Mitchell Named Sun Belt Newcomer of the Year

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. - Junior Cortney Mitchell was named Sun Belt Conference Newcomer of the Year, and Middle Tennessee placed seniors Stayc Preator and Erica Buhl on the second team for softball.

Mitchell, who is carrying a 4.19 batting average, was also named First Team All-Conference at shortstop. She also leads the league and the nation in doubles with 25, and is just five double baggers away from breaking the NCAA record for doubles in a season.

Preator, who just shattered the school record for consecutive innings without allowing a run with 59.2, was named to the Sun Belt Second Team for the first time in her career. She also broke her career high for wins with 22, which places her second in the Lady Raider record books, and also has notched a career-high 176 strikeouts.

An outstanding senior season for Buhl earned her a spot on the Sun Belt Second Team in the outfield. Buhl is third on the team in batting average with .313 and is third on the team in RBI with 26.

Middle Tennessee, who is seeded third in the Sun Belt Tournament, will face No. 2 seed Florida International on Thursday in Bowling Green, KY on the Western Kentucky campus. First pitch action in the opening round begins at 11 a.m.