Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
Friday, February 13
Clermont, Fla.
1:30 p.m.
Middle Tennessee
vs
Umass Lowell
MT Heads to Sunshine State for Dot Richardson Classic
2/12/2015 3:59:00 PM | Softball
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. –The Blue Raider softball team will head to the Sunshine State this weekend for the Dot Richardson Classic in Clermont, Fla. Middle Tennessee (3-2) will play five games in three days, beginning with Umass Lowell and South Dakota State on Friday.
Follow the Blue Raiders: Facebook | Twitter
Dot Richardson Classic Schedule
Friday, February 13
@MT_Softball vs. Umass Lowell – 1:30 p.m.
Friday, February 13
@MT_Softball vs. South Dakota State – 4:00 p.m.
Saturday, February 14
@MT_Softball vs. Florida A&M – 4:00 p.m.
Saturday, February 14
@MT_Softball vs. Liberty – 6:30 p.m.
Live Stats
Sunday, February 15
@MT_Softball vs. Louisville – 9:00 a.m.
Live Stats
About the Blue Raiders
Last Time Out
The Blue Raiders finished with a solid 3-2 finish at the Bulldog Kickoff Classic over the weekend, defeating their opponents by a combined score 27-7. MT suffered a 9-1 defeat to host Mississippi State before falling to a tough Saint Louis squad in extra innings, 9-8.
Not a Bad Way to Start
Freshman Cor'Nisha Birdsong and juniors Kiarra Freeman and Carlie Jenkins made their presence felt this weekend as all three made their debuts in an MT uniform. The trio combined for a .549 batting average (28-of-51) from the dish with 15 RBI and seven extra-base hits. Jenkins led MT with 10 hits over the weekend and with a .625 hitting clip, while striking out just twice in 16 at-bats.
Ducks on the Pond
MT made sure to take advantage with its scoring opportunities over the weekend as it finished with a blistering .471 hitting clip when runners are on second or third. Senior Samantha Nieves and Freeman hit a staggering .714 from the plate, while Jenkins hit a .700 with runners on the base paths. Four other players also hit at least .300 when looking to bring in runners home.
Swiping the Basepaths
Over the weekend, the Blue Raiders took full advantage of their speed going 14-for-15 in stolen base attempts. Junior Cheyenne Willis, Freeman and Birdsong were all a perfect 3-for-3 stealing bases, while senior Alma Cortez and Jenkins each had a pair of swipes.
About the Opponents
UMASS LOWELL (2-2, 0-0 Northeast)
The Riverhawks started 2-2 at the Charleston Challenge to open their weekend, defeating Bethune Cookman, 13-2, and giving Army a 13-8 setback. Danielle Henderson is in her first year under the helm at UML after working on the Umass coaching staff from 2000-03. Alyssa Zinkiewicz paces Lowell with a .500 batting average with a team-high six hits, three doubles and four RBI. Three other players are also hitting over .350. As a team the Riverhawks hit .284 where opponents hit .321 against their pitchers. Erica Armenti posted a 2.80 ERA over the weekend en route to a 1-1 record in two starts.
South Dakota State (2-2, 0-0 Summit League)
SDSU is led by first-year head coach Krista Wood, who spent her time at Wayne State for eight seasons. She has the Jackrabbits to a 2-2 start after opening weekend, defeating Utah State 6-4, and 7-6. Vanessa Kellems and Allyssa D'Agostino both lead the team with a .455 average from the dish, while D'Agostino paces the team with five RBI and two homers. Ashlyn Bender leads SDSU with an ERA of 3.50 inside the circle and a win in two starts, and Jennifer Sutton has the other win in the circle, appearing in three games with a 4.67 ERA.
Liberty (1-3, 0-0 Big South)
LU opened its weekend with a 1-3 finish at the Sand Dollar Classic in Gulf Shores, Ala., with its lone win coming in an 11-3 victory over Houston Baptist. The Lady Flames are led by third-year head coach Dot Richardson, who the tournament is named after. Tori Zavodny leads the team with a .545 average with six hits four RBI and a home run, while Kelby Allen is batting .500 from the dish with three RBI and a homer. The teammates are two of six players that are batting over .300. Liberty is giving up an average ERA of seven, with Kenzie Friesen posting a team-best 3.82 ERA.
Florida A&M (0-6, 0-0 MEAC)
The Lady Rattlers have yet to win a game this season with a 0-6 start to the season, including losses to
No. 5 Florida State (12-5) and No. 6 Kentucky (4-2).
Louisville (2-3, 0-0 ACC)
The Cardinals got off of to a 2-3 start at the UNLV Kickoff Classic while defeating UC Davis and CSU Bakersfield. Jordan McNary posted a .750 batting average over five games and five runs scored from the leadoff spot. Teammate Kristina Dillard paces the Cardinals with six RBI to go along with a .313 hitting clip. Louisville is hitting .307 over their first five games, while allowing opponents to hit .292 so far. Shelby McCombs is 2-0 in her first two starts with a sub-three ERA and has allowed opposing batters to hit just .225.
Series History
Umass Lowell: The Blue Raiders and Skyhawks will square off for the first time on Friday
South Dakota State: MT and SDSU will faceoff for the time on Friday
Liberty: MT holds a slight 2-1 edge over the Lady Flame with the two teams last going up against each other in March 7, 2009. Liberty defeated MT, 5-2 at a neutral site after the Blue Raiders claimed the first two meetings.
Florida A&M: The Blue Raiders have yet to lose to the Lady Rattlers, holding a 5-0 mark in the all-time series. Last season, MT defeated FAMU 6-5 and 3-1 at a round-robin tournament.
Louisville: UL has the upper hand in the all-time series with a 5-2 record and winners of the previous three matchups. MT's two wins came in an 8-5 victory on Feb. 24, 2002 and April 18, 2007 in a 6-3 win.
Up Next
The Blue Raiders will head back to Mississippi for the Ole Miss Red and Blue Classic in Oxford, Miss., taking place next weekend Feb. 20-22.
Follow the Blue Raiders: Facebook | Twitter
Dot Richardson Classic Schedule
Friday, February 13
@MT_Softball vs. Umass Lowell – 1:30 p.m.
Friday, February 13
@MT_Softball vs. South Dakota State – 4:00 p.m.
Saturday, February 14
@MT_Softball vs. Florida A&M – 4:00 p.m.
Saturday, February 14
@MT_Softball vs. Liberty – 6:30 p.m.
Live Stats
Sunday, February 15
@MT_Softball vs. Louisville – 9:00 a.m.
Live Stats
About the Blue Raiders
Last Time Out
The Blue Raiders finished with a solid 3-2 finish at the Bulldog Kickoff Classic over the weekend, defeating their opponents by a combined score 27-7. MT suffered a 9-1 defeat to host Mississippi State before falling to a tough Saint Louis squad in extra innings, 9-8.
Not a Bad Way to Start
Freshman Cor'Nisha Birdsong and juniors Kiarra Freeman and Carlie Jenkins made their presence felt this weekend as all three made their debuts in an MT uniform. The trio combined for a .549 batting average (28-of-51) from the dish with 15 RBI and seven extra-base hits. Jenkins led MT with 10 hits over the weekend and with a .625 hitting clip, while striking out just twice in 16 at-bats.
Ducks on the Pond
MT made sure to take advantage with its scoring opportunities over the weekend as it finished with a blistering .471 hitting clip when runners are on second or third. Senior Samantha Nieves and Freeman hit a staggering .714 from the plate, while Jenkins hit a .700 with runners on the base paths. Four other players also hit at least .300 when looking to bring in runners home.
Swiping the Basepaths
Over the weekend, the Blue Raiders took full advantage of their speed going 14-for-15 in stolen base attempts. Junior Cheyenne Willis, Freeman and Birdsong were all a perfect 3-for-3 stealing bases, while senior Alma Cortez and Jenkins each had a pair of swipes.
About the Opponents
UMASS LOWELL (2-2, 0-0 Northeast)
The Riverhawks started 2-2 at the Charleston Challenge to open their weekend, defeating Bethune Cookman, 13-2, and giving Army a 13-8 setback. Danielle Henderson is in her first year under the helm at UML after working on the Umass coaching staff from 2000-03. Alyssa Zinkiewicz paces Lowell with a .500 batting average with a team-high six hits, three doubles and four RBI. Three other players are also hitting over .350. As a team the Riverhawks hit .284 where opponents hit .321 against their pitchers. Erica Armenti posted a 2.80 ERA over the weekend en route to a 1-1 record in two starts.
South Dakota State (2-2, 0-0 Summit League)
SDSU is led by first-year head coach Krista Wood, who spent her time at Wayne State for eight seasons. She has the Jackrabbits to a 2-2 start after opening weekend, defeating Utah State 6-4, and 7-6. Vanessa Kellems and Allyssa D'Agostino both lead the team with a .455 average from the dish, while D'Agostino paces the team with five RBI and two homers. Ashlyn Bender leads SDSU with an ERA of 3.50 inside the circle and a win in two starts, and Jennifer Sutton has the other win in the circle, appearing in three games with a 4.67 ERA.
Liberty (1-3, 0-0 Big South)
LU opened its weekend with a 1-3 finish at the Sand Dollar Classic in Gulf Shores, Ala., with its lone win coming in an 11-3 victory over Houston Baptist. The Lady Flames are led by third-year head coach Dot Richardson, who the tournament is named after. Tori Zavodny leads the team with a .545 average with six hits four RBI and a home run, while Kelby Allen is batting .500 from the dish with three RBI and a homer. The teammates are two of six players that are batting over .300. Liberty is giving up an average ERA of seven, with Kenzie Friesen posting a team-best 3.82 ERA.
Florida A&M (0-6, 0-0 MEAC)
The Lady Rattlers have yet to win a game this season with a 0-6 start to the season, including losses to
No. 5 Florida State (12-5) and No. 6 Kentucky (4-2).
Louisville (2-3, 0-0 ACC)
The Cardinals got off of to a 2-3 start at the UNLV Kickoff Classic while defeating UC Davis and CSU Bakersfield. Jordan McNary posted a .750 batting average over five games and five runs scored from the leadoff spot. Teammate Kristina Dillard paces the Cardinals with six RBI to go along with a .313 hitting clip. Louisville is hitting .307 over their first five games, while allowing opponents to hit .292 so far. Shelby McCombs is 2-0 in her first two starts with a sub-three ERA and has allowed opposing batters to hit just .225.
Series History
Umass Lowell: The Blue Raiders and Skyhawks will square off for the first time on Friday
South Dakota State: MT and SDSU will faceoff for the time on Friday
Liberty: MT holds a slight 2-1 edge over the Lady Flame with the two teams last going up against each other in March 7, 2009. Liberty defeated MT, 5-2 at a neutral site after the Blue Raiders claimed the first two meetings.
Florida A&M: The Blue Raiders have yet to lose to the Lady Rattlers, holding a 5-0 mark in the all-time series. Last season, MT defeated FAMU 6-5 and 3-1 at a round-robin tournament.
Louisville: UL has the upper hand in the all-time series with a 5-2 record and winners of the previous three matchups. MT's two wins came in an 8-5 victory on Feb. 24, 2002 and April 18, 2007 in a 6-3 win.
Up Next
The Blue Raiders will head back to Mississippi for the Ole Miss Red and Blue Classic in Oxford, Miss., taking place next weekend Feb. 20-22.
Players Mentioned
OF
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
1B/OF
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
OF
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