JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (March 25, 2008) - The ETSU softball team begins a six-game homestand this Wednesday afternoon when the Lady Buccaneers host Presbyterian College on Student-Athlete Day. First pitch of the doubleheader is scheduled for 4 p.m. at Metro-Kiwanis Park.

The Softball Bucs are coming off a split with USC Upstate on Monday night. After being shutout in game one, ETSU's offense surged for four runs in the fifth and five more in the sixth en route to a 13-6 victory in the nightcap. With the split, ETSU has made it five wins in its last six games, and currently sit 14-18, 3-3 in the Atlantic Sun Conference.

Sophomore's Marissa Hardy (Rocklin, Calif.) and Katy Jett (Talbott, Tenn.) enjoyed career games on Monday night. Hardy became the ninth Lady Buccaneer player of all-time to record four hits in a single game, and Jett drove in a career-best five runs (sixth game with two or more RBIs this season). Jett has hit safely in seven of her last eight games and moved her batting average up 30 points to a team-leading .344. Along with Jett's hot bat, Hardy has raised her average from .138 to .306 over the last seven games. While Jett and Hardy have been a force to be reckoned with at the plate, freshman Ashley Boyd (Chattanooga, Tenn.) has given the team a boost in the circle. Boyd has won back-to-back starts for the first time in her career and has a 2.50 ERA (5 ER/14.0 IP) with 13 strikeouts in her last two starts.

Presbyterian is currently 9-18 on the year; however, they are still looking for their first true road victory as an NCAA Division I institution. PC is 2-3 in neutral site contests. The Blue Hose are coming off a doubleheader split with future Big South Conference rival Charleston Southern last Saturday at the PC Softball Complex. Presbyterian picked up an 8-6 win over CSU in game one before falling 9-7 in game two.

Katie Anderson led the Blue Hose last week, hitting a team-best .412 (7-for-17). She had a team-best five RBIs on the week and she scored two runs. She also had two home runs over the course of PC's six games last week. Overall, Rachel Parker is leading the Blue Hose this year with a .368 batting average. Parker leads the club with 16 RBIs and seven home runs. She is tied for the team lead in total hits with 28.

The ETSU Department of Athletics will be celebrating Student-Athlete Day with a cookout for all the Buccaneer athletes in between games of the doubleheader. 

For more information on Lady Buccaneer softball, visit www.ETSUBucs.com.