Friday, February 28
Hattiesburg, Miss.
9 AM
Jax State
vs
Lamar
Photo by: Brandon Phillips/JSU
Jax State Set For Black & Gold Challenge in Hattiesburg
2/27/2025 5:12:00 PM | Softball
HATTIESBURG, Miss. – The Jax State Softball team travels to Hattiesburg, Miss. for its final regular season tournament, the Black & Gold Challenge hosted by Southern Miss on Feb. 28 - Mar. 2. Jax State will play five total games against Lamar, Arkansas-Pine Bluff and Southern Miss.
Tournament Information
Black & Gold Challenge
Feb. 28 | 9:00 AM vs. Lamar [Live Stats]
Feb. 28 | 11:30 AM at Southern Miss [Live Stats] [ESPN+]
Mar. 1 | 9:00 AM vs. Lamar [Live Stats]
Mar. 1 | 2:00 PM vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff [Live Stats]
Mar. 2 | 10:00 AM at Southern Miss [Live Stats] [ESPN+]
Carter Tabbed CUSA Pitcher of the Week
Following a pair of stellar outings at the Rocket City Softball Showcase, Jax State senior Kat Carter earned Conference USA Pitcher of the Week honors. Carter pitched 16.0 innings, with 22 strikeouts and a 1.31 ERA and a perfect 2-0 record in two starts. Carter also appeared out of the bullpen in Tuesday's contest against Alabama. Her complete game shutout against No. 17 Mississippi State highlighted her weekend.
In the Polls
Jax State has been ranked 18th in the week three D1Softball Mid-Major Top 25 poll. In the inaugural season of the poll, it took the Gamecocks just three weeks to receive its first designation in the rankings, coming shortly after a 3-0 victory over AFCA top 25 ranked Mississippi State this weekend.
Gamecocks Down No. 17 Mississippi State
Behind a complete game shutout from Kat Carter and timely hitting from the Gamecocks, Jax State knocked off No. 17 Mississippi State at the Rocket City Softball Classic, 3-0. Abbi Perkins led the Gamecocks at the plate, with a pair of fourt inning RBI's while coming around to score herself. The Bulldogs loaded the bases in the bottom of the seventh inning before Carter escaped the jam and earned her fifth victory of the season.
Perk Comes Up Clutch
Abbi Perkins drove home three of Jax State's five runs while scoring the other two against ranked SEC foes on Saturday, Feb. 22. Perkins drove home two runners in an upset victory over No. 17 Mississippi State while bringing home another against No. 20 Auburn later that afternoon. Perkins returns to action in 2025 following a season ending injury in 2024.
Hot Rod
Jax State sophomore Emma Elrod wasted no time getting her 2025 started, leading Jax State in most offensive categories through 15 games so far this season. Elrod leads Jax State in hits (20), doubles (5), home runs (5), RBI's (14) and slugging percentage (.764).
Three for Mo
Jax State outfielder Morgan Nowakowski was a bright spot in a tough home opening loss for Jax State on Wednesday, going 3-for-4 with three singles and an RBI in the second inning. Nowakowski leads Jax State with a .391 batting average entering the weekend.
Boland Wins Number One
On Feb. 7, Julie Boland picked up her first career win over North Florida, 3-1. The Gamecocks used RBI's from Amber Reed and Ashley Phillips while Kat Carter finished with a 7.0 inning, no earned run outing against the Ospreys.
All Jax State home softball games are free to attend courtesy of Martin's Family Clothing.
Tournament Information
Black & Gold Challenge
Feb. 28 | 9:00 AM vs. Lamar [Live Stats]
Feb. 28 | 11:30 AM at Southern Miss [Live Stats] [ESPN+]
Mar. 1 | 9:00 AM vs. Lamar [Live Stats]
Mar. 1 | 2:00 PM vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff [Live Stats]
Mar. 2 | 10:00 AM at Southern Miss [Live Stats] [ESPN+]
Carter Tabbed CUSA Pitcher of the Week
Following a pair of stellar outings at the Rocket City Softball Showcase, Jax State senior Kat Carter earned Conference USA Pitcher of the Week honors. Carter pitched 16.0 innings, with 22 strikeouts and a 1.31 ERA and a perfect 2-0 record in two starts. Carter also appeared out of the bullpen in Tuesday's contest against Alabama. Her complete game shutout against No. 17 Mississippi State highlighted her weekend.
In the Polls
Jax State has been ranked 18th in the week three D1Softball Mid-Major Top 25 poll. In the inaugural season of the poll, it took the Gamecocks just three weeks to receive its first designation in the rankings, coming shortly after a 3-0 victory over AFCA top 25 ranked Mississippi State this weekend.
Gamecocks Down No. 17 Mississippi State
Behind a complete game shutout from Kat Carter and timely hitting from the Gamecocks, Jax State knocked off No. 17 Mississippi State at the Rocket City Softball Classic, 3-0. Abbi Perkins led the Gamecocks at the plate, with a pair of fourt inning RBI's while coming around to score herself. The Bulldogs loaded the bases in the bottom of the seventh inning before Carter escaped the jam and earned her fifth victory of the season.
Perk Comes Up Clutch
Abbi Perkins drove home three of Jax State's five runs while scoring the other two against ranked SEC foes on Saturday, Feb. 22. Perkins drove home two runners in an upset victory over No. 17 Mississippi State while bringing home another against No. 20 Auburn later that afternoon. Perkins returns to action in 2025 following a season ending injury in 2024.
Hot Rod
Jax State sophomore Emma Elrod wasted no time getting her 2025 started, leading Jax State in most offensive categories through 15 games so far this season. Elrod leads Jax State in hits (20), doubles (5), home runs (5), RBI's (14) and slugging percentage (.764).
Three for Mo
Jax State outfielder Morgan Nowakowski was a bright spot in a tough home opening loss for Jax State on Wednesday, going 3-for-4 with three singles and an RBI in the second inning. Nowakowski leads Jax State with a .391 batting average entering the weekend.
Boland Wins Number One
On Feb. 7, Julie Boland picked up her first career win over North Florida, 3-1. The Gamecocks used RBI's from Amber Reed and Ashley Phillips while Kat Carter finished with a 7.0 inning, no earned run outing against the Ospreys.
All Jax State home softball games are free to attend courtesy of Martin's Family Clothing.
Players Mentioned
P
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
C
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
P
/ SoftballSaturday, March 14
Saturday, March 14
Wednesday, March 11
Thursday, February 19
