MT Softball Begins Season at Bulldog Kickoff Classic

Friday, February 6

Starkville, Miss.

5:30 p.m.

Middle Tennessee

Mississippi State

2/5/2015 11:30:00 AM | Softball

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – The Middle Tennessee softball team will begin its 23rd season this weekend at the Bulldog Kickoff Classic in Starkville, Miss. MT will play five games in three days, beginning with host Mississippi State on Friday at 5:30 p.m. The game will be shown live on SEC Network+ via watchespn.com, while live stats will be available for all five games.

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Bulldog Kickoff Classic Central

Friday, February 6th
@MT_Softball at Mississippi State – 5:30 p.m.
Live Stats | SEC Network+

Saturday, February 7th
@MT_Softball vs. Saint Louis – 9 a.m.
Live Stats

Saturday, February 7th
@MT_Softball vs. Mississippi Valley State – 4:30 p.m.
Live Stats

Sunday, February 8th
@MT_Softball vs. Austin Peay – 10 a.m.
Live Stats

Sunday, February 8th
@MT_Softball vs. Mississippi Valley State – 3 p.m.
Live Stats

About the Blue Raiders

Season Openers
Head coach Jeff Breeden is 0-2 in season openers in his first two seasons at Middle Tennessee, falling to Kennesaw State and Campbell. The Blue Raiders last win on opening day was in a 16-13 shootout against Murray State on Feb. 13, 2011 at Blue Raider Softball Field.

Plenty of New Faces
Thirteen of the 19 players on the roster this season are either a freshman or a transfer. Only six players return from last season's team, while seniors Caitlin McClure and Samantha Nieves are the only players that will play all four years at MT.

Blue Raider Returners
Six players return from last season's squad with Nieves being the returning leading hitter with a .236 average from the plate with 16 RBI, six doubles and two home runs. Sophomores Austyn Whaley, Lauren Riddell and Marinna Shadley will look to improve off their freshman season. Whaley and Shadley combined for three home runs and 20 RBI, while Riddell notched seven hits in 12 games she started in, including three doubles. McClure is the lone returning starting pitcher from last season where she led the team with 138.2 innings pitched,three wins and six complete games.

Miles piling up Already
MT will spend the first month of the season on the road in four round-robin tournaments, with both taking place in Mississippi and Florida. The Blue Raiders will travel approximately 1,857 miles over the course of February before their first home game on March 4 against Tennessee State. Eight of MT's 10 wins last season came away from Blue Raider Softball Field.

The Tennessee Ten
Ten of the Blue Raiders' 19 players hail from Tennessee while the rest of the squad comes from California (3), Georgia (2), Texas (2), Florida (1) and Illinois (1).

Help is on the Way
With 68 percent of their RBI output gone and two of the three starting pitchers leaving due to graduation, the Blue Raiders will have five newcomers that hit at least .300 or better at their previous school.Breeden will have three new pitchers at his disposal along with McClure returning. Riddell and freshman Makenzie Prince could also see action inside the circle.

About the Opponents

Scouting Mississippi State (0-0, 0-0 SEC)
The Bulldogs are led by fourth-year head coach Vann Stuedeman, who has an overall record of 105-69 at MSU, including its 39-21 overall mark last season and a trip to the NCAA Tournament. MSU finished 10-14 in the SEC last season and was picked 11th in the preseason poll. The Bulldogs return five position starters and two pitchers, while bringing in seven newcomers.

Scouting Mississippi Valley State (0-0, 0-0 SWAC)
Head coach Lee Smith is entering his 14th season at the helm for Mississippi Valley State. MVSU finished 14-35 last season with an overall mark of 9-8 in the SWAC. The Delta Devilettes fell to Texas Southern,6-3 in the conference title game. Eleven of the 22 players that make up the roster are freshman, while boasting four sophomores, two juniors and five seniors.

Scouting Austin Peay (0-0, OVC)
Stephanie Paris is in her third year at the helm for the Lady Govs after finishing 20-32 last year and an 8-18 mark in the Ohio Valley Conference. APSU returns 12 letterwinners and five starters along with three pitchers.

Scouting Saint Louis (0-0, 0-0, A-10)
The Billikens finished 30-21 last season under fourth-year head coach Christy Connoyer. SLU had a solid 12-5 finish in the Atlantic 10 conference, good to finish second in league play. The Billikens also ended with an 11-5 record on a neutral field. The Billikens return six position players, including leading hitter Lindsay Friedman, who finished with a .346 batting average. Brianna Lore returns to the circle for the Billikens as she finished with a 25-13 record as a starter.

SERIES HISTORY

Mississippi State: MSU holds a 4-1 advantage over the Blue Raiders with MSU winning the last meeting 8-1 in 2013. The Blue Raiders' lone win came in a 6-5 victory on March 15, 2005.

Mississippi Valley State: The Lady Devilletes and Blue Raiders only matchup came in an 11-2 win for MVSU on Feb. 23, 2013.

Austin Peay: Despite falling to the Lady Govs in the past two meetings, the Blue Raiders own a 31-17 record all-time between the two foes.

Saint Louis: The Blue Raiders and Billikens are notched at one win each with SLU edging MT 1-0 on March 6, 2005.

Up next

The Blue Raiders will travel to Clermont, Fla., to participate in the Dot Richardson Classic next weekend (Feb. 13-15).