Middle Tennesee State University Athletics
Friday, February 10
Statesboro, Ga.
1:00 PM
Middle Tennessee
vs
No. 15 Tennessee
Softball Set to Open Season at Eagle Round Robin
2/9/2017 3:00:00 PM | Softball
Tournament Notes
STATESBORO, Ga. – The Middle Tennessee softball team opens its season in Statesboro, Ga. at the Eagle Round Robin hosted by Georgia Southern on Friday, Feb. 10. The Blue Raiders will face Tennessee in the first game of the 2017 season at 1pm followed by a 5pm contest against the hosts. MT will also face in-state rival Tennessee Tech twice during the weekend tournament.
The Blue Raiders return 12 from last season's roster including seven that played in 40 or more games. Austyn Whaley is the lone senior that played in 40 or more games at the second base position. Morgan Harris and Kristin Uselton also return to the infield for MT.
Precious Birdsong rejoins a strong set of outfielders for the Blue Raiders. She was named a preseason all-conference selection following a season hitting .347 with 61 hits and 38 stolen bases.
The team also welcomes 10 newcomers to the field, two of which are junior pitching transfers. Cori Jennings joins MT from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and Gretchen Greer comes from Columbia State Community College. The newcomers are all poised to make an immediate impact for the Blue Raiders.
Tennessee enters the tournament with a preseason No. 15 ranking. The Volunteers were 43-16 a season ago, finishing the season by falling in the postseason Knoxville regional of the NCAA tournament.
Tennessee has two preseason all-conference selections from the Southeastern Conference in Meghan Gregg and Megan Geer. Gregg and Geer were two of the Vols' top offensive players last season, ranking first and third on the team in batting average and RBIs, respectively. The dynamic duo also tied for second on the squad with 11 home runs apiece.
The host, Georgia Southern finished the 2016 season with a 30-27 record. The Eagles were fifth in the Sun Belt conference and have been picked to finish fifth again in a preseason poll. They also have one preseason all-conference selection in sophomore, Dixie Raley.
Raley is the reigning Sun Belt Freshman of the Year and earned a spot on the All-Sun Belt first team for her performance in the circle in 2016. She finished her true freshman campaign with a 22-14 record, two saves and five shutouts in 43 appearances with 34 games started, complimenting a team-leading 3.33 ERA. Raley threw 202 innings and recorded 182 strikeouts on the year.
Tennessee Tech was 23-33 a season ago, placing sixth in the Ohio Valley Conference. In a preseason poll, the team was tabbed to finish fifth.
The Golden Eagles return a pair of seniors that were big contributors in 2016. Pitcher Danielle Liberatore earned All-OVC second team honors last season. She was 15-14 in the circle with five shutouts, pitching 168.2 innings and striking out 227. Alyssa Richards returns as the big bat for Tech. She had a team-leading 10 home runs and 31 RBI in 2016.
Tournament Information: http://gseagles.com/sports/2016/12/1/SB_0126161437.aspx?path=softball
STATESBORO, Ga. – The Middle Tennessee softball team opens its season in Statesboro, Ga. at the Eagle Round Robin hosted by Georgia Southern on Friday, Feb. 10. The Blue Raiders will face Tennessee in the first game of the 2017 season at 1pm followed by a 5pm contest against the hosts. MT will also face in-state rival Tennessee Tech twice during the weekend tournament.
The Blue Raiders return 12 from last season's roster including seven that played in 40 or more games. Austyn Whaley is the lone senior that played in 40 or more games at the second base position. Morgan Harris and Kristin Uselton also return to the infield for MT.
Precious Birdsong rejoins a strong set of outfielders for the Blue Raiders. She was named a preseason all-conference selection following a season hitting .347 with 61 hits and 38 stolen bases.
The team also welcomes 10 newcomers to the field, two of which are junior pitching transfers. Cori Jennings joins MT from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and Gretchen Greer comes from Columbia State Community College. The newcomers are all poised to make an immediate impact for the Blue Raiders.
Tennessee enters the tournament with a preseason No. 15 ranking. The Volunteers were 43-16 a season ago, finishing the season by falling in the postseason Knoxville regional of the NCAA tournament.
Tennessee has two preseason all-conference selections from the Southeastern Conference in Meghan Gregg and Megan Geer. Gregg and Geer were two of the Vols' top offensive players last season, ranking first and third on the team in batting average and RBIs, respectively. The dynamic duo also tied for second on the squad with 11 home runs apiece.
The host, Georgia Southern finished the 2016 season with a 30-27 record. The Eagles were fifth in the Sun Belt conference and have been picked to finish fifth again in a preseason poll. They also have one preseason all-conference selection in sophomore, Dixie Raley.
Raley is the reigning Sun Belt Freshman of the Year and earned a spot on the All-Sun Belt first team for her performance in the circle in 2016. She finished her true freshman campaign with a 22-14 record, two saves and five shutouts in 43 appearances with 34 games started, complimenting a team-leading 3.33 ERA. Raley threw 202 innings and recorded 182 strikeouts on the year.
Tennessee Tech was 23-33 a season ago, placing sixth in the Ohio Valley Conference. In a preseason poll, the team was tabbed to finish fifth.
The Golden Eagles return a pair of seniors that were big contributors in 2016. Pitcher Danielle Liberatore earned All-OVC second team honors last season. She was 15-14 in the circle with five shutouts, pitching 168.2 innings and striking out 227. Alyssa Richards returns as the big bat for Tech. She had a team-leading 10 home runs and 31 RBI in 2016.
Tournament Information: http://gseagles.com/sports/2016/12/1/SB_0126161437.aspx?path=softball
Players Mentioned
OF
/ Softball
P
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C
/ Softball
P
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INF
/ Softball
INF
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