Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
Wednesday, March 23
Murfreesboro, TN
5:00 PM
Middle Tennessee
vs
Tennessee State
Middle Tennessee Softball continues non-conference play in midweek tilt against Tennessee State on Wednesday
3/22/2022 4:45:00 PM | Softball
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – Middle Tennessee Softball (14-15, 2-1 C-USA) continues non-conference play this week as it hosts Tennessee State (9-16, 0-3 OVC) for a midweek matchup on Wednesday, March 23 for a 5 p.m. first pitch at Blue Raider Softball Field.
The matchup will be broadcast on CUSA.TV and through live stats, which can be found here.
Quick Hits
The Blue Raiders earned their first C-USA series win of the season as they defeated the Southern Miss Golden Eagles 2-1 over the weekend. The Blue Raiders got things started in impressive fashion as senior pitcher Mead produced her second career complete-game shutout and helped lead the Blue Raiders to a 4-0 win in their series opener. The Golden Eagles bounced back on Saturday though as they defeated the Blue Raiders 6-2 to send the series to a decisive series finale. The Blue Raiders got out to the early 1-0 lead, but after falling behind 5-1, Middle Tennessee battled back to erase a four-run deficit to capture a 6-5 nine-inning walk-off victory over the Golden Eagles and take the series, 2-1.
The Blue Raiders
Midde Tennessee Softball is coming off its C-USA opening weekend that saw the Blue Raiders earn a 2-1 series win over the Southern Miss Golden Eagles. The Blue Raiders started things off in impressive fashion, as Mead helped lead the Blue Raiders
Sophomore Amaya Harris and freshman Mealer have led the Blue Raiders so far this season. Harris has batted a team second-best .344. She has recorded a team-high 31 hits, including two home runs and a pair of doubles, while also bringing across nine RBIs and scoring 13 runs herself. Mealer has batted a team third-best .341, including five doubles, and a team-best three home runs and two triples. She is second on in hits with 26 and has scored a team-high 18 runs. Mealer is also second on the team in RBIs with 10 and is a perfect 7-for-7 on stolen bases this season. Fellow freshman Anyce Harvey leads the Blue Raiders with a team-best .350 batting average and leading the team in slugging with a .600 average. She has knocked across a team-best 22 RBIs this season on 21 hits, including a team-best 10 doubles, a home run, and a triple.
Senior Gretchen Mead holds a team-leading 2.15 ERA in 45.2 innings of work, while fellow senior Dodd has pitched a team-best 55 innings this season. Mead pitched her second career complete game shutout, joining Dodd and freshman Claire Woods for the Blue Raiders' trio of shutouts this season. Mead and Dodd are tied for the team-lead in strikeouts with 35 in 14 and 10 appearances, respectively, while Mead has only allowed 16 runs on 41 hits.
Scouting the Tigers
Tennessee State is in its first season with head coach Genee McRath, who has led the Tigers to a 9-16 record during her time in Nashville.
Peyton Fointno leads Tennessee State this season, batting a team-best .261 and recording a team second-best 18 hits and tying for a team-best five doubles. She also leads the Tigers with 12 RBIs and has scored five runs this season. Jasmine Brown is second on the team with a .260 batting average and has recorded a team-best 19 hits. Brown has scored a team-best 12 runs and has plated four RBIs in 25 games this season.
On the mound, Tennessee State has pitched the trio of Caitlyn Manus, Raven Loveless, and Francys King. Manus holds a team-leading 5-3 record, as well as a team-low 2.92 ERA over a team-leading 62.1 innings in 16 appearances this season. She has allowed a team-low 34 runs on 56 hits and has struck out a team-high 44 batters this season. Manus has thrown a team-best four shutouts and leads the team with five complete games during the 2022 season.
Series History
The Blue Raiders hold an all-time 48-8 series lead against Tennessee State, including a current five-game winning streak, including two at home, over the Tigers. The Blue Raiders hold a 25-2 record against Tennessee State for games played at Blue Raider Softball Field, with their last win coming in their last meeting on March 11, 2020, which saw the Blue Raiders earn a 5-1 win against the Tigers.
Up Next
The Blue Raiders hit the road for the first time since the beginning of March as they open their C-USA road slate this weekend against Marshall on March 25-27 in Huntington, West Virginia. First pitch on Friday, March 25 and Saturday, March 26 is scheduled for 12 p.m. CT, while the series finale on Sunday, March 27 is set for 11 a.m. CT at Dot Hicks Field.
FOLLOW THE BLUE RAIDERS
Follow Middle Tennessee Softball on social media on Facebook (/BlueRaiderSoftball), Twitter (MT_Softball) and Instagram (MT_Softball).
The matchup will be broadcast on CUSA.TV and through live stats, which can be found here.
Quick Hits
- Middle Tennessee Softball opened up C-USA play this past weekend as the Blue Raiders hosted the Southern Miss Golden Eagles for a three-game homestand. The Blue Raiders started off incredibly strong, earning an impressive 4-0 shutout over the Golden Eagles on Friday. Southern Miss bounced back on Saturday, defeating the Blue Raiders 6-2 to even the series. On Sunday, the Blue Raiders came back after a 5-1 deficit in the series finale to earn an extra-innings 6-5 win over the Golden Eagles and capture the series win, 2-1.
- Head coach Jeff Breeden won his 200th career game during the Blue Raiders home opening day at the MTSU Invitational in a 4-3 victory over the UT Martin Skyhawks. Coach Breeden has helped lead the Blue Raiders to a 204-284 record over his decade-long career at Middle Tennessee. He is currently in his 10th season as the head coach of Middle Tennessee Softball.
- Senior pitcher Gretchen Mead had a great weekend as she threw seven full innings for her second career complete-game shutout as she threw a career-high 10 strikeouts during the Blue Raiders 4-0 win over Southern Miss during their series opener on Friday.
- Freshmen Laura Mealer and Anyce Harvey led the Blue Raiders against the Southern Miss Golden Eagles this weekend. Mealer batted a .300 (3-for-10), including her second career triple, and knocking in a team-high four RBIs against the Golden Eagles. Harvey tied for a team-best .500 average, going 5-for-10, and plating a team second-best three RBIs, while also recording a run this past weekend.
- Freshman Claire Czajkowski led the Blue Raiders to a walk-off victory over Southern Miss in their series finale, scoring on a wild pitch in the ninth inning to close out the 6-5 Blue Raider win and capture the 2-1 series victory.
- 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 earned their first C-USA series win of the season as they defeated the Southern Miss Golden Eagles 2-1 over the weekend. The Blue Raiders got things started in impressive fashion as senior pitcher Mead produced her second career complete-game shutout and helped lead the Blue Raiders to a 4-0 win in their series opener. The Golden Eagles bounced back on Saturday though as they defeated the Blue Raiders 6-2 to send the series to a decisive series finale. The Blue Raiders got out to the early 1-0 lead, but after falling behind 5-1, Middle Tennessee battled back to erase a four-run deficit to capture a 6-5 nine-inning walk-off victory over the Golden Eagles and take the series, 2-1.
The Blue Raiders
Midde Tennessee Softball is coming off its C-USA opening weekend that saw the Blue Raiders earn a 2-1 series win over the Southern Miss Golden Eagles. The Blue Raiders started things off in impressive fashion, as Mead helped lead the Blue Raiders
Sophomore Amaya Harris and freshman Mealer have led the Blue Raiders so far this season. Harris has batted a team second-best .344. She has recorded a team-high 31 hits, including two home runs and a pair of doubles, while also bringing across nine RBIs and scoring 13 runs herself. Mealer has batted a team third-best .341, including five doubles, and a team-best three home runs and two triples. She is second on in hits with 26 and has scored a team-high 18 runs. Mealer is also second on the team in RBIs with 10 and is a perfect 7-for-7 on stolen bases this season. Fellow freshman Anyce Harvey leads the Blue Raiders with a team-best .350 batting average and leading the team in slugging with a .600 average. She has knocked across a team-best 22 RBIs this season on 21 hits, including a team-best 10 doubles, a home run, and a triple.
Senior Gretchen Mead holds a team-leading 2.15 ERA in 45.2 innings of work, while fellow senior Dodd has pitched a team-best 55 innings this season. Mead pitched her second career complete game shutout, joining Dodd and freshman Claire Woods for the Blue Raiders' trio of shutouts this season. Mead and Dodd are tied for the team-lead in strikeouts with 35 in 14 and 10 appearances, respectively, while Mead has only allowed 16 runs on 41 hits.
Scouting the Tigers
Tennessee State is in its first season with head coach Genee McRath, who has led the Tigers to a 9-16 record during her time in Nashville.
Peyton Fointno leads Tennessee State this season, batting a team-best .261 and recording a team second-best 18 hits and tying for a team-best five doubles. She also leads the Tigers with 12 RBIs and has scored five runs this season. Jasmine Brown is second on the team with a .260 batting average and has recorded a team-best 19 hits. Brown has scored a team-best 12 runs and has plated four RBIs in 25 games this season.
On the mound, Tennessee State has pitched the trio of Caitlyn Manus, Raven Loveless, and Francys King. Manus holds a team-leading 5-3 record, as well as a team-low 2.92 ERA over a team-leading 62.1 innings in 16 appearances this season. She has allowed a team-low 34 runs on 56 hits and has struck out a team-high 44 batters this season. Manus has thrown a team-best four shutouts and leads the team with five complete games during the 2022 season.
Series History
The Blue Raiders hold an all-time 48-8 series lead against Tennessee State, including a current five-game winning streak, including two at home, over the Tigers. The Blue Raiders hold a 25-2 record against Tennessee State for games played at Blue Raider Softball Field, with their last win coming in their last meeting on March 11, 2020, which saw the Blue Raiders earn a 5-1 win against the Tigers.
Up Next
The Blue Raiders hit the road for the first time since the beginning of March as they open their C-USA road slate this weekend against Marshall on March 25-27 in Huntington, West Virginia. First pitch on Friday, March 25 and Saturday, March 26 is scheduled for 12 p.m. CT, while the series finale on Sunday, March 27 is set for 11 a.m. CT at Dot Hicks 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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