Middle Tennesee State University Athletics
Friday, February 26
Conway, Ark.
11:15 AM
Middle Tennessee
vs
South Dakota State
Raiders head to Natural State
2/25/2016 2:59:00 PM | Softball
MT travels to Central Arkansas for Central Arkansas Invite
MURFREESBORO – Middle Tennessee (6-4) will be making a trip to Conway, Ark. this weekend to participate in the Central Arkansas Invitational hosted by Central Arkansas.
The Raiders are coming off an impressive weekend at the Black & Gold Tournament in Montgomery, Ala. MT went 4-1 in the tournament including winning their final four games in which they outscored their opponents 29-9.
Kirstyn Cuccia currently leads the team in batting average through the first 10 games as she's in Ted Williams's territory hitting .400. Cuccia leads the team with 12 hits, has a pair of doubles, a triple and fell a home run shy of hitting for the cycle in the Raiders 8-4 win over UMBC this past Friday.
Middle Tennessee may have a battle in the circle as well as Pattie Taylor has an incredible weekend for the Raiders in Alabama. Taylor went 2-0 and currently has a nine-inning shut-out streak going, along with her team-leading ERA of 1.65. Kelci Cheney has also impressed as she is currently 4-3 with a 2.50 ERA in seven starts.
The Raiders will have another tough test this weekend as they begin the Central Arkansas Tournament against South Dakota State Friday at 11:15 a.m. Middle Tennessee will then have a nice break to regroup before playing the UAPB Golden Lions at 6 p.m. to close out their Friday slate. Saturday begins bright and early with a 9 a.m. meeting against former Sun Belt Conference foe ULM before taking on host Central Arkansas at 3:45 p.m. The tournament concludes Sunday with the Raiders facing Central Arkansas again at 11:15 a.m.
South Dakota State has had a tough start to this season as they are 1-9 to begin play. Their only win came last weekend at the Maverick Invitational in Arlington, Texas, a 7-6 victory over Princeton. But in seven of their nine losses the Jackrabbits have lost by an average of just two runs per game.
The UABP Golden Lions have had a hot start to the year as they enter the tournament 4-1 on the season. Their last time out they dropped a 10-1 decision to Central Arkansas.
Middle Tennessee will get a flashback of sorts when they take on former Sun Belt Conference foe ULM. The Warhawks are 8-3 to begin the season after going 4-1 in their home tournament, the Mardi Gras Classic, two weeks ago before repeating the 4-1 performance this past weekend at the Tiger Classic in Nashville. ULM leads the all-time series with MT 17-7, and has won the previous three meetings with the Raiders.
The host Central Arkansas, a team who participated in the Norman, Okla. Regional a year ago, has begun the season 5-4. They began with a 4-1 weekend at the San Dollar Classic in Gulf Shores, Ala. two weeks ago. But the Bears struggled last weekend at the 30th Annual Louisiana Classics where they lost to No. 5 Oregon twice and No. 8 Louisiana once.
Fans can follow live stats at this link during the entire weekend: http://sidearmstats.com/uca/softball/ or get updates via twitter at @MT_Softball.
Video will also be available for MT's two games against Central Arkansas, Saturday at 3:45 p.m. and Sunday at 11:15 a.m., at this link: http://ucasports.com/watch/
The Raiders are coming off an impressive weekend at the Black & Gold Tournament in Montgomery, Ala. MT went 4-1 in the tournament including winning their final four games in which they outscored their opponents 29-9.
Kirstyn Cuccia currently leads the team in batting average through the first 10 games as she's in Ted Williams's territory hitting .400. Cuccia leads the team with 12 hits, has a pair of doubles, a triple and fell a home run shy of hitting for the cycle in the Raiders 8-4 win over UMBC this past Friday.
Middle Tennessee may have a battle in the circle as well as Pattie Taylor has an incredible weekend for the Raiders in Alabama. Taylor went 2-0 and currently has a nine-inning shut-out streak going, along with her team-leading ERA of 1.65. Kelci Cheney has also impressed as she is currently 4-3 with a 2.50 ERA in seven starts.
The Raiders will have another tough test this weekend as they begin the Central Arkansas Tournament against South Dakota State Friday at 11:15 a.m. Middle Tennessee will then have a nice break to regroup before playing the UAPB Golden Lions at 6 p.m. to close out their Friday slate. Saturday begins bright and early with a 9 a.m. meeting against former Sun Belt Conference foe ULM before taking on host Central Arkansas at 3:45 p.m. The tournament concludes Sunday with the Raiders facing Central Arkansas again at 11:15 a.m.
South Dakota State has had a tough start to this season as they are 1-9 to begin play. Their only win came last weekend at the Maverick Invitational in Arlington, Texas, a 7-6 victory over Princeton. But in seven of their nine losses the Jackrabbits have lost by an average of just two runs per game.
The UABP Golden Lions have had a hot start to the year as they enter the tournament 4-1 on the season. Their last time out they dropped a 10-1 decision to Central Arkansas.
Middle Tennessee will get a flashback of sorts when they take on former Sun Belt Conference foe ULM. The Warhawks are 8-3 to begin the season after going 4-1 in their home tournament, the Mardi Gras Classic, two weeks ago before repeating the 4-1 performance this past weekend at the Tiger Classic in Nashville. ULM leads the all-time series with MT 17-7, and has won the previous three meetings with the Raiders.
The host Central Arkansas, a team who participated in the Norman, Okla. Regional a year ago, has begun the season 5-4. They began with a 4-1 weekend at the San Dollar Classic in Gulf Shores, Ala. two weeks ago. But the Bears struggled last weekend at the 30th Annual Louisiana Classics where they lost to No. 5 Oregon twice and No. 8 Louisiana once.
Fans can follow live stats at this link during the entire weekend: http://sidearmstats.
Video will also be available for MT's two games against Central Arkansas, Saturday at 3:45 p.m. and Sunday at 11:15 a.m., at this link: http://ucasports.
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