ATLANTA, GA – The nine-day break from games has given the Alabama State softball team time to rest as the Lady Hornets will look toward a rejuvenated start in their stretch run with a visit to Atlanta on Tuesday to take on Georgia State at 5 p.m. ET/ 4 p.m. CT.
 
Since the calendar flipped to March, Alabama State (18-19 overall, 9-0 SWAC) has run a record of 14-7 while playing some of its' best ball of the season with conference sweeps against Prairie View A&M, at Grambling State and at Alcorn State.
 
By comparison, ASU is seven games ahead of last season's win pace.
 
Through 37 games played, the Lady Hornets were 11-26 a year ago. 
 
The team is also seeking to win the most games since the 2003 season when it went 22-15 under former head coach Wanda Crump. 
 
The most wins in a single season came in its' first season of the program's history under coach Crump when ASU went 32-16 in 1998. 
 
"The number one thing that has been the difference is the whole experience of having the opportunity as a coaching staff to get their feet wet," said ASU head coach Chris Steiner-Wilcoxson. 
 
"Everybody stayed on and it has really grown. Ultimately, this has been the goal all along—to turn around the program and make it what I want to turn it into.  I wanted to hold a high standard—change the opinion and the demeanor of this program—something that everyone can be proud of." 
 
The Panthers (19-22 overall, 4-8 Sun Belt) have lost seven straight, but have played against some of the best competition in the country.
 
Georgia State lost their last three games over the weekend against No. 5 Louisiana-Lafayette by the scores of 4-1, 6-5 and 12-0 in 5 innings this past Saturday and Sunday. 
 
Ivie Drake is one of the biggest bats in the Panthers' lineup, sporting a team best .364 batting average with 10 home runs, 35 runs scored and 26 RBI. 
 
Georgia State remains of the best teams defensively as the Panthers have turned 19 double plays on the season, which ranks 38^th in the nation. 
 
Katie Worley (8-7) has been the Panthers' most consistent pitcher. 
 
The senior right-hander holds a team-best 3.35 ERA and averages nearly one strikeout per inning with 79 strikeouts in 79.1 innings pitched. 
 
"We know that they're a good team," coach Steiner-Wilcoxson said.
 
"They're going to bring their best pitching and hitting so we need to be prepared and ready to fight.   They're a very good offensive club, one of the top teams in hitting home runs. They recruit a lot out of Georgia, which is a hot bed for softball.  And their RPI ranking is high too.  Their record is not an indication of anything.  It's the competition that they've played all year that stands out to me."

Follow live stats here: http://www.georgiastatesports.com/liveStats/liveStats.dbml?SPID=5659&DB_OEM_ID=12700&LIST_SPORT_KEY=W_SOFTBALL
 
Audio will be available, but at a cost of $3.95 per a 24 hour block at https://www.nmnathletics.com/PremiumVideo.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=12700
 
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