Middle Tennessee State University Athletics

Raiders Set for the First Round of the NISC
5/15/2019 2:11:00 PM | Softball
Nacogdoches, Texas- The Middle Tennessee softball team is set to take on McNeese State in the first round of the National Invitational Softball Championship, tomorrow at 3:00 p.m. CT. The Raiders will travel to Nacogdoches, Texas in the regional round that includes UT Arlington, McNeese State, and host Stephen F. Austin.
The Raiders made a memorable run in the C-USA Tournament, winning in come-from-behind fission against UTEP and beat WKU in a 1-0 pitchers duel. The Raiders were eliminated in the third round after losing to top seeded North Texas and eventual champion Louisiana Tech.
Junior Sydney Heath was named to the All-Tournament team for her play over the four game stretch. Heath led the Raiders in batting average (.545), hits (six), and on base percentage (.583). The right fielder also made a number of diving plays and had a perfect fielding percentage during the tournament.
Freshmen Kailey Ahlstrom pitched all, but one inning for the Raiders (23 IP), and had a 2-2 record. The lefty punched out 15 batters and had a 1.83 ERA during the Raiders' time in Birmingham, Ala.
McNeese State put together a record of 30-30 this season and had a conference record of 19-8 inside the Southland Conference.
The Cowgirls are led by the speedy Justyce McClain. The senior leads the team with a .405 batting average and 81 hits on the season. McClain also has 30 stolen bases on the campaign, just three behind the team leader Cori McCrary.
McNeese State also has three pitchers with sub three ERA's in Saleen Flores, Amber Coons, and Alexsandra Flores. Junior Alexsandra Flores leads to team in most pitching categories including wins (13), complete games (9), and innings pitched (143.2).
Depending on the outcome of the Raiders' game against McNeese State, the Raiders will face either Stephen F. Austin or UT Arlington in the next round of the NISC regional.
| Looking Back |
The Raiders made a memorable run in the C-USA Tournament, winning in come-from-behind fission against UTEP and beat WKU in a 1-0 pitchers duel. The Raiders were eliminated in the third round after losing to top seeded North Texas and eventual champion Louisiana Tech.
Junior Sydney Heath was named to the All-Tournament team for her play over the four game stretch. Heath led the Raiders in batting average (.545), hits (six), and on base percentage (.583). The right fielder also made a number of diving plays and had a perfect fielding percentage during the tournament.
Freshmen Kailey Ahlstrom pitched all, but one inning for the Raiders (23 IP), and had a 2-2 record. The lefty punched out 15 batters and had a 1.83 ERA during the Raiders' time in Birmingham, Ala.
| Scouting the Opponent |
McNeese State put together a record of 30-30 this season and had a conference record of 19-8 inside the Southland Conference.
The Cowgirls are led by the speedy Justyce McClain. The senior leads the team with a .405 batting average and 81 hits on the season. McClain also has 30 stolen bases on the campaign, just three behind the team leader Cori McCrary.
McNeese State also has three pitchers with sub three ERA's in Saleen Flores, Amber Coons, and Alexsandra Flores. Junior Alexsandra Flores leads to team in most pitching categories including wins (13), complete games (9), and innings pitched (143.2).
| Up Next |
Depending on the outcome of the Raiders' game against McNeese State, the Raiders will face either Stephen F. Austin or UT Arlington in the next round of the NISC regional.
Players Mentioned
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MTSU Softball vs WKU Recap 4/11-13/25 2025
Monday, April 14

















