Softball Hosts UNCG For Pivotal Weekend Series
4/26/2013 5:56:22 PM | Softball
STATESBORO, GA. – Georgia Southern Softball enters the stretch run of the 2013 regular season this weekend with a three-game set against UNCG at Eagle Field. On Saturday the Eagles will wear pink jerseys to support breast cancer awareness with the opening doubleheader of the series set to begin at 1 p.m. The weekend concludes on Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m.
Saturday’s game is part of the “Pink Heals Tour” which will be raising money for the Savannah Chapter of Guardians of the Ribbon; an organization of police officers and fire fighters dedicated supporting women in their fight against breast cancer. The group’s pink fire engine will be in attendance, and there will be a 50/50 raffle with the proceeds going to Guardians of the Ribbon. Georgia Southern Softball will also be selling pink t-shirts for the cause.
Georgia Southern leads the all-time series 44-17 and has won seven-straight regular season contests against the Spartans. Last year the Eagles swept the series in Greensboro, including a 10-2 win in the series finale. The teams did not meet in the postseason, marking the first time that GSU and UNCG did not play in the SoCon Tournament since 2002.
All three games can be seen using the video streaming on GSEagles.com by clicking on the Watch & Listen button. The games can also be heard on the radio at 91.9-FM The Buzz and online at GSEagles.com/watch-listen
The Eagles and Spartans are tied for third in the SoCon standings at 10-7 on the season. Georgia Southern is 24-25 overall, while the Spartans are 33-14 on the season.
Shelby Morrill enters the weekend at .336 overall while hitting .373 with runners on base, up from the team average of .228. Kourtny Thomas ranks fourth in the SoCon with 11 home runs this season which is also good for fourth on the single-season list at Georgia Southern. She has 18 career home runs to tie with Aurora Johnson for seventh on the career home runs list.
Sarah Purvis leads the Georgia Southern pitching staff with an 11-12 overall record. She has posted four complete game shutouts this season including three in conference play. Purvis picked up the win in the opening game of last weekend’s Western Carolina series with a four-hit shutout. She struck out nine batters in the win, her highest total since March 6th when she fanned 10 batters against Jacksonville.
UNCG’s top two hitters are both hitting over .380 with 24 combined home runs. Katelyn Bedwell is hitting .388 with 10 home runs and a .653 slugging percentage, while Lindsay Thomas is batting .384 with 14 home runs and slugging .768.
Raeanne Hanks leads the UNCG pitching staff with a 17-7 record in 149.2 innings of work. She has fanned 142 batters, but opposing batters are hitting .229 against the junior. GSU is 1-0 versus Hanks, taking a win during the 2011 series in Statesboro.
The Eagles are back at home next weekend for the final regular season series against Appalachian State.
Georgia Southern Athletics provides up-to-date information on all its sports through its official website, GSEagles.com, through social media channels facebook.com/GSAthletics and twitter.com/GSAthletics, and its new "Eagles GATA" mobile app for Android and iOS.
