ETSU set to take on No. 6 Tennessee

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (Feb. 18, 2019) – The ETSU Softball team returns to Johnson City for its home opener on Tuesday when the Bucs host sixth-ranked Tennessee at Betty Basler Field. First pitch between the Bucs and Volunteers is set to begin at 6 p.m. 

TUESDAY OUTLOOK
Date: Tuesday, Feb. 19
Location: Johnson City, Tenn. | Betty Basler Field
Teams: ETSU (6-1-2) vs. No. 6 Tennessee (8-2)
Twitter Updates: @ETSUSoftball 

Wheeling and Dealing
Kelly Schmidt is off to a great start for the Bucs early on in the season, posting a 3-0 record with a team-best 2.04 ERA, 24 strikeouts and is holding opponents to a .239 batting average. Schmidt was recently tabbed as the Southern Conference Pitcher of the Week after finishing 2-0 with a 1.00 ERA at the Wingate by Wyndham Invitational in Charleston, S.C. Schmidt registered a career-high 11 strikeouts to jump start the tournament and finished with 17 punch outs in 14 innings of work. 

Steal at Will
ETSU has been the aggressor on the base paths through the first nine games, successfully stealing 16-of-18 bases. The Bucs lead the SoCon in stolen bases and attempts, while only being thrown out twice to rank second in the league. Kelly Warren paces the conference in stolen bases with six, while Lauren Lee is tied for second with five swipes on the season. 

Tennessee on a Tuesday
Tennessee enters the midweek contest with an 8-2 overall record, having dropped two of its last three games to No. 23 James Madison and No. 1 Florida State. The Volunteers are outscoring opponents 75-18 through the first 10 games. Chelsea Seggern leads the team with a .536 batting average, safely recording 15 hits and plating a team-best 14 runs. Ashley Rogers has proven to be the ace early on for the Volunteers, posting a 3-0 record with a 1.77 ERA. Tennessee has already punched out 91 batters in the first 10 games, 35 of which have come at the hands of Rogers.

The Bucs are winless against Tennessee in 18 attempts. The two competitors met last season in Knoxville, with Tennessee claiming the 11-3 victory. 

Keeping up with the Bucs
For complete information on ETSU softball, follow the program via social media on Twitter (@ETSUSoftball), Instagram (@etsubucssoftball) and Facebook (@BucSoftball). For more information on Buccaneer softball, visit ETSUBucs.com and click on the softball link.