MT Hosts Rival WKU in Weekend Series Finale

Saturday, May 2

Murfreesboro, Tenn.

2 p.m.

Middle Tennessee

WKU

5/1/2015 11:30:00 AM | Softball

Alumni Day Saturday, Senior Day Sunday

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – The Middle Tennessee softball team (21-27) will look to continue its solid play into the series finale this weekend against a tough Western Kentucky squad, beginning with a doubleheader on Saturday at 2 p.m.

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Saturday, May 2nd | Blue Raider Softball Field | 2 PM (DH)
@MT_Softball vs. Western Kentucky
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Sunday, May 3rd | Blue Raider Softball Field | 12 PM
@MT_Softball vs. Western Kentucky
Live Stats | Live Video

About the Blue Raiders

Last Time Out
The Blue Raiders won their third contest in the last four games with a 3-0 shutout over Tennessee State. Junior Kelci Cheney improved to 12-13 with a complete game shutout, scattering six hits over seven innings. Freshman Cor'Nisha Birdsong went 2-for-4 with two RBIs and a triple, tying the single-season record with six.

Weekend Full of Promotions
Along with the Blue Raiders facing their rival in the Hilltoppers, Saturday will be Alumni Appreciation Day inviting all former softball players to be recognized and cheer on their Blue Raiders against WKU. Sunday will mark the final day for seniors Alma Cortez, Caitlin McClure and Samantha Nieves.

Senior Day
Cortez, McClure and Nieves have all played pivotal roles this season in MT's 21 wins, the most since 2010. McClure has won a career-high five starts inside circle this season, and has supplanted herself in the record books ranking in the top-10 in appearances (fourth-116), starts (10th-50), and innings pitched (347.2- 7th). Despite being with MT only for one season, the Whittier, Calif., has certainly contributed to the Blue Raiders' 21 wins. She ranks second on the team with 12 extra-base hits to go along with three home runs, two triples and seven doubles. Out of her 22 RBIs, the lefty has given MT the lead or tied the game on 10 RBIs. Nieves, an anchor for the left side of the infield for MT, will go into the weekend first all-time with 494 assists on defense, and is ranked in the top-10 in games started, at-bats and doubles.

Finishing Strong
Since suffering a four-game losing streak earlier in in April, the Blue Raiders are 6-4 in the previous 10 games heading into the weekend. Since inserting freshman Kristin Uselton into the starting lineup to third base and switching Nieves to shortstop, MT has committed just nine errors with a .969 fielding percentage (.943 overall). The Blue Raider pitching staff is also throwing a team ERA of 2.50 and the team is hitting 27 points better than their overall average.

Harris and Jenkins
The two have been on a tear from the plate over the past ten games with Harris hitting a scorching .531 from the dish with two homers,a double and eight RBIs, while Jenkins has been hot as well with a .500 clip, four RBIs and a double. Both players have also done a good job of getting home as each has scored 10 runs.

Scouting the Opponent
Western Kentucky | 29-11 (13-7 away) | First C-USA East
The Hilltoppers will be the best team that has visited Blue Raider Softball Field all season long. WKU's last outing came in a 1-0 setback to a familiar opponent in Louisville on Wednesday, and has yet to lose a series in conference play this season, boasting a 14-4 record. The Hilltoppers are first in Conference USA in ERA (1.73) and opposing batting average (.187) thanks in large part to Miranda Kramer, who leads the nation in strikeouts (346), strikeouts per seven innings (13.2) and hits per seven innings (2.98). WKU is also the 14th best fielding team in the nation with a .975 fielding clip.Offensively, Franklin Larissa is leading the team with a .419 hitting average to lead the squad. Dani Pugh leads the team with nine home runs and 36 RBIs.

Series History
WKU holds a 28-23 advantage in the all-time series while holding the upper hand with a seven-game win streak between the two rivals. Last season, WKU swept the season series, winning game one 10-4 and edging MT in extra innings in the second contest, 4-2.