COOKEVILLE, Tenn. -- The Golden Eagle softball team is looking to bounce back from a tough weekend in Illinois. Tech will only travel a short distance to Nashville to face-off against Tennessee State. The three-game series will take place Saturday and Sunday. Tech will play a single game Saturday at 4 p.m. and a doubleheader Sunday, times to be determined. 

The Golden Eagles are looking to reverse a five-game losing streak after taking four tough conference loses in Illinois against EIU and SIUE. Tech currently sits seventh in the OVC standings as the Tournament lies just two short weeks away.

Melody Christian leads the Golden Eagle bats with a .372 average. The senior has collected 55 hits this season, fifth in the conference. She is currently riding an 11-game hitting streak, tying the streak she opened the 2013 season with. Christian is three-steals away from the third most steals in a season.

Tech continues to rely on its veteran players. Kendall Hooper popped her fourth home run last weekend at EIU, and is batting a second best .278 against conference opponents.

Claudia Harke (5-9) and Taylor Ketchum (13-10) continue to split time in the circle, but Erica Tuck has seen significant time in Tech's past few outings. In her past five appearances, Tuck has not given up a run, holding opponents to nine hits.

All-Time Series
Tech vs.
Tennessee State: 51-11, Tech has a commanding lead over the Tigers, but has not swept a series since 2007. The teams paired off two different times that year, in a doubleheader in March and a single game in April. Tech won 14-0, 6-0 and 11-0. Last season the Golden Eagles took the series 2-1, winning 5-3 and 4-0 but dropped the second game of the doubleheader 4-1.

Quick Hits

• Tech is 19-25 overall this season and 8-10 in the OVC. 
• Tech has won both OVC Series it's played in, and split two doubleheaders. The Golden Eagles were swept by Murray State, SIUE and EIU in each doubleheader.
• As a team, Tech is hitting .258, posting 167 runs scored, 139 RBI and a .327 on-base percentage through 44 games. The Golden Eagles average 3.80 earned runs per game.
• The Golden Eagle pitching staff combines for a 3.38 conference ERA allowing 44 earned runs in 117.0 innings pitched in the OVC.
• Five Golden Eagles have combined for 19 home runs this season. [Hooper (4), Bennett (3), Sakamoto, (3), B. Spalding (3). Eldridge (2), C. Spalding (2), Gibbs, Taylor].
• Hannah Eldridge and Kendall Hooper have each had six multiple-RBI games.
• Senior Melody Christian opened the season on a tear, connecting for at least one hit in each of her first 11 games of the season and currently sits on another 11 game streak.
• Two players have scored 20+ runs for the Golden Eagles, including Christian, with a team-high 28 runs and is the team's stolen bases leader.
• Christian is third in the OVC with 21 stolen bases on 24 attempts.
• Five Golden Eagles have recorded triples, including newcomer Chelsea Burgess.
• Ketchum was named adidas® Ohio Valley Conference Pitcher of the Week (Feb. 11). Ketchum gave up just two hits in 10 innings of work.
• In a trip to the sunshine state, Tech ended the Under Armour Showcase 3-2, with key wins over Maine, LIU Brooklyn and Providence. 
• The Golden Eagles finished the Eagle Round Robin hosted by Georgia Southern in February with a 2-2 record. The weekend was highlighted by a 3-1 victory over Akron as sophomore Taylor Ketchum threw a one-hitter Feb. 10.
• First year head coach Bonnie Bynum picked up her first win at Tennessee Tech after the team downed St. John's, 4-3, on Feb. 9.  The Golden Eagles defeated St. John's thanks to a walk-off single by senior Chanelle Spalding, marking the first win against the Red Storm in program history and the first victory of the 2013 season.