Softball | 3/9/2017 11:59:00 AM

STATESBORO, Ga. - The Georgia Southern softball team opens Sun Belt play this weekend, hosting Troy for its first conference series of the season this weekend at Eagle Field. The two teams are scheduled to play the doubleheader on Saturday at 1 p.m., followed by the single game on Sunday at noon. Admission to all three games is free.

All three games will be streamed live on GSEagles.com while live stats will also be available through the website. Be sure to follow @GSAthletics_SB on twitter for potential weather announcements due to Sunday's forecast.

Troy enters the weekend 11-12 and is on the tail end of an 11-game road streak. The Trojans are coming off a weekend tournament hosted by LSU where they went 1-4. Troy faced Power 5 teams and two ranked opponents in No. 10 Minnesota, Illinois twice and No. 13 LSU. Tuesday's 2-1 loss against Mississippi State extended Troy's losing skid to four games. Despite their recent shortcomings, the Trojans own a 19-9 all-time record over Georgia Southern.

One of the key players on the roster this season for Troy is sophomore outfielder Stephanie Snyder, who's batting .320 and slugging .400. Snyder went 2-for-4 in at bats against Mississippi State and has started in all 23 games for the Trojans. She has a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage and also leads the team in hits (24), doubles (6) and sacrifice bunts (3). Senior utility player Becca Hartley is also an important part of the lineup, batting .314 and slugging .657. She has earned home runs against University of Pittsburgh, Samford University, Jacksonville University and Bethune-Cookman University, totaling six on the year.

In the circle is sophomore Claire Graves who has earned a 3.21 ERA on nine starts and 15 appearances. Graves pitched her second complete game against Florida A&M on Feb. 28, allowing no runs on two hits. Senior Rachel Rigney Brown is also posting impressive numbers with a 3.52 ERA. Brown pitched a complete game against No. 10 Minnesota last weekend, throwing two strikeouts and allowing two runs on six hits to the Gophers. The Trojans look forward to returning to home turf for a while after the Georgia Southern series. 

The Eagles sit at 10-9 after going 4-1 at the Eagle Classic this past weekend in Statesboro. Senior Emily Snider is leading the offense with a .339 batting average and five home runs. Mekhia Freeman is second on the team with a .314 average and Morgan Robinson has four home runs of her own. Dixie Raley is 6-6 in the circle with a 2.52 ERA and 51 strikeouts in 61.0 innings pitched.