OXFORD, Miss. - The Jackson State Lady Tigers softball team travels to Oxford, Miss. this weekend to take part in the Fifth Annual Ole Miss Classic hosted by Ole Miss.

Jackson State will take on Missouri State in game one of a Friday doubleheader at 12:30 p.m. before turning around and playing Ole Miss at 3:30 p.m. 

The Lady Tigers play California Baptist early Saturday morning as both teams hit the field for a 9:30 a.m. first pitch.

The Blue and White currently hold a 6-7 overall record  on the season. 

Through 13 games, JSU has been led by seniors Kaitlyn Elzie and Ariana Cruz, both of whom are batting over .400 through the young part of the season.

Elzie leads the team with a .444 average, also driving in a team-best eight RBIs with a double and a home run among her 12 hits, scoring six runs herself.

Cruz follows Elzie with a .429 batting average, scoring a team high 11 runs. Both a have shown the ability to be a force on the base path as well as both are a combined 12-of-15 stealing.

In the circle, Junior Kayla Owens has has paced the team, making seven starts and throwing 40.0 innings. Owens owns a 4-3 record with a 2.63 ERA, striking out 36 batters to just four walks. 

OLE MISS CLASSIC TEAM PREVIEWS
(Courtesy of Ole Miss) 

California Baptist 
Bill Baber is in his ninth season as the head coach at California Baptist, leading the Lancers from the NAIA level to NCAA Division II before moving up to Division I last season. He holds a career 305-127 record at CBU.

The Lancers are 4-10 on the season. CBU entered last weekend with a 4-5 record and some momentum, capturing a pair of big wins over the Rebels and Colorado State at the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge. However, CBU fell on some tough times at the Silicon Valley Classic, dropping all five games by a combined score of 3-34.

CBU is led offensively by freshman catcher Katelyn Mangrello, the only everyday start batting over .300 at .314, adding a pair of doubles with seven RBIs and three runs scored. Senior first baseman Mackenzie Budinger has been the main power threat, taking a pair of home runs deep and leading the team with nine RBIs.

Two primary pitchers lead the way for the Lancers. Senior Kerisa Viramontes has thrown a team-high 46.1 innings in nine appearances with six starts, posting a 3.32 ERA with a 3-5 record. Junior Giana Lopez is the other workhorse, tossing 33.1 frames in her nine appearances and seven starts, earning a 6.09 ERA and a 1-3 record.

Missouri State
Holly Hesse, the second-winningest coach in Missouri Valley Conference history, is in her 32nd season leading the softball program at Missouri State. Hesse has racked up over 800 wins and has led the Bears to a pair of MVC regular season championships and five NCAA Tournament bids.

Missouri State is 3-6 on the season, having not played since taking part in the North Texas Invitational Feb. 14-15. The Bears lost four of five games to open the season at the NFCA DI Leadoff Classic, capping the weekend with an upset win over Baylor. The following week, MSU split its four games at the North Texas Invitational.

Missouri State is led in hitting by freshman Tess Weakly, who enters the weekend with a .350 average with a pair of home runs, also pacing the bears with five RBIs and five runs scored. Weakly has also drawn a team-best seven walks, posting a .519 on-base percentage. Redshirt-freshman Olivia Krehbiel has also provided some pop, picking up a pair of doubles.

Junior Steffany Dickerson is the ace of the staff for Missouri State, making six appearances and four starts with a 1.04 ERA in 27.0 innings of work. Dickerson owns a 2-2 record, posting 24 strikeouts to eight walks. Senior Erin Griesbauer ranks second with 14.1 innings, garnering a 7.33 ERA with a 1-2 record. Junior Madison Hunsaker has tossed 14.0 frames, dropping both of her decisions with a 3.50 ERA.

Ole Miss
Ole Miss is coming off of a 6-2 victory over North Alabama earlier in the week, coming back from a two-run deficit to upend the Lions with six runs in the final three frames. Ole Miss will look to remain undefeated at home in 2020.

The Rebels have one both of their games at the Ole Miss Softball Complex this season and are riding a 20-game non-conference home winning streak during the regular season.

The Rebels have homered in six-straight games, the longest streak of games with a deep fly since 2012, when Ole Miss strung together seven games with a home run.

Abbey Lathem and Autumn Gillespie are tied for the team lead with three home runs apiece. Latham and Gillespie are also tied with freshman Paige Smith, pacing the team with nine runs driven in.

After batting just 20 times in 2019, junior Sydney Gutierrez has taken 19 at-bats this season, ranking second on the team with a .315 average. Gillespie has scored 11 runs in the past seven games, while Jessica Puk has crossed the plate in each of Ole Miss' last four contests.