CHARLESTON, S.C. - Charleston Southern softball jumps into Big South Conference play this weekend as the Buccaneers welcome USC Upstate to the CSU Softball Field for a three-game series on Friday and Saturday. CSU will host the Spartans in a doubleheader on Friday starting at 3 p.m., while Saturday's single game is set for a noon start time.

Weekend Schedule
Friday, March 12
Charleston Southern vs. USC Upstate (DH)
3 p.m. * Charleston, S.C. * CSU Softball Field * Live Stats

Saturday, March 13
Charleston Southern vs. USC Upstate
Noon * Charleston, S.C. * CSU Softball Field * Live Stats

COVID Pause
Charleston Southern softball is coming off a short quarantine period due to COVID concerns within the athletic department and program. The Bucs were unable to compete over the last two weekends as CSU was forced to back out of the Chanticleer Showdown hosted by Coastal Carolina and the Bulldog Classic hosted by the University of Georgia.

CSU resumed full practice as a team this week as the Buccaneers began preparations for Big South Conference play. The Bucs enter the weekend having only lined up in four games so far in the 2021 regular season as CSU opened the year with back-to-back doubleheaders against Cleveland State and Eastern Kentucky.

Recapping the Bucs' Opening Weekend
The Bucs picked up one win over their first four games of the 2021 opening weekend as Charleston Southern hosted Cleveland State and Eastern Kentucky back on February 20-21.
CSU fell in the season opener to the Vikings, but rallied back behind a complete-game performance from Holly Clark and a key two-run home run from Ashley Meckley in their 2-1 win in the nightcap. The Bucs were unable to keep pace with the high-powered Eastern Kentucky offense in the doubleheader on Sunday afternoon as the Bucs fell in both games to the Colonels.

Emily Crosby and Meckley both paced the Buccaneers' offense over the opening weekend as the duo combined for all four of CSU's home runs, while adding eight of the team's 12 RBI. Crosby posted a .538 batting average with seven hits and four runs scored, while Meckley posted a pair of doubles and two home runs, while adding five RBI. Brooklynn Brewington hit .357 from the plate with a stolen base to add to the Bucs' offensive efforts as CSU hit .281 as a team over the first four games of the season.

Alyssa Heinrich was the Bucs' standout in the circle over the opening weekend as the junior posted a team-best 2.33 ERA over two appearances. Clark added a 3.87 ERA with CSU's lone win over the weekend. The redshirt senior added a 10:4 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

Pushing the Series Back
CSU and USC Upstate was originally supposed to start the series on March 9-10, but due to COVID concerns within the Bucs' softball program, the series was postponed until the weekend.

Scouting USC Upstate
USC Upstate was selected second overall among Big South Conference opponents in the 2021 spring softball poll as the Spartans received one first place vote and 47 points overall. The Spartans are coming off a 17-7 record in the shortened 2020 spring season before COVID shut down the year.

The Spartans have continued their winning ways this season with USC Upstate putting together an 8-4 record on the season, including a 6-1 mark inside their home Cyrill Stadium. Upstate opened the year with six consecutive wins, prior to falling for the first time against ETSU at the end of February.

The Spartans added a pair of wins this past weekend on the road against Florida A&M and Georgia State. However, Upstate enters conference play on a two-game losing streak after falling in both contests against Jacksonville.
Sophomore infielder Marisa Soterakis leads the Spartans' hitting efforts on the season as the Miramar, Fla. native has hit .400 from the plate on the year. She's added two doubles, as well as four RBI and four stolen bases on the season.

Freshman catcher Peyton Darnell provides the power bat within the Spartans' lineup with three of USC Upstate's five home runs on the season. Savannah Grigsby and Sarah Price both have a team-high 13 hits apiece, while Price leads the team with 12 RBI.

Inside the circle, Mallie Brown, Savannah Brown, and Adison Yoder have all seen nearly equal time for Upstate on the season. Mallie Brown has been the team's leader with a 2.40 ERA over her six starts, while posting a 45:14 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Savannah Brown has added a 3.30 ERA over her five starts with a 37:11 strikeout-to-walk ratio, while Yoder has pitched 14.0 innings primarily in relief on the year.

All-Time Against USC Upstate
USC Upstate leads the all-time series between the two programs dating back to their first matchup in the 2010 season. The Spartans have won 13 of the 14 contests in the all-time series, including two of the three games in their inaugural Big South matchup in 2019.

The Spartans won the first 13 contests in the matchup, including the first two in Big South play in Charleston back on March 19, 2019. USC Upstate took the opener, 1-0, and the second contest, 6-1, thanks to strong pitching from Upstate alum Christina Biggerstaff and slugger Alyssa Oakes.

The Bucs snapped the 13-game losing streak in the series finale as Sarah Brown connected on the walk-off single in the bottom of the seventh inning to secure the 5-4 win. Brown capped off a 4-for-4 day from the plate, while Arizona Pilgrim went the distance in the circle in the win.

Coming Up on the Schedule
Charleston Southern jumps right into Big South play after a day off on Monday as the Buccaneers welcome USC Upstate to the Buccaneer Softball Complex on March 9-10. CSU will take on the Spartans in a single game on Tuesday, while Wednesday's contest would feature a doubleheader starting at 1 p.m.

Next Five Opponents

• March 19-20 vs. Radford
• March 24 vs. Coastal Carolina (DH)
• March 27-28 at Presbyterian
• April 2-3 vs. Winthrop
• April 7 at South Carolina (DH)

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