Softball Heads to Chattanooga for a Critical SoCon Series
4/24/2009 4:28:00 AM | Softball
STATESBORO, Ga. - The Georgia Southern softball team (22-19, 11-7) heads to Chattanooga Saturday to take on the Mocs (23-19, 12-2) in a critical Southern Conference series. The Eagles need four wins in the final two SoCon Series to secure a second place finish.
GSU comes into the weekend winners of three straight conference series and will look to be the first SoCon team to knock off Chattanooga this year.
The Eagles continue to lead the conference in batting (.298) and slugging (.458). Robyne Siliga (Oceanside, Calif.) leads the conference in hitting (.389) and ranks second in slugging (.716) and on-base percentage (.569). Her on-base percentage ranks sixth in the nation. Siliga currently sits just two walks shy of tying her own school record for free passes in a season. She set the record last season when she walked 38 times.
Megen Smith (Springfield, Ga.) has been a force in conference games and ranks second in the SoCon with a .408 batting average. Both of her home runs and 10 of her 14 RBIs have come against conference foes.
The Georgia Southern pitching staff ranks fourth in ERA (3.47) and third in opposing batting average (.255). Brianna Streetmon (Winder, Ga.) leads the SoCon in ERA (2.28), wins (13) and ranks second in opposing batting average (.214).
Chattanooga leads the conference with a 12-2 record and has yet to lose a conference series. The Mocs are a solid all-around team and rank in the top three in hitting (.277), pitching (3.25 ERA) and fielding (.963). Tiffany Baker leads the offensive attack, hitting .370 with 10 home runs and 32 RBIs.
The Eagles are 19-40 all-time against the Mocs but took the series last season after Sam Russo (Snellville, Ga.) scored on a bases loaded walk in the sixth inning of game three. Siliga added a pair of fifth inning three-run homers in game one and two to give GSU two late leads.
First Pitch in Saturday's doubleheader is set for 1 p.m. at Frost Stadium.
