ETSU set for home opener on Friday

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (March 7, 2019) – The ETSU Softball team will open its home schedule on Friday, March 8 at 1:15 p.m. when the Bucs take on Rutgers. ETSU will host the Buccaneer classic this weekend, beginning with a neutral showdown between Tennessee Tech and Rutgers at 11 a.m. on Friday. The Bucs will play a total of five games during the classic, including two on Friday. 

TOURNAMENT OUTLOOK
Date: Friday, March 8 – Monday, March 11
Location: Johnson City, Tenn. | Betty Basler Field
Teams: ETSU (10-7-2), Rutgers (10-9), Tennessee Tech (8-5), Siena (3-7), Evansville (7-8)
Live Stats: Live stats are available here
Twitter Updates: @ETSUSoftball 

Buc Up to the Bucs
ETSU leads the Southern Conference in runs per game, averaging 6.63 per game, while ranking 22^nd in the NCAA. The Bucs are led in batting by Malloree Schurr (Montgomery, Texas) with a .349 average and a SoCon-best 25 RBIs and four triples. Kelly Warren (Mechanicsville, Va.) is not far behind Schurr in batting, posting a .344 average. Warren leads the SoCon in runs per game (1.22) and leads the team in total runs (22) and stolen bases (10). Schurr and Nikki Grupp (Jacksonville, Fla.) have combined for 49 of the team’s 114 RBIs on the season, with Grupp plating 24 runs and posting a team-best six home runs. 

Ready for Rutgers
Rutgers is 10-9 on the season heading into the weekend tournament, having won four consecutive games, including three at the Liberty Softball Classic in Lynchburg, Va. The Scarlet Knights are 8-5 when playing neutral-site contests. Jess Hughes leads the squad in batting with a .397 average (25-of-63), while Anyssa Iliopoulos paces the run production with a team-high 23 RBIs and four home runs. Corah Price and Whitney Jones seem to be the go-to pitchers in the circle, combining for 10-8 on the season. Price is 4-3 on the campaign with a 3.05 ERA and 43 strikeouts. 

ETSU is 1-0 all-time against Rutgers, having won the only meeting on Feb. 27, 2010 by the final score of 5-0 on a neutral field. 

Getting to Know the Golden Eagles
Tennessee Tech is 8-5 on the season, entering the weekend tournament on a five-game winning streak. The Golden Eagles are 5-3 in neutral games and 8-5 when playing away from Cookeville, Tenn. Tennessee Tech is fresh off a doubleheader victory over North Alabama on Tuesday, defeating the Lions 3-2 in game one and 5-1 in game two. Beth McCulley is batting .364 on the season, while Raleigh Lewis (8) and Gabby LaSala (10) pace the way in runs batted in. 

ETSU is 8-18 all-time against the Golden Eagles, having won the previous two meetings against Tennessee Tech on March 18, 2017. The Bucs claimed the doubleheader by a combined 10-5. 

So What About the Saints?
Siena enters the Buccaneer Classic on a bit of a slide, having dropped four of its last five contests to fall to 3-7 on the campaign. Each of the previous four losses for Siena have come via the run rule. Through the first 10 games, Madysen Cossack has been the go-to leader at the plate with a .467 batting average and a team-high nine RBIs. Maddie McMahon has started six of the 10 games in the circle, posting a 3-3 record with a 4.45 ERA and 22 strikeouts in 30.1 innings pitched. 

The Bucs are 6-1 all-time against Siena, winning the first six showdowns before dropping a 3-2 decision to the Saints on March 6, 2016 at home. All seven meetings have been at Betty Basler Field with the Bucs outscoring Siena 52-21 in the all-time series. 

Everything about Evansville
Evansville is the fourth and final opponent this weekend for the Bucs, arriving in Johnson City with a 7-8 overall record. The Purple Aces finished 1-2 at the Samford Tournament, defeating the Bulldogs 4-3 to conclude the tournament. Katie McLean leads the team with a .489 batting average, safely recording 22 hits in 45 appearances at the plate. Eryn Gould leads Evansville in home runs (4) and runs batted in (11). 

ETSU and Evansville have met just once on the diamond with the game going in favor of the Purple Aces by the final score of 3-0 on Feb. 19, 2016. 

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.