By Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – As the Ohio Valley Conference schedule begins to draw to a close with the conference tournament just two weeks away in Peoria, Ill., the Tennessee Tech softball team can potentially clinch a spot this weekend as the Golden Eagles host SIUE on Saturday and Sunday.
But while there is business to take care of this weekend, it's also a moment to reflect on the careers of the Tech seniors as they will be honored Sunday during the team's Senior Day festivities as third baseman Carmen Betts, second baseman Mac Fitzgerald, outfielder Jordan Key, outfielder Brooklin Richardson, pitcher Lennon Spicer and catcher S.J. Talley will be recognized for their efforts in the Purple and Gold.
Betts, a native of Glen Allen, Va., has put together a tremendous season in 2024, batting .387 with 39 RBI, collecting 12 doubles, two triples and three home runs. In her career of 184 games and 182 starts, she has a .286 batting average with 74 runs scored, 150 hits – including 27 doubles, two triples and 11 home runs – and stands at the century mark for RBI, putting her ninth in the career top 10. Her fielding has been impeccable, posting a career .962 fielding percentage.
Fitzgerald, a Portland, Tenn., product, has had a great season with a .303 batting average with 47 hits, including five doubles and a home run. She currently is 31-for-31 on stolen bases this season, ranking fourth nationally in total steals and third in stolen bases per game. She trails only USC Upstate's Denver Lauer (37), Cal State-Fullerton's Megan Delgadillo (35) and Nevada's Chelie Senini (33) in the NCAA Division I chart. For her career, Fitzgerald has posted a .296 average with 155 total hits – including 22 doubles, four triples and nine homers – collecting 61 RBI. Her 77 career stolen bases ranks third all-time in program history, trailing Stacy Hughes' 131 and Melody Christian's 89. Her 113 runs scored stands just outside the program career top 10.
Key, a native of nearby Livingston, enters the weekend with a .288 average, collecting 23 hits and six RBI. She also has a flawless fielding percentage in the outfield this season. In her career, Key is batting .269 with 57 total hits, 16 RBI and 14 runs scored, while posting a .979 career fielding mark.
Richardson, from Maryville, has seen action in 10 games this season, primarily as a pinch-runner and has recorded two runs scored and a stolen base. In her career, Richardson is batting .221 with 17 runs scored and three RBI, collecting three stolen bases, while also marking a .947 fielding percentage.
Spicer, a Charlotte, Tenn., native, is in her first season with the Golden Eagles after a stint at Morehead State. This season, Spicer has collected four victories, striking out 41 batters.
Talley, from Carbondale, Ill., has batted .208 this season, collecting 11 hits – including three doubles and a home run – with nine RBI, three stolen bases and six runs scored. In her career, she has a .241 batting average with 67 total hits – including 19 doubles and eight home runs – with 46 total RBI, four stolen bases and 34 runs scored.
As for the conference standings, the Golden Eagles (19-21, 9-12 OVC) currently stand in seventh with six games remaining. Tech is two games up on SIUE (15-30, 7-14 OVC), four games up on Morehead State (11-23, 5-16 OVC) and five games up on Western Illinois (14-29, 4-17 OVC). If Tech wins two games this weekend against SIUE, they will secure head-to-head tiebreakers against both the Cougars and Morehead State, while the Leathernecks will be out of reach.
After collecting a victory to close out the series vs. conference leader Eastern Illinois on Sunday, the Golden Eagles fell in a hard-fought 5-2 contest at Austin Peay on Wednesday night as Tech collected hits, but couldn't string them together to veto the Governors.
SIUE, meanwhile, has dropped three straight games. The Cougars beat Southern Indiana 2-1 in a 16-inning game to open the series, but the Screaming Eagles took games two and three, then SIUE dropped a 4-3 decision at Saint Louis on Wednesday night.
As a team, the Cougars are batting .272 with 77 extra-base hits – 60 doubles, five triples and 12 home runs – drawing 101 walks and striking out 170 times. Grace Lueke (.301) leads the team in power production with 26 RBI and four home runs, while Paige Rocha has been a hitting machine for SIUE, collecting 66 hits – 19 doubles, two triples and two home runs – for a .405 average with 36 runs scored.
In the circle, the Cougars are posting a 3.75 ERA with 87 total walks and 188 strikeouts. Sydney Baalman (4-14, 3.53 ERA) leads the team in innings pitched and appearances, walking 35 and striking out 79. Kelsey Ray has a 7-8 record over 102 innings of work with 26 walks and 61 strikeouts.
Tech, as a team, is batting .285 with 76 extra-base hits – 61 doubles, two triples and 13 home runs – drawing 117 walks and striking out 135 times. The Golden Eagles have also stolen 83 bases on 96 attempts, bolstered by Fitzgerald and Abby Shoulders' effort with the duo combining for 52 steals on 55 tries.
In addition to Betts' team-leading offensive numbers, Sydney Kirby has been on a tear, hitting .304 on the season with 29 RBI and 10 runs scored.
Over in the circle, the Tech staff has a 3.73 ERA, walking 106 and striking out 157. Emily York (2.13 ERA) and Peyton Wagner (2.22 ERA) both have identical 7-4 records.
First pitch on both days is scheduled for 12:05 p.m. and all three contests will be streamed on ESPN+ (subscription required) with Dylan Vazzano on the call.
