Blue Raiders set for midweek matchup at Georgia Tech

Tuesday, March 8

Atlanta, GA

2:00 PM

Middle Tennessee

Georgia Tech

3/7/2022 5:27:00 PM | Softball

By: Jonathan Caudle, MT Athletic Communications

ATLANTA, Ga. – Middle Tennessee Softball (9-12) continues its road trip this week as the Blue Raiders head to Atlanta, Georgia on Tuesday for a midweek matchup against Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. First pitch is scheduled at 2 p.m. CT at Shirley Clements Mewborn Field.

The Blue Raiders contest against Georgia Tech will be broadcast on ACC Network Extra and will also be available through live stats.

Quick Hits

The Blue Raiders had their best weekend so far of the 2022 season in Florida, winning four-straight contests to finish the Spring Games 4-2. The Blue Raiders opened the weekend falling in a pair of one-run contests against UAlbany, 3-2, and Georgetown, 8-7, however, the Blue Raiders really turned things on over the final two days of the Spring Games, winning four-straight contests against Central Michigan, 7-5, LIU, 5-4, Radford, 6-3, and Georgia Southern, 9-8.
Freshman Anyce Harvey had an unbelievable weekend in Florida. Harvey batted a .500 (11-for-22) on the weekend and posted an incredible .909 slugging percentage, as well as a .522 on-base percentage, over the Blue Raiders' six contests. Harvey recorded 11 hits, including seven doubles and one triple, while driving in 14 RBIs and scoring five runs. She also went a perfect 2-for-2 on the weekend on stolen bases.
Harvey knocked in the game-winning RBIs during the Blue Raiders wins over Central Michigan and Georgia Southern.
Sophomore Amaya Harris connected on her second career home run against Murray State on February 26.
Senior Kailey Ahlstrom went 2-0 on the weekend, pitching 5.1 innings in relief and a 2.62 ERA. Ahlstrom allowed just four runs on eight hits and fanned four batters in her two appearances.
Head coach Jeff Breeden is in his 10^th season as the head coach at Middle Tennessee with a 195-279 record over his decade-long career.
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.

Last Time Out: The Spring Games
The Blue Raiders had their best weekend so far of the 2022 season in Florida, winning four-straight contests to finish the Spring Games 4-2. The Blue Raiders opened the weekend falling in a pair of one-run contests against UAlbany, 3-2, and Georgetown, 8-7, however, the Blue Raiders really turned things on over the final two days of the Spring Games, winning four-straight contests against Central Michigan, 7-5, LIU, 5-4, Radford, 6-3, and Georgia Southern, 9-8.

The Blue Raiders
The Blue Raiders are fresh off a 4-2 weekend at the Spring Games, which saw Middle Tennessee produce its best offensive performance of the season so far.

Harvey leads the Blue Raiders this season, batting a .417 (15-for-36) and posting an incredible .722 slugging percentage, as well as a .447 on-base percentage over 11 games this season. Harvey ranks third on the Blue Raiders with 15 hits, including nine doubles and a triple, while driving in a team-high 19 RBIs and scoring six runs. She also is a perfect 3-for-3 on stolen bases this season.

Senior Corrina Dodd leads the Blue Raiders this season with a 4-3 record over seven appearances, including five complete games, including one complete game shutout. Dodd boasts a 2.95 ERA over 42.2 innings of work, and she's only allowed 18 runs on 34 hits, and has struck out a team-high 30 batters, including a season-high and tying her career-high of eight batters against Radford.

Series History
Georgia Tech holds the all-time series lead over the Blue Raiders, 3-2. The Yellow Jackets have won the last three matchups between the two programs, dating all the way back to March 4, 2007. In their last meeting, Georgia Tech earned a 10-1 victory over the Blue Raiders at Blue Raider Softball Field on March 26, 2021. The series remains even, 1-1, for games hosted by Georgia Tech in Atlanta. Coach Breeden is 0-1 all-time against Georgia Tech.

Scouting the Yellow Jackets
Georgia Tech is in its fifth season under head coach Aileen Morales, who has led the Yellowjackets to a 106-95 record over her half a decade in Atlanta.

The Yellow Jackets are just coming off their ACC opening-weekend, which saw Georgia Tech host No. 13 Duke. Georgia Tech fell in all three contests against the Blue Devils, falling in a 9-1 five-inning run rule to open the series, losing 10-3 in their second matchup, and then dropping a 3-1 battle in the series finale.

Graduate student Tricia Awald paces the Yellow Jackets' offense, batting .423, with 22 hits, including seven doubles, a triple, and two home runs, and driving in 16 RBIs so far this season. The Yellow Jackets have also found a ton of success on the mound this season, posting a 2.42 ERA as a staff. Blake Neleman has already thrown 66.2 innings this season, striking out 89 batters and notching a 9-3 record with a 1.79 ERA. Teammate Chandler Dennis is 3-2 on the season with a 1.84 ERA, with 38 innings of work and 38 strikeouts.

Up Next
The Blue Raiders return home this weekend as they host their MTSU Invitational on March 11-13 at Blue Raider Softball Field.

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