Softball to end regular season at home vs. FIU

Friday, May 7

Murfreesboro, TN

3:00 PM

Middle Tennessee

FIU

5/6/2021 5:00:00 PM | Softball

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Pregame ceremonies will be held to honor 2020 seniors on Saturday and 2021 seniors on Sunday

By: @MTAthletics

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Seven Middle Tennessee seniors will suit up for their final series at Blue Raider Softball Field when MT takes on FIU to end the regular season this weekend.

MT will honor its 2020 seniors — Sydney Heath, Keely McGee, Kaylyn Slatter and Samantha Valentine — in a pregame ceremony before Saturday's game, and the seven 2021 seniors will be honored in a pregame ceremony before Sunday's game. The ceremonies will begin roughly 30 minutes before the scheduled first pitch time.

Games 45-48: Middle Tennessee (24-20, 9-7 C-USA) vs. FIU (13-24, 5-11 C-USA)
» Friday, May 7 | 3 p.m. CT
» Friday, May 7 | 5 p.m. CT
» Saturday, May 8 | 2 p.m. CT
» Sunday, May 9 | 12 p.m. CT
» 10% maximum capacity; masks and social distancing required

About the Blue Raiders
» Before an off-weekend last week, MT won a 3-2 decision at Austin Peay on April 28.
» The 1-2 punch of Summer Burgess (.327 avg, 11 doubles) and Kelci Hill (.382 avg, 52 hits, 20 RBIs) leads the Blue Raiders at the top of the order.
» Lexi Cushing leads in homers (5) and RBIs (26), while Claire Smith (11) and Jocelynn De La Cruz (10) also boast double-digit RBIs.
» Amber Baldwin (9-8, 2.90 ERA) and Corrina Dodd (7-4, 2.62 ERA) have been MT's top two starters this season, and Kailey Ahlstrom (6-1, 2.23 ERA) has been dominant out of the bullpen.
» MT leads C-USA as a team in sacrifice bunts (41) and fielding percentage (.970) and is second in hits (322) and stolen bases (58).
» The Blue Raiders thrive in tight games, posting a record of 11-4 in one-run affairs.
» Early innings are crucial for the Blue Raiders, who are 15-4 when scoring first and 2-11 when the opponent scores in the first inning.
» Eight different Blue Raiders have a walk-off hit in 2021, and MT is 6-2 in extra inning games this season.

All-time vs. FIU
» FIU leads the all-time series over MT, 48-21.
» The Blue Raiders have won each of the last five games against the Panthers and are 11-20 in games played in Murfreesboro.

Scouting the Panthers
» FIU enters the last week of the season in last place in Conference USA's east division with a split against Florida Atlantic and one win apiece against Charlotte, Marshall and Western Kentucky.
» Junior second baseman Vanessa Gallegos is the only player in C-USA to win two Hitter of the Week awards this season and leads the Panthers with a .355 batting average and 32 RBIs.
» Fellow infielders Kayla Whitehead (.327 average, 4 triples) and Jessica Rivera (.310 average, 7 homers) also make an impact offensively for FIU.
» Outfielder Alexis Ross (.269 average, 30 runs) is the only other Panther to start and play in all 37 games this season.
» In the circle, Brooklynn Linneman (4.34 ERA) and Kendahl Dunford (4.12 ERA) have the most appearances, but Kallie Jones leads her team with a 3.41 ERA.

Next Time Out
» MT will travel to Bowling Green, Kentucky for the C-USA Championship, which is scheduled for May 12-15.

Follow the Blue Raiders on Twitter (@MT_Softball), Facebook (Blue Raider Softball) and Instagram (@mt_softball).