Tigers Face Valdosta State in GSC Championship Tournament

OXFORD, Ala. - West Alabama softball team enters the 2022 Gulf South Conference Softball Championship Tournament as the No. 7 seed. The Tigers battle No. 2 seed Valdosta State Wednesday at Choccolocco Park. First pitch is set for 12:30 p.m.

This is the third time the championship will be played at Choccolocco Park. The tournament will be held May 4 through May 7. The top eight teams in the GSC softball standings qualified for the tournament, which is a modified double-elimination format. The tournament winner will earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Division II Softball Championship.

The Tigers ended the regular season with a 26-23 overall record and went 15-15 in GSC play. The Blazers went 33-9 overall and 21-5 in the conference.

Cassie Matlock is leading the Tigers with a .406 batting average, ranking her sixth in the GSC. The senior outfielder has tallied 63 hits on 155 at bats with 11 doubles, five triples and two home runs. Matlock has collected 32 RBIs and scored 42 runs. She has stolen 29 bases on her 34 attempts. She is ranked first in triples, second in stolen bases, fourth in runs scored, and fifth in hits.

Kelsie Gilliam is hitting .375, ranking her 12th in the GSC. The sophomore catcher has 104 at bats, 39 hits with three doubles. Gilliam recorded 12 RBIs and scored 23 runs. She is ranked third in the conference for stolen bases with 28.

Kacy Noland is hitting .364, ranking her 15th in the conference. The pitcher has 154 at bats, 56 hits with 15 doubles, three triples, and seven home runs. Noland has recorded 50 RBIs and scored 42 runs. Her 154 at bats ranks her sixth in the GSC, seventh for hits, second for doubles, 13th for triples, third in runs scored, and first in hit by pitch.

Hannah Mynard and LP Trammell are also on the GSC leader board in doubles. Mynard is ranked third with 15 doubles, and Trammell is ranked eighth with 12 doubles.

Mynard is leading the Tigers' pitchers with 95 strikeouts, ranking her fifth in the GSC over 121.1 innings. She has also claimed 13 wins in the circle, ranking her eigth in the conference.

As a unit, UWA is ranked fifth by the NCAA Division II College Softball rankings for stolen bases per game and total stolen bases. The Tigers average 6.2 runs per game, which is ranked 37th in total runs for Division II.

VSU's infielder Nikki Pennington is hitting .352 for the Blazers. She has tallied 44 hits with seven doubles and 12 home runs. She has collected 38 RBIs and scored 35 runs.

Both live stats and live stream will be available. All games of the 2022 GSC Softball Championship will be streamed on FloSoftball. Fans are required to purchase a subscription through FloSports. Preferred GSC pricing and directions to signup are available HERE. Subscriptions can be canceled at anytime.

Live Stats | Live Stream | How to Sign Up For FloSports

Tickets are $10 for general admission each day. Tickets can be purchased at the link below or at the Choccolocco Park box office. Parking for the event will be $5 a day. Choccolocco Park is located at 954 Leon Smith Parkway, Oxford, AL 36203.

GSC Championship Tournament Page/Bracket

To stay connected with the UWA softball team, follow @UWASoftball on Instagram and @UWA_Softball on Twitter. General athletic news, along with game recaps and box scores, can be found at uwaathletics.com. Additional updates and information are available @UWAAthletics on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

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Players Mentioned

#2 Kelsie Gilliam: C; 5' 6"; Sophomore; L/R

#42 Cassie Matlock: OF; 5' 9"; Senior; L/R

#21 Hannah Mynard: RHP/OF; 5' 4"; Junior; R/R

#33 Kacy Noland: RHP/1B; 5' 8"; Graduate Student; R/R

#26 LP Trammell: MIF; 5' 7"; Junior; R/R

Players Mentioned

#2 Kelsie Gilliam
: 5' 6"; Sophomore; L/R
: C

#42 Cassie Matlock
: 5' 9"; Senior; L/R
: OF

#21 Hannah Mynard
: 5' 4"; Junior; R/R
: RHP/OF

#33 Kacy Noland
: 5' 8"; Graduate Student; R/R
: RHP/1B

#26 LP Trammell
: 5' 7"; Junior; R/R
: MIF