JACKSONVILLE, Ala. — Continuing its road trip for the next five straight games, the Jax State softball team will make a stop in Springfield, Mo. for a three-game series against the Missouri State Bears (18-22, 6-12 CUSA) beginning on Friday night at Killian Stadium at 6 p.m.
The Gamecocks (32-12, 16-2 CUSA) remain atop the Conference USA standings once again, following their most recent sweep over the Kennesaw State Owls on the road this past weekend. It is the fourth conference sweep that Jax State has earned so far in conference play.
Jax State outscored the Owls 25-5 across the three-game span last weekend which included an 8-0 shutout win in game two of the series. The shutout was the Gamecocks' ninth of the season against the eighth different team, in which three of those came against conference opponents.
Head coach
Julie Boland's squad has been putting on a hitting clinic the last few games, as Jax State has tallied eight or more hits in seven of its last ten games. Junior designated player
Amber Reed has been the catalyst of that effort, picking up at least one base hit in nine of those games to blossom her reached-base streak to 21 games and her hitting streak at six games coming into this weekend.
As a team, Jax State has five batters hitting over .300 so far this season, with
Morgan Nowakowski continuing to lead the team at .362 with a 1.030 OPS. Following the weekend in Kennesaw, the Gamecocks now rank second in CUSA in doubles (32) and tied for second in triples (4) in league play.
Jax State has been just as dominant in the circle well, limiting teams to three runs or less in eight of its last 11 contests, along with holding opponents to five hits or less in six of those games. The Gamecock pitching staff is the best in the league in ERA (1.88), hits allowed (97), runs allowed (38) and opposing batting average (.216) in conference games.
Freshman pitcher
Makenna Moore has spearheaded the effort in the circle as she has not allowed more than three runs in 14 straight appearances. Additionally, she is the conference leader in ERA (1.47) alongside her teammate
Jaliyah Holmes who ranks second in the league with a 1.48 ERA.
Missouri State sits in tenth place in the conference after losing six of its last nine conference games throughout the last three weeks. The Bears are coming off its most recent series loss against the Sam Houston Bearkats on the road this past weekend.
The Bears are led by sophomore infielder Riley Baber at the plate so far this season, as she leads the team in batting average (.358), hits (38), doubles (12), slugging percentage (.585) and total bases (62).
Following the weekend series, Jax State will hit the road for two final non-conference games next week, starting with Alabama State on Tuesday and Chattanooga on Wednesday.
