PREVIEW: GS Softball Hosts UTA For Sun Belt Weekend Series
4/13/2018 3:00:00 PM | Softball
Eagles return home for the first time in 21 days, take on the Mavericks looking to halt slide
The Eagles (21-18, 6-9 SBC) have not played in Statesboro since March 25, a span of 20 days. Georgia Southern is hoping that the comfortable surroundings of home will help the Eagles rebound from the eight-game road swing that just concluded. UT Arlington (20-18, 8-6 SBC) will be a stiff test for the Eagles as the Mavericks are currently third in the Sun Belt standings. UTA is coming off of a 9-2 win at Oklahoma State on Tuesday. This is just the second trip to Statesboro for UTA, as the two teams did not meet before the Eagles joined the Sun Belt Conference in 2014. Georgia Southern leads the overall series, 5-4, and the Eagles took last year's series in Arlington, two games to one.
Until this weekend, only 11 of the Eagles' 39 games so far have come at home. Sixteen of those contests have come on the road, to go with the 12 neutral-site games Georgia Southern played earlier in 2018. In the 16 road games for the Eagles, Georgia Southern is hitting just .220 - though power has still been active with 14 home runs in those 16 games. On the just-completed eight-game road trip, that batting average dipped to just .185. Compare that to the 11 home games, where Georgia Southern is hitting a robust .315 and slugging .529. Shelby Wilson has been the Eagles' most feared slugger at home in 2018. The sophomore from nearby Clyo is hitting .433 in Georgia Southern's 11 home games, with three doubles, three home runs and 11 RBI. Her .833 slugging percentage and .541 on-base percentage are also tops among the players at Eagle Park.
Saturday's doubleheader will be broadcast on True Blue TV, with Sunday's game an ESPN3 affair. All three games will also have live stats.
Military Appreciation Day will also be Saturday at Eagle Park. Discount tickets are available for all military service members with ID, and a recognition of all past and present servicemen and women will take place. Sunday's game is Mental Health Awareness day, in conjunction with the Sun Belt Conference's Mental Awareness Week. It is also Little Eagles Day where children will receive discounted tickets, get to take pictures with Gus, receive free team posters and will be able to run the bases and interact with the team after the game. Click here for tickets to this weekend's games.
