Middle Tennessee travels to Lone Star State this weekend to face UTEP

Saturday, April 23

El Paso, TX

4:00 PM

Middle Tennessee

UTEP

4/21/2022 11:03:00 AM | Softball

By: Jonathan Caudle, MT Athletic Communications

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – Middle Tennessee Softball (18-26, 5-10 C-USA) hits the road to the Lone Star State this weekend as the Blue Raiders head to El Paso to take on the UTEP Miners on April 22-24 at Helen of Troy Softball Complex. First pitch in all three contests will be at 7 p.m. CT, 4 p.m. CT, and 1 p.m. CT, respectively.

All three contests will be broadcast on CUSA.TV (Friday, Saturday, Sunday) and live stats will also be available.

Quick Hits

The Blue Raiders competed in their final midweek matchup of the season on Wednesday, falling 4-0 against the Belmont Bruins.
During the Blue Raiders last C-USA series against the 49ers, sophomore Jaya Herring had a career day in the Blue Raiders' series finale against Charlotte. Herring went 2-for-3 at the plate, connecting on her first career double and tied her career-high of two runs.
Sophomore Danielle Taitt also had an incredible performance in the Blue Raiders series finale against the 49ers this past Saturday, pitching her first-career complete game against the Charlotte 49ers, while also tying her career-high with two strikeouts in the Blue Raiders' 3-2 win.
Freshman Laura Mealer had a phenomenal performance in the Blue Raiders' series opener against Charlotte, batting a perfect 4-for-4 and connecting on her ninth home run of the season. She also recorded two runs and pushed across an RBI.
Blue Raider head coach Jeff Breeden boasts an all-time record of 208-294 and won his 200th career game as a head coach earlier this season against UT Martin during the Blue Raiders' MTSU Invitational on March 10. Coach Breeden is currently in his 10th season as the head coach of the Blue Raiders.
Prior to the season, senior Corrina Dodd and junior Kelci Hill were named to the preseason C-USA All-Conference Team on Tuesday, February 8.

Blue Raiders
Middle Tennessee enters this weekend's clash with the Miners 18-26 overall and 5-10 in C-USA play. The Blue Raiders most recently fell against the Belmont Bruins on Wednesday, dropping a 4-0 battle.

Freshman Laura Mealer and sophomore Amaya Harris have led the Blue Raiders during the 2022 campaign. Mealer leads the Blue Raiders at the plate, batting a .346 and slugging a .624. She has connected on a team-best 46 hits this season, including a team-best nine home runs, two triples, and is tied for second on the Blue Raiders with six doubles. Mealer has scored a team-leading 29 runs and knocked in a team second-best 26 RBIs in 44 games this season. Harris has batted a team second-best .336 and slugged a .414 through 44 games. She has knocked a team second-best 43 hits, tying for second in home runs with two and tying for fourth on the team with four doubles.

In the circle, the Blue Raiders have been led by seniors Corrina Dodd and Gretchen Mead. Dodd boasts a team-leading 2.76 ERA and holds a team-best 6-4 record in 14 appearances this season. Mead boasts a 3.83 ERA and has posted a 4-7 record in 21 appearances for the Blue Raiders. Mead has thrown a team-leading 71.1 innings, while Dodd has pitched 71.0 innings. Dodd has allowed 29 runs, 28 of which were earned, on 52 hits, while Mead has allowed 43 runs, 39 of which were earned, on 74 hits during the 2022 campaign.

Scouting the Miners
UTEP is in its third season under head coach T.J. Hubbard, who has led the Miners to a 28-71 record over his three seasons in El Paso. The Miners enter this weekend's series with a 12-28 overall record and a 2-13 mark in C-USA play.

The Miners are led by Lexi Morales and Pate Cathey. Morales leads the Miners with a .300 batting average and has hit a team-high 33 hits this season, tying for second on the team with six doubles and three home runs. Morales leads UTEP in runs scored with 19 this season. Cathey is second on the team, batting a .271, and connecting on a team second-best 32 hits, including a team-high eight doubles and four home runs. She leads the Miners in RBIs with 23 and ranks second on the team in runs scored with 15 this season.

In the circle, the Miners have been led by Aalijah Alarcon. Alarcon boasts a 5.20 ERA and holds a 7-13 record over 26 appearances this season. She has pitched 99.2 innings and as allowed 88 runs, including 74 earned runs, on 88 hits. She has pitched eight complete games this season, including one complete-game shutout against Incarnate Word.

Series History
The Blue Raiders trail in the all-time series against UTEP, 6-10. Middle Tennessee has won the last four meetings between the two programs, including the last meeting between the two programs, which came during the first round of the 2019 C-USA Tournament which the Blue Raiders earned a 4-3 win in Birmingham, Alabama.

Up Next
The Blue Raiders return to the 'Boro next weekend as they host the LA Tech Lady Techsters for their final home series of the regular season on April 20 – May 1. First pitch on Friday is set for 6 p.m. CT 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).