JACKSONVILLE, Ala. — Jax State softball hosts its first home series of conference play this weekend, welcoming the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers to Jana McGinnis Field, beginning on Friday evening at 6 p.m. for Youth League Day.
Last season, the two teams played each other three times, with Western Kentucky winning two games in the regular season before the third game was cancelled, but the Gamecocks took the final matchup between both squads in the Conference USA Tournament.
Jax State (17-8, 2-1 CUSA) is coming off a 4-0 shutout victory over the Samford Bulldogs on Wednesday night, following its series win over the Liberty Flames last weekend on the road.
Against the Bulldogs, the Gamecocks tallied their sixth shutout win of the season, thanks to freshman pitcher
Makenna Moore's stellar performance in the circle. Moore pitched six innings, only allowing three hits, along with tallying four strikeouts.
Additionally, Jax State saw valuable run production from its veteran duo of
Makalyn Kyser and
Morgan Nowakowski. Kyser started the game in the first inning with a two-run home run and Nowakowski followed her in the second frame with a two-RBI single.
Currently, the Gamecocks remain in the national top ten in doubles, ranking No. 9 in the country with 51, along with being the third most walked team in the nation as well, with 136 walks.
Nowakowski has been a large part of the success at the plate for Jax State, as the senior leads the team in batting average (.413), hits (31) and doubles (10), along with 18 walks this season.
After a solid start to conference play last weekend, the Gamecocks will have their work cut out this weekend, however.
Western Kentucky (19-3, 3-0) sits in first place in Conference USA as the only undefeated team in league play after sweeping Missouri State at home last weekend. The Hilltoppers three losses have come from UNC Greensboro, Mercer and Iowa and are currently on a 14-game win streak, dating back to Feb. 14.
Western Kentucky currently leads Conference USA in overall batting average (.360) and slugging percentage (.581), along with boasting a league-best 1.97 ERA in the circle. The Hilltoppers have three players batting .400 or higher this season, all led by senior Jenna Blanton's .493 average at the plate, which ranks No. 2 in the conference and No. 25 in the country.
The Gamecocks currently lead the all-time series over Western Kentucky 6-5, and have won four of their last seven against the Hilltoppers. At home, Jax State is 3-1 all-time against Western Kentucky, with its most recent home win coming on Sunday, April 28 in which the Gamecocks won 4-0 in 11 innings.
Following the three-game series, Jax State will take a short trip south to take on the Auburn Tigers at Jane B. Moore Field next Wednesday night at 6 p.m.
