and host Louisiana-Monroe (12-4 and 7-3).
As a team, it has a .274 batting average, while averaging 5.4 rpg, with 15 home runs, five stolen bases, a 6.09 ERA and a .981 fielding percentage. Its opponents have a .325 batting average, scoring 5.67 rpg, with 12 home runs and 17 stolen bases, along with a 5.21 ERA and a .954 fielding percentage.
Sophomore infielder Cimara-lei Wessling is batting a team-best .442, with 13 runs, seven doubles, three home runs, 10 RBI, eight walks, an .860 slugging percentage and a .538 on-base percentage. Freshman infielder Isabella Flores adds a .356 batting average, seven runs, four doubles, eight RBI, a .511 slugging percentage and a .396 on-base percentage. Junior catcher Mackenzie Wright adds a .317 batting average, with five runs, four doubles, two homers, 10 RBI, five walks, a .561 slugging percentage and a .404 on-base percentage. Sophomore infielder Cala Wilson leads the team with 15 RBI and is tied for the top spot with three home runs.
Senior Reagan Smith has a 3-1 record, with a 4.76 ERA, 17 strikeouts and 14 walks in 25 innings. Sophomore Kaylee Cuevas has a 1-2 record, a 4.85 ERA, 11 strikeouts and 11 walks in 17 and one-third innings. Junior Madison Guidry is 0-2, with one save, an 8.47 ERA, 16 strikeouts and 16 walks in 19 innings. Two other pitchers have thrown at least 13 frames.
Coach Amy Hooks is 135-221 in eight seasons.
Jackson State opened the season with four straight wins and enter the weekend with three consecutive victories. However, only seven of their 12 games have come against Division I opponents. It also has had three contests canceled. One of this year's opponents is Southeast Missouri, which the Tigers dropped by a 9-6 decision. Most recently, JSU beat Alcorn State (5-3), Bluefield State, W.Va. (17-9) and Claffin (9-0) all at the HBCU Softball Classic last weekend in Montgomery, Ala. The Tigers opened that tournament with a 7-4 defeat at the hands of South Carolina State. Overall, the team is 5-5 away from home year.
As a team, the club is batting .363, with 9.25 rpg, seven home runs, 58 stolen bases, a 5.76 ERA and a .942 fielding percentage. Its opponents have a .296 batting average, with 5.58 rpg, five home runs, 16 stolen bases, an 8.62 ERA and a .942 fielding percentage.
Four Tigers are hitting above .300, led by senior infielder Meah Almaraz. She is batting .410, with 11 runs, nine RBI, five walks, four stolen bases, a .538 slugging percentage and a .477 on-base percentage. Senior infielder Jace Jackson is hitting .405, with 11 runs, four doubles, 10 RBI, seven walks, five stolen bases, a .595 slugging percentage and a .500 on-base percentage. Junior outfielder Gabrielle Willis owns a .360 batting average, with seven runs, 10 RBI, three stolen bases, a .360 slugging percentage and a .400 on-base percentage. Freshman infielder Zaria Keyes bats .333, with six runs, seven stolen bases, a .370 slugging percentage and a .379 on-base percentage. Seventeen players have at least one stolen base this spring.
Sophomore Jorgina Gant is 2-1 in the circle, with a 3.50 ERA, 18 strikeouts and 10 walks in 22 innings. Senior Brooklyn Morris is 1-2, with a 7.12 ERA, nine strikeouts and four walks in 19 and two-thirds innings. Senior Madison McDowell is 3-2, with a 7.95 ERA, five strikeouts and nine walks in 12 and one-third innings.
Coach Kevin Montgomery is in his eighth season. He owns a 156-178 record at the school.
Host Southern Miss won its Wednesday game at Nicholls 7-3, after going 1-2 in a weekend series at Louisiana Tech. USM won the opener 2-1 on Friday, before falling 8-0 in five innings and 4-1 on Saturday. This weekend marks the team's second home tournament. In its season-opening Black & Gold Challenge, the Golden Eagles beat Southeast Missouri 8-0 in five innings and 5-2. Overall, the club is 4-2 at home this season.
USM is batting .298, while averaging 4.81 rpg. It has no home runs, 20 stolen bases, a 4.19 ERA and a .981 fielding percentage. Its opponents average .298 batting, with 4.31 rpg, five home runs, six stolen bases, a 4.38 ERA and a .969 fielding percentage.
Five Golden Eagles are hitting over .300. Redshirt junior outfielder Kinsley Gordon-Sivley is tops at .390, with 11 runs, nine RBI, five walks, a .463 slugging percentage and a .458 on-base percentage. Sophomore outfielder Hannah Christian hits .364, with nine runs, nine RBI, five walks, five stolen bases, a .436 slugging percentage and a .435 on-base percentage. Redshirt sophomore catcher Kayce Bennett adds a .333 batting average, six runs, five doubles, nine RBI, a .444 slugging percentage and a .388 on-base percentage. Sophomore outfielder Carrie Green bats .326, with five stolen bases, while redshirt junior infielder Nealy McManus hits .324 and has a team-leading 15 RBI.
Eight pitchers have seen action this season. Sophomore Kayla Giardina has a 4-2 record, with a 2.56 ERA, 24 strikeouts and eight walks in 43 and two-thirds innings. Sophomore Olivia Christian is 0-3, with a 5.06 ERA, one strikeout and 13 walks in 18 innings. Freshman Briley Whittington is 2-0, with a 2.40 ERA, two strikeouts and five walks in 11 and two-thirds innings. Senior Natalie Herrington is 0-1, with a 4.42 ERA, three strikeouts and eight walks in 12 and two-thirds innings.
Coach Natalie Poole is in her fourth season at the helm. She has a 75-90 record.
Chattanooga's most recent game was a 3-1 loss at Kennesaw State on Wednesday. Prior to that, it went 3-1-1 at the Frost Classic. There it tied Illinois-Chicago 8-8, after defeating the Flames 8-1 and 15-0 in five innings. It also split with Cornell, winning 2-1 in eight innings and falling 6-1. It has hosted two tournaments and is only 3-4 away from home.
The Mocs are batting .284, and averaging 4.88 rpg, with five home runs, 15 stolen bases, a 4.31 ERA and a .959 fielding percentage. Their opponents are hitting .291, with 4.75 rpg, nine home runs, 24 stolen bases, a 3.71 ERA and a .934 fielding percentage.
Senior catcher/infielder Baileigh Pitts owns a .378 batting average, with eight runs, four doubles, eight RBI, 10 walks, a .578 slugging percentage and a .491 on-base percentage. Freshman outfielder Ava Cowart hits .319, with 10 runs, three stolen bases, a .319 slugging percentage and a .360 on-base percentage. Sophomore catcher/infielder Mia Leone is batting .314, with six runs, four doubles, two home runs, 11 RBI, a .510 slugging percentage and a .345 on-base percentage.
Junior Sophia Guerra is 2-1, with a 3.23 ERA, four strikeouts and seven walks in 21 and two-thirds innings. Freshman Emery Bales is 3-2, with a 3.98 ERA, one save, 21 strikeouts and 12 walks in 31 and two-thirds innings. Senior Taylor Long is 3-4, with a 5.36 ERA, 61 strikeouts and 41 walks in 45 and two-thirds innings.
Coach Frank Reed is in his 25th year leading the program. He is 807-559-1 over that time.
Live stats are available for each game. The schedule is: Game one
http://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=653405, game two
https://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=653406, game three
https://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=640812, game four
https://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=653410 and game five
https://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=653435.
The contest with Southern Miss also will be broadcast on ESPN+. The link for that game is:
https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/eventCalendarId/401852391?gameId=401852391&sourceLang=en&om-navmethod=espn%3Aglobalsearch%3Aresults.
Morehead State will play its first home games on March 7-8 when it hosts defending Ohio Valley Conference regular season and tournament champion Eastern Illinois. On Saturday, the teams will meet at noon and 2:30 p.m. On Sunday, the contest will be at noon.
