OXFORD – The Jacksonville State softball team will play its first home game in over four weeks on Friday, but it will have to do so just down the road at Oxford's Choccolocco Park.
The Gamecocks (17-17, 5-1 Ohio Valley Conference) will host Belmont (20-8, 1-3 OVC) in a doubleheader that will begin at 3 p.m. at the state-of-the-art facility and begin a busy home weekend for JSU. It will host Tennessee State in a 1 p.m. doubleheader on Sunday.
After playing just two home games at University Field over the first two months of the season, the Gamecocks had their home field damaged by an EF-3 tornado that ripped through the north side of Jacksonville and JSU's campus on March 19. Until the damage can be repaired, JSU will play its home games at Choccolocco Park.
The first of those games at JSU's new home-away-from-home will be on Friday against a Bruins team that has gotten the 2018 season off to a hot start. An offense that features five players batting above .300 and the arm of Brooklin Lee has guided Belmont so far. Lexi Rouse (.385, 8 HR) and Jess Andree (.345, 6 HR) lead the Bruins offense, while Lee's 1.40 ERA, 11-3 record and 134 strikeouts in the circle each are tops in the OVC.
The Gamecocks seem to have turned the corner of late, as well, claiming five of their first six league games in the middle of a stretch that has seen them win 11 of their last 16 games.
Taylor Beshears leads the JSU offense with a .380 batting average, but she is hitting .545 (12-for-22) against OVC pitching so far this season with a pair of homers and seven RBI. The Trussville, Ala., native's five homers and 24 RBI on the year both lead the team.
Alexus Jimmerson has also been red hot at the plate in league play, posting a .435 average with a team-best eight RBI. In the circle she is coming off a two-hit shutout at Murray State last week.
Faith Sims has been the Gamecocks' workhorse in the circle so far, posting a 2.24 ERA and an 11-7 record in 122 innings of work. The Cordova, Ala., native also has two saves and has tossed 12 complete games in 19 starts.
Senior
Caitlyn Sapp is second on the team with a .324 average this season, joining Jimmerson and Beshears above the .300 mark.
All games this weekend will be streamed live on the OVC Digital Network at www.ovcdigitalnetwork.com.
All season tickets and tickets already purchased for JSU home games this season will be honored at Choccolocco Park the remainder of the season. Tickets can still be purchased online at www.JSUGamecockSports.com/Tickets or at the gate on game day. As is the case for all JSU home softball and baseball games, JSU students with their ID and fans ages 18 and under receive free admission.
