By Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – It's been a pretty good while since the Tennessee Tech softball team has opened its home slate in February. But with the start the Golden Eagles have had to open the 2022 campaign, why not put on a show for the home fans?
The Tech squad will take on Northern Iowa at 3 p.m., weather permitting, in what will be the Golden Eagles' first February home game since the 2006 season. Admission is free to the public.
The Golden Eagles have seen Northern Iowa before, posting a 1-6 record against the Panthers. The last meeting with UNI came in 2017, falling in a pair of games at Stillwater, Okla., 5-1 and 6-3.
The Panthers are coming off an open week after hosting the Doc Halverson Uni-Dome Classic, going 2-3 on the weekend with a 2-1 win over Nebraska and a 6-4 win over Omaha. UNI dropped a pair of games to South Dakota State and its tournament finale against Iowa State.
Mya Dodge led the Panthers on the weekend, driving in five runs and collecting 13 total bases as she batted .412. Among her seven hits were a double, a triple and a home run, while also stealing a base in her only attempt. Taylor Hogan has also driven in three runs with a home run, while Madison Parks, Emmy Wells and Kamryn Shaffer each have two RBI.
In the circle, Samantha Heyer has walked three and struck out 11 en route to a 1.91 earned run average across 11 frames, but is searching for her first victory of the season. Opponents are hitting .229 against her. Kailyn Packard has the most innings worked with 12, posting a 2.33 ERA with six walks and 12 Ks. Opponents are hitting .277 with 13 hits against her.
Tech is coming into the home opener with a 7-3 record. The Golden Eagles finished 3-2 last weekend at the Chattanooga Challenge with a five-inning 16-2 win over Purdue Fort Wayne and a 5-0 victory over Northwestern State before topping host Chattanooga 4-1. Indiana State and Radford claimed a pair of one-run wins over the Golden Eagles, the latter a two-run walk-off home run.
Mackenzie Fitzgerald had a strong week on offense, posting a .579 average for the tournament and taking over the team batting average lead for the season with a .486 mark. She went 3-for-4 twice during the weekend, collecting four of her five RBI against Purdue Fort Wayne, while stealing four bases and coming home to score nine times. She leads the Golden Eagles in hits with 16.
Haeli Bryson leads Tech in RBI with 16 after the first two weeks to go along with her .345 batting average, collecting 10 hits, including a triple and two home runs. Carmen Betts, who had 10 RBI all of last season, has surpassed that total in the opening weekends, collecting 11 through the first 10 games to go along with her .345 average and five runs scored.
Bryson has also seen success in the circle, throwing 20 1/3 innings and collecting a 2-0 record with a 1.72 ERA, walking five and striking out 22. Alyssa Arden has seen the most work, throwing 25 innings and posting a 1.12 ERA with four walks and 18 Ks. Opponents are hitting .126 against Arden and .203 against Bryson.
