Mount St. Mary's (3-2) at Georgia Southern (7-12)
When: Thu, Mar. 10, 2011, 3 p.m.
Where: Eagles Field, Statesboro, Ga.

Series Information: Georgia Southern leads 1-0
Last Meeting: Georgia Southern (5-2) 3-13-04
First Meeting: Georgia Southern (5-2) 3-13-04
Last Mount Win: N/A

Opening Pitch: Thursday's doubleheader between Georgia Southern and Mount St. Mary's marks the second and third meetings between the two teams dating back to the 2004 season. The Eagles won the initial meeting 5-2 on Mar. 13, 2004.

The Word On Georgia Southern: The Eagles, who host Mercer on Wednesday, comes into the week 7-12 after falling to Tennessee 10-2 on Sunday. Marie Fogle leads the team with a .367 batting average, 22 hits, nine runs scored, two double, a triple, five home runs and 10 RBIs. Hanna Ennis is second on the team with a .304 batting average, 14 hits, five runs scored, two double, two homers and nine RBIs while Andrea Tarashuk is batting .286 with 12 hits, three runs scored, four doubles and seven RBIs. Brianna Streetmon leads the team with a 4-3 record, a 3.85 ERA and 32 strikeouts in 40.0 innings pitched.

Last Time We Met: Georgia Southern scored the final five runs of the game to overcome a 2-0 deficit after the top of the first for a 5-2 victory on Mar. 13, 2004. Jen Emel paced the Mount with two hits and a run scored while Tina Donovan knocked in the Mount's two runs with a single in the first inning. Sam Steiner paced the Eagles with two hits and two RBIs while Maria Laurato and Kim Griffith each contributed two hits, a run scored and an RBI.

Game 8: Mount St. Mary's (3-2) vs. Kansas (17-3)
When: Fri, Mar. 11, 2011, 4:30 p.m.
Where: Lady Osprey Softball Complex, Jacksonville, Fla.

Series Information: Series Tied 0-0
Last Meeting: First Meeting 3-11-11
First Meeting: First Meeting 3-11-11
Last Mount Win: N/A

Opening Pitch: Friday's game between Kansas and Mount St. Mary's marks the first-ever meeting between the two teams in program history. The Mount will be facing a member of the Big 12 Conference for the first time.

The Word On Kansas: The Jayhawks come into the tournament 17-3 after defeating San Diego 7-0 on Sunday. Brittany Hile leads the team with a .379 batting average, 22 hits, 12 runs scored, five doubles, eight home runs and 25 RBIs. Liz Kocon ranks second with a .370 batting average, 20 hits, 20 runs scored, four doubles, five homers and 18 RBIs while Marissa Ingle is batting .364 with 20 hits, nine runs scored, two doubles, four homers and 23 RBIs. Kristin Martinez fuels the pitching staff with a 9-1 record, a 1.80 Era and 32 strikeouts in 58.1 innings pitched.

Game 9: Mount St. Mary's (3-2) at North Florida (9-9)
When: Fri, Mar. 11, 2011, 7 p.m.
Where: Lady Ospreys Softball Complex, Jacksonville, Fla.

Series Information: North Florida leads 2-0
Last Meeting: North Florida (9-1) 3-11-07
First Meeting: North Florida (12-0) 3-10-07
Last Mount Win: N/A

Opening Pitch: Friday's game between North Florida and Mount St. Mary's marks the third meeting in the all-time series dating back to the 2007 season. The Ospreys won both games during the 2007 season.

The Word On North Florida: The Ospreys come into the tournament 9-9 after defeating Delaware State 6-0 on Tuesday. Mariah Reynolds leads the team with 14 hits, four runs scored, four doubles, two home runs and seven RBIs. Alyson Bailey has 12 hits, four runs scored, three doubles and three RBIs while Jackie Reese has 10 hits, seven runs scored, three doubles, two homers and four RBIs. Cortney Radke paces the pitching staff with a 7-7 record, a 2.05 ERA and 98 strikeouts in 99.0 innings pitched.

Last Time We Met: North Florida completed the two-game sweep with a 9-1 win against Mount St. Mary's in softball action to conclude the Stetson Fastpitch Tournament on Mar. 11, 2007. Kelli Seger knocked in the Mount's lone run on the day while Lisa Currieri recorded a hit and a run scored in the loss. Gwen Williams paced the Ospreys going 2-for-4 with three RBIs and two runs scored while Mallory Butler and Christina Evans each recorded two RBIs in the winning effort.

Game 10: Mount St. Mary's (3-2) vs. Alabama State (3-11)
When: Sat, Mar. 12, 2011, 3 p.m.
Where: Lady Osprey Softball Complex, Jacksonville, Fla.

Series Information: Series tied 0-0
Last Meeting: First Meeting 3-12-11
First Meeting: First Meeting 3-12-11
Last Mount Win: N/A

Opening Pitch: Saturday's game between Alabama State and Mount St. Mary's marks the first-ever meeting between the two teams in program history. It will be the first the Mount will face a team from the Southwest Athletic Conference.

The Word On Alabama State: The Lady Hornets come into the weekend 3-11 after falling 11-6 to Connecticut on Mar. 4. Through 11 games, Megan Dixon leads the team with a .364 batting average, eight hits, seven runs scored, two home runs and six RBIs. Brehanna Rodrigues ranks second with a .321 batting average, nine hits, seven runs scored, three doubles, two homers and four RBIs while Mercedes Frazier is hitting .321 with eight hits, three runs scored, a double, a triple and three RBIs. Stephanie Hernandez paces the pitching staff with a 2-5 record, and 14 strikeouts in 41.1 innings pitched.

Game 11: Mount St. Mary's (3-2) vs. Delaware State (5-2)
When: Sun, Mar. 13, 2011, 9 a.m.
Where: Lady Osprey Softball Complex, Jacksonville, Fla.

Series Information: Mount leads 11-5
Last Meeting: Delaware State (5-4) 2-24-08
First Meeting: Mount (14-1) 3-29-92
Last Mount Win: (1-0) 3-5-05

Opening Pitch: Sunday's game between Delaware State and Mount St. Mary's marks the 17th meeting in the all-time series dating back to the 1992 season. The Mount leads the series 11-5, but the Hornets have won the last three meetings including a 5-4 decision in 2008. The Mount's last win in the series was a 1-0 decision on Mar. 5, 2005.

The Word On Delaware State: The Hornets, who will play three games before the start of the North Florida Tournament, come into play on Wednesday 5-2 after falling 6-0 to North Florida on Tuesday. Janelle Lukens leads the team with a .520 batting average, 13 hits, four runs scored, two doubles and four RBIs. Andrea Waters is second on the team with a .478 batting average, nine runs scored, three doubles, a triple and eight RBIs while Jordan Reid is batting .476 with 10 hits, five runs scored, two doubles and an RBI. Ashlyn Campbell leads the pitching staff with a 1-0 record, a 0.00 ERA and 12 strikeouts in 17.1 innings pitched.

Last Time We Met: Delaware State defeated Mount St. Mary's 5-4 on Feb. 24, 2008. Amanda Burk posted two hits and a run scored for the Mount. Sha Tabor paced the Hornets with a 3-for-4 performance, three RBIs and a home run while Jessica Chrabazcz recorded two hits and two runs scored in the winning effort.

Last Time Out: Erin Leddy smacked a three-run home run in the fifth inning to lift Mount St. Mary's past Iona 4-3 at the UMBC Tournament on Saturday. Leddy erased a 2-1 deficit and handed the Mount (3-2) a 4-2 advantage with her first home run of the year in the fifth inning. It was the sophomore's third career home run. Nicole Pagano picked up her first win of the year after allowing three runs on six hits in a complete-game effort with nine strikeouts. Beth Everist added a solo homer in the second for her first round tripper of the year.

UMBC All-Tournament Team: Beth Everist, Erin Leddy and Amanda Sadowl were named to the UMBC Tournament All-Tournament team. Everist batted .500 (5-for-10) in the three games with two runs scored a double and four RBIs. The senior went 4-for-4 with a double and three RBIs in a 9-0 win against UMBC on Friday. Everist also smacked her first home run of the season in the second inning against Iona to help the Mountaineers rally to a 4-3 victory against the Gaels. Leddy hit .375 (3-for-8) in the tournament with two runs scored, a homer and four RBIs. The sophomore propelled the Mount to the win against Iona with a three-run home run in the fifth inning to erase a 2-1 deficit and hand the Mountaineers the lead for good. Leddy coaxed a bases loaded RBI walk against the Retrievers and registered two hits in a 2-1 loss against Liberty on Friday. Sadowl tossed a three-hit complete-game shutout with four strikeouts in the win against UMBC. The right-hander scattered three hits and did not allow a runner past second base in the victory.

For Openers: Mount St. Mary's won its season open for the second-straight season and the third time in the last five years. Head coach Anna Nagro became the first coach in program history to win in her first game as a Mount head coach.

Next On Tap: After the Mount returns from its trip south, the Mountaineers will host Coppin State on Mar. 17 for the squad's home opener.

In Their Debut: Freshmen Katy Bobbitt and Cat Clifford both made their collegiate debut in the starting lineup against George Mason on Mar. 2. Bobbitt picked up her first collegiate hit in the seventh inning of the first game against the Patriots. Clifford notched her first collegiate hit against UMBC on Mar. 4. Fellow freshmen Courtney Mason and Lindsay Ruhle saw their first collegiate action as pinch runners in the second game against George Mason while Bre Lohman and Alyssa Silipino were used as pinch hitters against the Retrievers for their first college appearance.

Preseason Poll: The Mount St. Mary's softball team has been picked eighth in the Northeast Conference preseason poll. Long Island, who has won the NEC championship seven times in the last 10 years, nabbed nine of the 11 first-place votes to be selected as the preseason favorite. Monmouth garnered the other two first-place nods to finish second in the poll while Robert Morris, Quinnipiac, Sacred Heart, Central Connecticut State, Wagner, the Mount, Bryant, Saint Francis (Pa.) and Fairleigh Dickinson rounded out the 11-team poll.

All-Conference Returners: Mount St. Mary's returns junior 2010 All-NEC second-team selection Taylor Beebe for the 2011 season. Fellow junior Liz Christiansen was named to the 2010 All-NEC first team and the inaugural Defensive Player of the Year, but will miss the season due to an injury.

Reeder Playing The The Top-10 Tune: Senior Nicole Reeder ranks in the Top-10 in three categories for her career and its knocking on the Top-10 in four categories. The senior is fifth in games played (156) with former teammate Jess Burke (168, 2005-08) next on the list in fourth place. Reeder also ranks ninth in RBIs (60) with teammate Liz Christiansen two RBIs ahead of her. She also ranks fifth in walks (48), one behind former teammate Lisa Currieri (49, 2007-10) in fourth place. Reeder is also 10 at-bats, 29 hits, three doubles and 27 total bases from cracking the Top-10 in each of those categories.

Top-10 Has A Nice Zing For Courtney: Senior Courtney Zingle ranks in the Top-10 in six offensive career categories. Zingle is ninth in games played (149), two behind Toni Bruno (151, 1994-97) for eighth and five behind Heather Macready (154, 2001-04) for seventh place. The senior is also eighth in at-bats (439) with Nicki Trumpler (440, 1996-99), Macready (454), Danyale Goode (463, 2003-06) and Eileen Williams (464, 2001-04) all within striking distance this weekend. She also ranks seventh for runs scored (70), needing two to pass Goode (71) and three to jump ahead of Macready (72). Zingle stands 10th in hits (117) with Williams (125) and Tonia Bruno (125, 1994-97) tied for eighth. The senior is ninth in RBIs (61) with teammate Liz Christiansen two RBIs ahead of her. Zingle also stands eighth in total bases (156) with Amanda Blizzard (164, 1999-02) the next up on the list. Zingle has seven career home runs and can move into the Top-10 with two round trippers.

Mounting The Top-10 For Everist: Senior Beth Everist ranks in the Top-10 in home runs and RBIs and is climbing toward the Top-10 in three categories. The senior is third in home runs (14) with teammate Liz Christiansen (15) next on the list in second place. She also sits seventh in RBIs (64) with Erica Barone (67, 1998-01) in sixth place and Heather Macready (1998-01) and Amanda Blizzard (69, 1999-02) tied for fourth place. Everist can move into the Top-10 with 47 hits, six doubles and 21 total bases.

Taylor Made For Top-10: Junior Taylor Beebe is seventh with 22 career doubles. Next on the list is Amanda Blizzard (34, 1999-02) in sixth place and Nicki Wisniewski (24, 1998-99) in fifth place. The junior posted 14 doubles in her freshman year, which was the second most in program history for a single season. Beebe can also join the Top-10 with seven runs scored, 52 hits, four home runs, 44 total bases and four walks in each category.

All Hanson On Top-10: Senior Amanda Hanson ranks in the Top-10 for her career in games pitched, wins, innings pitched and strikeouts. The senior is seventh in games pitched with Iris Haynie (74, 1992-95) next on the list. Hanson ranks 10 in wins (14), two behind Haynie in ninth place. She also stands in ninth place for innings pitched (308.1) with Jamie Mataldi (356.0) next on the list. Hanson is also seventh in strikeouts and can become the sixth pitcher in program history with 200 punchouts with 27 strikeouts. Next on the list in strikeouts is Allison Moraca (212, 2000-03).

Sadowl Pitching Her Way Into The Top-10 Too: Junior Amanda Sadowl ranks 10th in program history in games pitched (57). Next on the list is Jamie Maltadi (67, 1995-98). She also sits in seventh place in wins (20). Sadowl became the seventh player in program history to become a 20-game winner and needs three wins to move ahead of Sue Merolla (22, 1985-88) for sixth place. Sadowl is 10th in strikeouts (105) and needs 11 Ks to move ahead of Maltadi (115, 1995-98). The junior sits just outside of the Top-10 for innings pitched, needing 14.2 innings pitched to crack the Top-10 in that category.

The Roster: The 2011 softball roster is composed of five seniors, four juniors, five sophomores and six freshmen. Junior Liz Christiansen will sit out the year and red shirt due to an injury.

New To The Mountain: Along with first-year head coach Anna Nagro, freshmen Katy Bobbitt, Cat Clifford, Bre Lohman, Courtney Mason, Lindsey Ruhle and Alyssa Silipino join the softball team this season.

Local Products: Senior Jenna Zimmerman, a 2007 graduate of Walkersville High School, registered 54 hits, 32 runs scored, six doubles, a homer and 25 RBIs in her first two seasons at the Mount. Sophomore Emily Wilson joins the team after graduating from Tuscarora in 2009.

About The Coach: Anna Nagro enters her first season as the head coach of the Mount softball team. She comes the Mount from D'Youville College, a Division III program in Buffalo, N.Y. In three seasons with the Spartans, Nagro led the team to 42 victories. She took over a team that was coming off a 5-21 season in 2007 and guided the team to a 15-22 overall mark and 11-7 in conference for a 10-game improvement in her first season. D'Youville then went 17-17 overall and 13-3 in league play in her second season and the squad's final year in the Northeastern Athletic Conference.

Wivell Returns To The Field: Former Mount softball standout Jen (Sansevero) Wivell will be in her first season as an assistant coach at the Mount. Wivell garnered All-Northeast Conference second-team honors as a designated player in 2003 after batting .362 with five runs, 17 hits, seven doubles and eight RBI in NEC action. A two-year captain, Wivell left the Mount as the all-time leader in bases on balls (48) and currently sits in third place in the category.