JACKSONVILLE, Ala. — The Jax State softball team wrapped up its regular season schedule this past weekend at Sam Houston and will have a bye round as the No. 1 seed in the Conference USA Tournament, beginning on Wednesday in Newark, Del.
Jax State will play its first game of the tournament on Thursday afternoon at 12 p.m. Eastern against Delaware. It will be the first meeting all time against the Fighin' Blue Hens as the Gamecocks did not face the first-year Conference USA member during the 2026 regular season. UD defeated New Mexico State on Wednesday 11-7 to advance to face Jax State.
The Gamecocks (42-13, 24-3 CUSA) are the only team in the league to surpass 40 overall wins and 20 conference wins this season, and have won every conference series throughout the regular season schedule, including six different sweeps against league opponents.
Head coach
Julie Boland's squad holds a three-game win streak headed into the tournament after sweeping the Sam Houston Bearkats on the road this past weekend, including a 6-0 shutout on the first game of a Saturday doubleheader for the tenth shutout win over the ninth different team this season for the Gamecocks.
Jax State comes into the postseason as one of the hottest hitting teams in the conference as of late. The Gamecocks have picked up 65 hits in their last six games, including five of those games where they rattled off at least 10 hits. Due to the recent efforts at the plate, Jax State now leads the conference in hits with 478 this season and ranks No. 20 in Division I.
Additionally, Jax State leads the conference in on-base percentage (.417), RBIs (345), runs scored (384), walks (258) and doubles (108) which ranks tied for No. 2 in Division I. Boland's squad has outscored its opponents 106-32 in the last 11 games, scoring at a rate of 9.6 runs per game across the span.
Junior outfielder
Emma Elrod currently leads the team at the dish with a .364 batting average and leads the team in hits with 68. Trailing just behind her with a .360 average is designated player
Amber Reed who has reached base safely in her last 32 games, including a 17-game hitting streak as well. Alongside the pair, senior
Morgan Nowakowski continues to lead the country in doubles this season with 23.
In the circle, the Gamecocks boast two of the best pitchers in the conference in senior
Jaliyah Holmes and freshman
Makenna Moore. The duo have combined for 32 wins this season, with Moore ranking second in the conference with a 2.38 ERA. The Jax State pitching staff has held opponents to scoring three runs or less in 11 of its last 14 games.
Jax State and New Mexico State are the only two teams in the field that had a winning record against teams in the Conference USA Tournament this year.
The Gamecocks are in search of their eighth conference tournament title in program history and first as a member of Conference USA. Jax State reached last year's final before falling to Liberty.
