Middle Tennesee State University Athletics
Middle Tennessee
North Texas
Raiders Match Up With North Texas in C-USA Tournament
5/7/2018 4:47:00 PM | Softball
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The Middle Tennessee softball team is set to appear in its first ever C-USA Championship Tournament. The Blue Raiders enter as the No. 6 seed and are slated to face No. 7 North Texas on Wednesday, May 9 at 2:30 pm EST / 1:30 pm CST.
North Texas and Middle have matched up 36 times in the past with the Mean Green holding the all-time series record of 20-16. The two sides have not matched up since the 2014 season when NT swept the Raiders (5-1,8-1, 11-5) in Murfreesboro. The last time that MT won was in 2011, when both sides were in the Sun Belt. Middle swept that series (5-4, 6-4, 4-1), also in Murfreesboro.
The teams have competed against each other once before in postseason play. The Mean Green and Raiders met in a consolation game in the 2005 Sun Belt Conference Tournament. North Texas won the game, 5-3, in Bowling Green, Ky.
Scouting the Blue Raiders (34-20, 11-11)
The Blue Raiders enter their first conference tournament since 2011 having fallen to Marshall in two games last weekend. Those two games wrapped up the regular season. Despite the losses, MT still finished with its best conference record since 2008 and best overall record since 2004.
MT also wrapped up the season by leading the conference in batting average, .301. If the mark stands through the remainder of the season it also a team single season record. The previous mark of .299 was set in 2004. The Raiders also topped the conference in hits (421), wins (34), and sacrifice bunts (68).
Lexi Cushing has knocked off a few other single season records. She is now the single season record holder in home runs (14) and RBI (47). She also leads C-USA in RBI and is second in slugging percentage (.752) and home runs. Cushing is fourth in total bases (103).
Cori Jennings leads the MT pitching staff with a 2.23 ERA and has pitched over 160 innings this season. Her ERA ranks third best in the league. Jennings has struck out 93 this season and leads the conference in wins with 18.
Scouting the Mean Green (25-26, 11-12)
North Texas enters the C-USA Tournament after dropping two games as well. UAB bested the Mean Green, 2-1 and 6-0 to take the final conference series of the year. NT did win game one, 2-0, though.
The Mean Green are a power hitting team, leading the league in slugging percentage (.448) and home runs (54). They have three players with double digit home runs, they include Lacy Gregory, Hanna Rebar and Sam Rea. Gregory, a sophomore, was awarded the first C-USA Player of the Week honor this year. She also leads the Mean Green in RBI (40), total bases (95), doubles (11), and slugging percentage (.633). Gregory is batting .333 on the year. She also has two triples on the year, as does her sister Lindsay Gregory and Camille Grahmann.
Maria Priest and Hope Trautwein lead the Mean Green pitching staff with over 135 inning each on the year. Trautwein was a C-USA Player of the Week on April 30 and comes into the contest with a 2.52 ERA and 15-11 record. She has 15 complete games and five of them shutouts. Trautwein has also struck out 160 on the year, third-most in the conference. Priest was a C-USA Player of the Week on March 27. She holds a 4.29 ERA and 10-13 record. She has eight complete games, two shutouts and has struck out 60 on the year.
