SAN ANTONIO — Winners of four of its last six league games, the UTSA softball team will hit the road this weekend for a three-game Conference USA series at Southern Miss in Hattiesburg, Miss. First pitch in a Friday doubleheader is scheduled for 4 p.m. at the Southern Miss Softball Complex, followed by a single game at 1 p.m. on Saturday.
The Roadrunners (16-24) took two of three games from FIU last weekend at home to improve to 6-9 in conference play, which puts them in fourth place in the West Division, one game ahead of Southern Miss and UTEP, who both are tied for fifth at 5-10.
A trio of freshmen continues to lead UTSA's offense, which ranks third in C-USA with a .305 batting average.
Lindsey Stewart is hitting at a team-best .413 clip, which ranks eighth in the conference, with 57 hits, 23 runs and 15 stolen bases. Celeste Loughman, who was voted the top NCAA Division I freshman by HERO Sports earlier this week, is batting .371 with five doubles, 23 runs and 14 swipes. Rylee Rodriguez leads the team with 11 doubles, nine home runs, 35 RBIs and a .594 slugging percentage while hitting .297 in her debut campaign.
In the circle, senior Nicole Merrill (6-7) owns a team-best 4.02 earned-run average and 55 strikeouts in 24 appearances, while junior Lizzy Fox is 10-13 with a 4.13 ERA and 33 Ks in 30 appearances.
The Golden Eagles, 22-21 overall, have won three of their last four outings, including a 6-0 home shutout of Southern on Wednesday.
Samantha Reynolds leads the offense with a .362 average, while Lauren Holifield is hitting .311 with a team-high eight home runs and 29 RBIs.
Danielle Block totes a 0.68 ERA in five appearances, while Kim Crowson is 7-9 with a 1.73 ERA and 53 strikeouts.
Southern Miss holds a 10-4 advantage in 14 all-time meetings with UTSA. The Golden Eagles took two of three games last season in San Antonio, but the series is deadlocked at three apiece in games played in Hattiesburg, where the Roadrunners claimed a series win two years ago.
