Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
Friday, March 18
Murfreesboro, TN
6:00 PM
Middle Tennessee
vs
Southern Miss
Blue Raiders open up C-USA play this weekend with series against Southern Miss
3/17/2022 6:59:00 PM | Softball
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – The Blue Raiders open up C-USA play this weekend as they host the Southern Miss Golden Eagles for a three-game series on March 18-20 at Blue Raider Softball Field.
The Blue Raiders open the series against the Golden Eagles for a night game on Friday, March 18 at 6 p.m. Middle Tennessee will then play Southern Miss on Saturday, March 19 for their second game of the series at 4 p.m., before closing things out on Sunday, March 20 with a noon first pitch.
The matchup will be broadcast on CUSA.TV and through live stats here, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
Quick Hits
The Blue Raiders continued their nine-game homestand this past Wednesday, hosting the Austin Peay Governors for a midweek matchup. After giving up a leadoff home run, the Blue Raiders battled back to outscore the Govs, 4-1, through the rest of the game to secure the 4-2 win over Austin Peay.
The Blue Raiders
Middle Tennessee Softball opens up C-USA play this weekend after earning a 4-2 midweek victory over the Austin Peay Governors this past Wednesday at Blue Raider Softball Field.
Mealer leads the Blue Raiders so far this season, batting a team second-best .346, including five doubles, team-high three home runs, and is tied for the team lead with a triple. She also leads the Blue Raiders in hits with 27 and has scored a team-high 19 runs. Mealer is also second on the team in RBIs with 10 and is a perfect 6-for-6 on stolen bases this season. Fellow freshman Anyce Harvey is batting .320 this season and leads the Blue Raiders with 19 RBIs this season, as well as hitting a team-best nine doubles and tied for the team lead in triples with one.
Dodd leads the Blue Raiders in the circle this season with 50 innings pitched, while fellow senior Mead holds a team-low 2.16 ERA in 35.2 innings of work. Dodd has fanned a team-high 35 batters this season and has allowed 23 runs, 22 of which were earned, on 39 hits. Both Dodds and Woods have recorded complete-game shutouts this season, while Dodd leads the team with five complete games so far during the 2022 campaign.
Scouting the Competition: Southern Miss
Southern Miss is in its third season under head coach Brian Levin, who has helped to lead the Golden Eagles to a 53-48 record during his time in Hattiesburg.
On the mound, The Golden Eagles are led by Morgan Leinstock, who has a 10-3 record, including 12 complete games, and a pair of shutouts on 18 appearances this season. She holds a team-low 2.01 ERA, while pitching 104.1 innings and allowing 36 runs, 30 of which are earned, on 95 hits and striking out a team-high 102 batters. Jana Lee has also played a lot for the Golden Eagles this season, posting a 5-5 record, including six complete games, and throwing for 64.2 innings over 13 appearances. Lee has allowed 35 runs, 23 of which were earned, on 62 hits and fanning 52 batters during the 2022 season.
Series History
The Blue Raiders and Golden Eagles are tied 5-5 in the all-time series between the two programs. However, Middle Tennessee holds a 2-1 lead for contests played at Blue Raider Softball Field. During their last series, the Blue Raiders earned the series win, 2-1, defeating the Golden Eagles 6-5, falling 12-6, and then winning the series finale 3-2 on March 12-13, 2016.
Up Next
Following their series against Southern Miss, the Blue Raiders will close out their nine-game homestand with another midweek tilt on Wednesday, March 23 as they host the Tennessee State Tigers for a 5 p.m. first pitch at Blue Raider Softball Field.
FOLLOW THE BLUE RAIDERS
Follow Middle Tennessee Softball on social media on Facebook (/BlueRaiderSoftball), Twitter (MT_Softball) and Instagram (MT_Softball).
The Blue Raiders open the series against the Golden Eagles for a night game on Friday, March 18 at 6 p.m. Middle Tennessee will then play Southern Miss on Saturday, March 19 for their second game of the series at 4 p.m., before closing things out on Sunday, March 20 with a noon first pitch.
The matchup will be broadcast on CUSA.TV and through live stats here, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
Quick Hits
- Head coach Jeff Breeden won his 200th career game last Thursday in a 4-3 victory over the UT Martin Skyhawks. Coach Breeden has helped lead the Blue Raiders to a 202-283 record over his decade-long career at Middle Tennessee. The current 2022 season also marks the 10th season for coach Breeden at Middle Tennessee.
- Middle Tennessee Softball continued its nine-game homestand on Wednesday, in which the Blue Raiders earned a 4-2 win over the Austin Peay Governors at Blue Raider Softball Field.
- Junior Kelci Hill led the Blue Raiders against the Governors, going 2-for-3, and recording an RBI and a run in the contest.
- The Blue Raiders opened their home slate last week, hosting the MTSU Invitational on Thursday and Friday. Middle Tennessee split their contests over the two-day tournament, falling against UNI 5-0 in their home-opener, but earning a 4-3 comeback win over the UT Martin Skyhawks to finish off the opening day. The Blue Raiders then secured their second shutout of the season against Illinois State, 3-0, before falling in their MTSU Invitational finale, 3-1, against Chattanooga.
- Freshman Claire Woods pitched her first career complete-game shutout during the Blue Raiders 3-0 victory over Illinois State, allowing just four hits and only walking three in seven innings of work.
- Freshman Laura Mealer connected on her third home run, first multi-run shot, and second game-winning hit of the season to lift the Blue Raiders to a 4-3 win against the UT Martin Skyhawks.
- Senior Corrina Dodd and junior Kelci Hill were named to the preseason C-USA All-Conference Team on Tuesday, February 8.
- The Blue Raiders were selected sixth in the C-USA preseason coaches' poll, behind Charlotte, North Texas, WKU, UAB, and Marshall, which placed first through fifth, respectively.
- The Blue Raiders return 13 starters, while adding seven impressive freshmen to bolster the Blue Raiders' 2022 lineup.
- Despite losing seven starters, the Blue Raiders add plenty of talent, from a solid seven-player freshman class, to build a solid lineup for the 2022 season.
The Blue Raiders continued their nine-game homestand this past Wednesday, hosting the Austin Peay Governors for a midweek matchup. After giving up a leadoff home run, the Blue Raiders battled back to outscore the Govs, 4-1, through the rest of the game to secure the 4-2 win over Austin Peay.
The Blue Raiders
Middle Tennessee Softball opens up C-USA play this weekend after earning a 4-2 midweek victory over the Austin Peay Governors this past Wednesday at Blue Raider Softball Field.
Mealer leads the Blue Raiders so far this season, batting a team second-best .346, including five doubles, team-high three home runs, and is tied for the team lead with a triple. She also leads the Blue Raiders in hits with 27 and has scored a team-high 19 runs. Mealer is also second on the team in RBIs with 10 and is a perfect 6-for-6 on stolen bases this season. Fellow freshman Anyce Harvey is batting .320 this season and leads the Blue Raiders with 19 RBIs this season, as well as hitting a team-best nine doubles and tied for the team lead in triples with one.
Dodd leads the Blue Raiders in the circle this season with 50 innings pitched, while fellow senior Mead holds a team-low 2.16 ERA in 35.2 innings of work. Dodd has fanned a team-high 35 batters this season and has allowed 23 runs, 22 of which were earned, on 39 hits. Both Dodds and Woods have recorded complete-game shutouts this season, while Dodd leads the team with five complete games so far during the 2022 campaign.
Scouting the Competition: Southern Miss
Southern Miss is in its third season under head coach Brian Levin, who has helped to lead the Golden Eagles to a 53-48 record during his time in Hattiesburg.
Southern Miss enters this weekend's contests 17-9 and 0-3 in C-USA play. The Golden Eagles are coming off a midweek matchup against No. 3 Alabama Crimson Tide, which the Golden Eagles lost 5-2. Last weekend, the Golden Eagles opened up C-USA play against North Texas, dropping all three contests against the Mean Green (2-0, 7-1, 5-4).
The Golden Eagles are led by Destini Brown and Tata Davis. Brown has batted a team-high .360, as well as connecting on a team second-best 27 hits, including a team-high five home runs and three triples, while also adding four doubles, and tallying 13 RBIs. Davis is hitting a .329 with a team-leading 28 hits, including a team-lead tying seven doubles, while also leading the Golden Eagles with 21 RBIs.On the mound, The Golden Eagles are led by Morgan Leinstock, who has a 10-3 record, including 12 complete games, and a pair of shutouts on 18 appearances this season. She holds a team-low 2.01 ERA, while pitching 104.1 innings and allowing 36 runs, 30 of which are earned, on 95 hits and striking out a team-high 102 batters. Jana Lee has also played a lot for the Golden Eagles this season, posting a 5-5 record, including six complete games, and throwing for 64.2 innings over 13 appearances. Lee has allowed 35 runs, 23 of which were earned, on 62 hits and fanning 52 batters during the 2022 season.
Series History
The Blue Raiders and Golden Eagles are tied 5-5 in the all-time series between the two programs. However, Middle Tennessee holds a 2-1 lead for contests played at Blue Raider Softball Field. During their last series, the Blue Raiders earned the series win, 2-1, defeating the Golden Eagles 6-5, falling 12-6, and then winning the series finale 3-2 on March 12-13, 2016.
Up Next
Following their series against Southern Miss, the Blue Raiders will close out their nine-game homestand with another midweek tilt on Wednesday, March 23 as they host the Tennessee State Tigers for a 5 p.m. first pitch at Blue Raider Softball Field.
FOLLOW THE BLUE RAIDERS
Follow Middle Tennessee Softball on social media on Facebook (/BlueRaiderSoftball), Twitter (MT_Softball) and Instagram (MT_Softball).
Players Mentioned
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OF/UT
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SS/2B
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P/3B
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