Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
Wednesday, February 19
Murfreesboro, TN
5:00 PM CST
Middle Tennessee
vs
Kentucky
Blue Raider Softball to open home slate with No. 13 Kentucky
2/18/2020 11:30:00 AM | Softball
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — For the first time since 2017, a ranked team will visit Murfreesboro to play the Blue Raiders, as Middle Tennessee looks forward to hosting No. 13 Kentucky on Wednesday night.
Game 12: Middle Tennessee (5-6, 0-0 C-USA) vs. No. 13 Kentucky (7-2, 0-0 SEC)
» Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2020 | 5 p.m. CST | Murfreesboro, Tenn.
» Free MT beanies to the first 50 fans
About the Blue Raiders
» MT is 3-4 in home openers under head coach Jeff Breeden.
» The Blue Raiders are 2-68 all-time against top-25 teams, with the two wins coming at home in 2007 against then-No. 15 Louisiana.
» First baseman Lexi Cushing's five home runs through the first two weekends places her sixth in the country in homers hit this season. Also, Cushing's 1.09 runs per game is the best mark in Conference USA.
» Jocelynn De La Cruz has also provided a pop in the middle of MT's order, as she is fifth nationally and first in C-USA in sacrifice flies.
» Freshmen Kelci Hill and Kaylee Richetto have continued to impress so far, as Hill is 10th nationally with two triples, and Richetto hit her first two career homers in three starts over the weekend.
» Lani Rodriguez contributed an unsuspecting display of power in Madeira Beach, crushing her first three career home runs, including two in one game against Nicholls State.
» Record watch is in full effect this season, as Summer Burgess and Cushing inch closer towards capturing Blue Raider career records. Burgess is 44 hits shy of becoming MT's all-time hits leader, and Cushing is 9 RBIs away from bringing home the most runs of any Blue Raider hitter.
All-time vs. Kentucky
» The Wildcats hold a 6-2 lead in the all-time series over MT.
» The Blue Raiders won the first two meetings in 1997, but since then, Kentucky has reeled off six consecutive wins, including two in Murfreesboro.
Scouting the Wildcats
» Kentucky enters play on Wednesday as the No. 13-ranked team in the country according to the USA Today/NFCA Coaches poll, which was released on Tuesday.
» The Wildcats' only losses came at the Littlewood Classic to Arizona State, which is currently ranked No. 16.
» Offense seems to be a strong point for the Wildcats, who scored 16 runs against Boise State and another 15 in a win over Detroit Mercy.
» As a team, the Wildcats are 10th in the nation in slugging percentage and 14th in batting average.
» Individually, sophomore catcher Kayla Kowalik leads the SEC in runs per game (1.33).
» In the circle, Autumn Humes is the leader for Kentucky with 19.1 innings pitched and has allowed the fewest walks per seven innings in the SEC (0.36).
Next Time Out
» After Wednesday's home opener, MT will head back on the road for five games in the Mardi Gras Mambo in Youngsville, Louisiana.
Follow the Blue Raiders on Twitter (@MT_Softball), Facebook (Middle Tennessee Blue Raider Softball) and Instagram (@mt_softball).
Game 12: Middle Tennessee (5-6, 0-0 C-USA) vs. No. 13 Kentucky (7-2, 0-0 SEC)
» Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2020 | 5 p.m. CST | Murfreesboro, Tenn.
» Free MT beanies to the first 50 fans
About the Blue Raiders
» MT is 3-4 in home openers under head coach Jeff Breeden.
» The Blue Raiders are 2-68 all-time against top-25 teams, with the two wins coming at home in 2007 against then-No. 15 Louisiana.
» First baseman Lexi Cushing's five home runs through the first two weekends places her sixth in the country in homers hit this season. Also, Cushing's 1.09 runs per game is the best mark in Conference USA.
» Jocelynn De La Cruz has also provided a pop in the middle of MT's order, as she is fifth nationally and first in C-USA in sacrifice flies.
» Freshmen Kelci Hill and Kaylee Richetto have continued to impress so far, as Hill is 10th nationally with two triples, and Richetto hit her first two career homers in three starts over the weekend.
» Lani Rodriguez contributed an unsuspecting display of power in Madeira Beach, crushing her first three career home runs, including two in one game against Nicholls State.
» Record watch is in full effect this season, as Summer Burgess and Cushing inch closer towards capturing Blue Raider career records. Burgess is 44 hits shy of becoming MT's all-time hits leader, and Cushing is 9 RBIs away from bringing home the most runs of any Blue Raider hitter.
All-time vs. Kentucky
» The Wildcats hold a 6-2 lead in the all-time series over MT.
» The Blue Raiders won the first two meetings in 1997, but since then, Kentucky has reeled off six consecutive wins, including two in Murfreesboro.
Scouting the Wildcats
» Kentucky enters play on Wednesday as the No. 13-ranked team in the country according to the USA Today/NFCA Coaches poll, which was released on Tuesday.
» The Wildcats' only losses came at the Littlewood Classic to Arizona State, which is currently ranked No. 16.
» Offense seems to be a strong point for the Wildcats, who scored 16 runs against Boise State and another 15 in a win over Detroit Mercy.
» As a team, the Wildcats are 10th in the nation in slugging percentage and 14th in batting average.
» Individually, sophomore catcher Kayla Kowalik leads the SEC in runs per game (1.33).
» In the circle, Autumn Humes is the leader for Kentucky with 19.1 innings pitched and has allowed the fewest walks per seven innings in the SEC (0.36).
Next Time Out
» After Wednesday's home opener, MT will head back on the road for five games in the Mardi Gras Mambo in Youngsville, Louisiana.
Follow the Blue Raiders on Twitter (@MT_Softball), Facebook (Middle Tennessee Blue Raider Softball) and Instagram (@mt_softball).
Players Mentioned
SS
/ Softball
1B
/ Softball
3B
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
UT
/ Softball
2B/3B
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