By Dylan Vazzano, TTU Sports Information Coordinator

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Tech softball team wraps up what has been a successful 2013 fall slate on Friday, as the Golden Eagles travel to Knoxville to square off against the defending College World Series runner-up in the University of Tennessee. First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. CDT.

Tech will enter the matchup with a perfect 6-0 mark throughout the fall, thanks in large part to the play of its incoming freshmen. Among the group of eight, second-year head coach Bonnie Bynum is enthusiastic about the performances of utility player Alyssa Richards, infielder Gabby Perez, and pitcher Danielle Liberatore.

“From our freshmen, Alyssa has been hitting the ball real well, Gabby has stepped up at shortstop and done a great job, and Danielle threw quite a few innings during the fall and I think she will be somebody to look for some big things from going forward,” Bynum said. “Ultimately, the fall has really been a good learning lesson for us, especially having as many freshmen as we do.”

As far as Bynum’s group of returnees is concerned, senior catcher Kendall Hooper, junior outfielder Angi Sakamoto, and sophomore outfielder Olivia Bennett stood out during the stretch of six games.

“Kendall has done a good job hitting for us, and Angie and Olivia both had great falls,” Bynum remarked. “I’m looking for all three of those to have quite a bit of playing time in the spring.”

With just one tilt remaining in the fall, the outlook is promising heading into the spring, especially with the Golden Eagles' resilient attitude throughout the course of recent action.

“There were times where we had some tough days, but we always found a way to push through those bad days and really work as a team,” Bynum said. “When we haven’t had the results from practice that we wanted, I thought we did a great job of bouncing back and focusing even harder the next day.”   

Friday’s game in Knoxville is free of charge.