By Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – As the 2023 Tennessee Tech softball slate starts to round into the home stretch with 11 remaining games in the regular season, the Golden Eagles will host their final non-conference foes on Tuesday as East Tennessee State comes into town for a doubleheader.
First pitch is scheduled for a 3 p.m. start. All games at Tech Softball Field are free to the public.
The Buccaneers out of Johnson City come into the twinbill with an 11-29 record overall, 4-8 in the Southern Conference. After run-ruling Chattanooga 9-0 in the first game, ETSU dropped back-to-back games to the Mocs, falling 6-1 and 8-4.
Under the direction of interim head coach Cheryl Milligan, who took the helm in December, the Buccaneers, against Ohio Valley Conference opponents, split a doubleheader against Morehead State, winning 6-3 and falling 7-2, while taking two of three against Eastern Illinois, winning 3-1 and 3-0 after losing the opener 5-2.
ETSU's offense is driven by Sara Muir, who is batting .342 on the season with a team-best 26 RBI and nine home runs to go along with 16 runs scored. Kemiah Michel has been a big recipient of those timely hits, coming across the plate a team-best 23 times.
Cameron Young (.352, 13 RBI) leads the team in average, while Rile Nayadley (.286) also has 16 RBI.
As a team, ETSU is batting .254 with 17 home runs and 101 RBI, but has been outscored 211-114.
In the circle, the Bucs have a team ERA of 6.36 with eight different pitchers seeing action over the campaign, walking 158 and striking out 173. Brianna Bailey has the team's best pitching stats, collecting an 8-8 record in 25 appearances, walking 77 and striking out 100 with a 4.35 ERA.
The Golden Eagles, meanwhile, are still trying to find ways to shake it current losing streak – now stretching to 17 games. Tech saw a close 3-2 decision fall to the way of Eastern Illinois on Saturday among the three-game sweep. The last Golden Eagle victory came on March 14 as Tech swept Western Illinois.
Tech enters the game with a 3-37 record, 0-15 in the Ohio Valley. As a team, the Golden Eagles are batting .235 with 97 RBI and have been outscored 349-108. In the circle, the staff ERA is at 8.82 with 220 walks to 94 strikeouts.
Haeli Bryson retook the team lead in batting average during the Eastern Illinois series, posting a .298 average on the season with a team-best 22 RBI and 15 runs scored. Middle Tennessee transfer Abby Shoulders is just a percentage point lower at .297 with eight RBI and a team-best 21 runs scored and eight stolen bases.
Carmen Betts (.253, 15 RBI) and Nicolle Nysted (.250, 10 RBI) both have driven in double-digit run tallies, while Makayli Harris has three of Tech's 11 home runs on the season.
In the circle, Callie Piper (7.85, 2-15) has two of Tech's three wins, while Kaylan Cole (9.88, 1-12) has the other. Gracelyn Woollen's (8.12, 0-10) numbers, like Piper and Cole, have also seen positive improvement in conference play with the staff posting a 7.40 ERA with 77 walks to 41 strikeouts.
The Golden Eagles will return to OVC action this weekend as they travel to SIUE for a three-game set. Tech will then come back to Cookeville next weekend for the regular-season home finale series against Tennessee State.
Photo | Jim Dillon
