ETSU looks to improve its seeding for next week’s conference tournament

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (May 6, 2016) – The ETSU softball team will head out on the road for the final time in the regular season this weekend as it takes on Chattanooga for a three-game series. The series will begin at 6 p.m. Saturday and will wrap up with a doubleheader Sunday, which begins at 1 p.m.

Bullets on the Bucs

• The Bucs dropped their home finale Tuesday to Virginia Tech, 2-0. ETSU held the Hokies to no hits in the first six innings but VT broke through to score two in the top of the seventh to seal the victory.
• Sophomore Cassi Pickett (Chattanooga, Tenn.) has been ETSU’s hottest hitter as of late. Pickett holds a .400 batting average with four runs scored and two home runs over the last 10 games. The Chattanooga, Tenn. native has also been one of the team’s most patient hitters drawing a team-high 18 walks this season.
• ETSU has averaged 1.16 home runs per game this season, which is the highest in program history. The Bucs, who have hit 43 long balls in 37 games in 2016, need to hit just one more home run to tie the team record for long balls in a season. The record was set in 2014 when ETSU blasted 44 home runs in 52 games.

Bucs by the numbers

.366 – Taylor Carter (Brazil, Ind.) has been ETSU’s top hitter in road games this season with a .366 batting average in 13 games. Carter also leads the team in home runs (4), RBI (14) and doubles (5) on the road.  

6 – ETSU has a record of 6-7 in true road games this season, which is the team’s most victories away from home since it posted eight in 2010.   

16-6 – When the Bucs have scored three runs or more they are 16-6 this season. On the flip side, when ETSU is held below three runs it holds a record of 2-13.   

Scouting the Opponent

Chattanooga: Chattanooga enters the series against ETSU with a 27-25 record overall after dropping three straight last weekend to UNCG. Offensively, Chattanooga has a deep lineup with five hitters that have batting averages over the .300 mark. Criket Blanco is one of those .300 hitters (.329) and also paces the team with seven home runs and 35 RBI.

Much like their offense, the Mocs have a balanced pitching staff. Chattanooga has three pitchers that have logged over 91 innings this spring, including Cori Jennings who leads the staff in wins (13), ERA (3.55), innings pitched (138) and strikeouts (102).

Series History vs. Opponent

The Bucs and Mocs have met a total of 23 times over the years. Chattanooga holds the lead in the series 20-3 over ETSU with the Bucs’ last victory coming in 2003.

Following options for this weekend

The three-game set against Chattanooga will have both video and live stats available and the links can be found on the Bucs’ schedule page. Fans can also follow @ETSUSoftball on Twitter for in-game updates.

FOLLOW THE BUCS

• Receive live game updates and behind-the-scenes access of ETSU Softball by following @ETSUSoftball on Twitter or ETSU Softball on Facebook
• ETSU fans wanting to receive Buccaneer news, score updates, in-game promotions and much more sent to their mobile device can do so by signing up for “Buc Updates.” Click hereto sign up today!