By Holly Weber, TTU Sports Information Coordinator
COOKEVILLE, Tenn.—The Tennessee Tech softball team (12-22, 3-7 OVC) continues their longest road stand of the season on Saturday-Sunday. The Golden Eagles will first travel to UT Martin (21-15, 6-4 OVC) for a doubleheader versus the Skyhawks at 12 p.m. and 2 p.m. on Saturday. Tech will then continue its journey to Southeast Missouri (11-17, 5-5 OVC) for another doubleheader at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. on Sunday.
UT Martin is currently on a three-game winning streak, most recently sweeping the series over OVC-opponent Austin Peay. The Skyhawks are led by junior outfielder Carly Gonzales and freshman Katie Warrick. On the season, Gonzales posts a .379 batting average with a .495 slugging percentage. She has drove in 19 RBI on the season and has accumulated one homerun, one triple, and seven doubles thus far this season. Warrick holds the third highest batting average (.361) on the team, but is by far the most efficient batter on the Skyhawk squad tallying a team-high 37 RBI on the season. Warrick maintains a .648 slugging percentage and is the team's most powerful hitter, already totaling nine homeruns and four doubles this year.
In the circle, Brooke Kennedy is UT Martin's go-to pitcher. The junior, Bath Springs, Tenn. native currently holds an 11-6 record this year and has saw action over 124 innings. Kennedy holds a 2.31 ERA on the season and has thrown 13 complete games, including one save and one shutout. She has tallied exactly 100 strikeouts this year while only walking 39.
Southeast Missouri is currently on a three-game losing streak recently dropping the series to SIU-Edwardsville. Sophomore Claire Wernig currently leads the Redhawks with a .368 batting average. On the season, Wernig has posted a .442 slugging percentage, tallying seven RBI with seven doubles and has been successful on 4-of-7 stolen base attempts. Southeast Missouri's power hitter can be found in seniors Savannah Carpenter and Haylee Krack. Carpenter holds the second-highest batting average (.314) and slugging percentage (.529) on the team. She has accumulated 17 RBI on the season with three homeruns and two doubles. Krack has the highest slugging percentage (.537) on the team, but maintains a .254 batting average on the season. She has notched 18 RBI this year with five homeruns and four doubles.
Sophomore Madeline Krumrey heads the Skyhawks from the circle with a 5-6 record on the season and a 2.94 ERA. Over her 81 innings pitched, she has thrown four complete games and one save. On the season, Krumrey has retired 51 batters at the dish while walking 33. Likely to also see action in the circle during the doubleheader is freshman Haley Thogmartin. Thogmartin serves as another go-to pitcher in the Redhawk lineup and holds a 6-7 record on the season with a 4.03 ERA. She has already pitched 57.1 innings on the season, which includes three complete games and one shutout. Thus far this year, Thogmartin has struck-out 29 batters, while walking 21.
After dropping the three-game series to Belmont, the Golden Eagles are hungry as ever to see victory. Tech is currently led by Alyssa Richards, leading the Golden Eagles with a .261 batting average and a .522 slugging percentage. This power hitter has already tallied 25 RBI on the season, notching seven homeruns and three doubles. Another key player on the Tech team is senior Sabrie Neeb. Neeb maintains the second-highest batting average (.260) and slugging percentage (.417) on the team. She has posted 16 RBI on the season with three homeruns and six doubles while being successful on 2-of-3 stolen base attempts.
Junior southpaw Danielle Liberatore continues to serve as the Golden Eagle's pivotal player in the circle. Liberatore leads Tech with a 7-11 record and 4.26 ERA. Over her 93.2 innings pitched, Liberatore has thrown eight complete games including two shutouts and one save. She has also retired 126 batters at the dish while only walking 53 so far this year.
You can follow the Golden Eagles online on the TTU Sports Facebook page, or on Twitter at @TTU_Softball and @TTUGoldenEagles.
