Troy University Athletics
Friday, March 20
Troy, Ala.
6 p.m.
Troy University
vs
Georgia State
Softball Returns Home for Series Against Georgia State
3/19/2026 11:13:00 AM | Softball
TROY, Ala. – After 13 straight road games and nearly a month of travel, the Troy softball team returns to the Troy Softball Complex for the Sun Belt Conference home opener against Georgia State. The Trojans (17-10, 0-3 SBC) take on the Panthers (19-11, 1-2 SBC) in the second conference series of the season.
Troy is coming off a 5-0 midweek win over Samford, the team's seventh shutout of the season. Georgia State opened Sun Belt play with a series loss against Marshall and beat Alabama State in extra innings on Tuesday.
Series Information
Who: Georgia State
Dates: Mar. 20 | Mar. 21 | Mar. 22
Times: 6 p.m. | 3:33 p.m. | 12 p.m.
Location: Troy, Ala. – Troy Softball Complex
Watch: ESPN+
Samford Recap
In Troy's 5-0 win over Samford on Tuesday, Ella Cunningham threw her first collegiate shutout, and the first seven-inning road shutout by a Trojan since Leanna Johnson had one in 2023.
Back-to-back two-out RBI hits from Kiley Huffman and Presley Ivey helped Troy leap out to a 2-0 first-inning lead. Ivey finished the game 2-for-4, while Cunningham added two hits and two RBIs of her own.
Previewing the Panthers
Georgia State enters the series at 19-11, playing well against non-conference competition. The Panthers lead the Sun Belt in batting average, hits, WHIP and hits allowed per seven innings.
Makayla Stephens leads the Panthers, striking out 126 batters over 109.2 innings pitched this season. She's eighth in the nation in WAR according to 643 Charts, and is ninth in the country with a 0.78 WHIP.
At the dish, McKenzie Walker leads the team with a 1.061 OPS and 41 hits. Chloe Hatcher has four homers and a .565 slugging percentage.
Notables
Troy is coming off a 5-0 midweek win over Samford, the team's seventh shutout of the season. Georgia State opened Sun Belt play with a series loss against Marshall and beat Alabama State in extra innings on Tuesday.
Series Information
Who: Georgia State
Dates: Mar. 20 | Mar. 21 | Mar. 22
Times: 6 p.m. | 3:33 p.m. | 12 p.m.
Location: Troy, Ala. – Troy Softball Complex
Watch: ESPN+
Samford Recap
In Troy's 5-0 win over Samford on Tuesday, Ella Cunningham threw her first collegiate shutout, and the first seven-inning road shutout by a Trojan since Leanna Johnson had one in 2023.
Back-to-back two-out RBI hits from Kiley Huffman and Presley Ivey helped Troy leap out to a 2-0 first-inning lead. Ivey finished the game 2-for-4, while Cunningham added two hits and two RBIs of her own.
Previewing the Panthers
Georgia State enters the series at 19-11, playing well against non-conference competition. The Panthers lead the Sun Belt in batting average, hits, WHIP and hits allowed per seven innings.
Makayla Stephens leads the Panthers, striking out 126 batters over 109.2 innings pitched this season. She's eighth in the nation in WAR according to 643 Charts, and is ninth in the country with a 0.78 WHIP.
At the dish, McKenzie Walker leads the team with a 1.061 OPS and 41 hits. Chloe Hatcher has four homers and a .565 slugging percentage.
Notables
- Troy is ranked No. 25 in the Softball America Mid-Major Power Rankings
- The Trojans are No. 73 in the 643 Charts Diamond Sports Ranking, No. 95 in the NCAA RPI and No. 78 in the KPI
- The Trojans are 46-23 against Georgia State all-time, and 20-7 at home against the Panthers
- Troy leads the Sun Belt Conference in on-base percentage (.438), doubles (55), K/7 (6.54) and stolen bases (69)
- Troy is eighth in the nation in stolen bases
Players Mentioned
NCAA Tournament First Round Pre-game Press Conference
Wednesday, March 18
Skylar Meade, Matt DIll, and Jimmy Janicki Postgame - Alabama State
Wednesday, March 18
Eric Newell Postgame Press Conference (Samford)
Tuesday, March 17
Skylar Meade, Blake Cavill & Dylan Alonso Postgame - ODU Game 3
Sunday, March 15