Bucs to travel to Cookeville for showdown with Golden Eagles

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. (March 15, 2019) – The ETSU Bucs softball team will hit the road this weekend for a single-day, doubleheader against Tennessee Tech on Saturday, March 16. The twin bill will be played at the Tech Softball Field in Cookeville, Tenn. with a start time of 2 p.m. (EST). The two squads were set to square off this past weekend at the Buccaneer Classic before rain washed the showdown away.

WEEKEND OUTLOOK
Date: Saturday, March 16
Location: Cookeville, Tenn. | Tech Softball Field
Teams: ETSU (12-9-2) at Tennessee Tech (9-8)
Weather: High: 50 Low: 30; Mostly sunny
Live Stats: Game 1 | Game 2
Twitter Updates: @ETSUSoftball

Buc Up to the Bucs
ETSU enters the weekend after coming off a 2-2 record in its home-opening tournament, the Buccaneer Classic. The Bucs were led by Nikki Grupp (Jacksonville, Fla.) who batted 9-of-14 in the four games, running her season total to a team-high .370 average with seven home runs and 28 RBIs. Grupp’s 28 RBIs rank first in the league, while her 27 hits sit second in the Southern Conference. Malloree Schurr (Montgomery, Texas) ranks second on the team in batting (.342) and has tallied 25 RBIs, proving to be a dominate 1-2 punch for the Bucs alongside Grupp. The Bucs are led in the circle by Kelly Schmidt (Norcross, Ga.) and Taylor Boling (Jasper, Ga.), combining for a 9-7 record. Schmidt is 4-5 on the season with a team-best 3.47 ERA, while Boling has tallied five wins on the season with a 4.07 ERA.

As a team, the Bucs lead the SoCon in runs per game (6.5), stolen bases per game (1.55) and fielding percentage with a .969 mark. ETSU is batting .294 on the campaign, ranking second in the league.

Getting to Know the Golden Eagles
Tennessee Tech is now 9-8 on the season, having recently defeated Evansville on March 12 by the final score of 7-0 to snap a three-game losing skid. The Golden Eagles are led by Beth McCulley at the dish with a .375 batting average. Sydney Love-Baker is the power hitter at the plate, blasting five home runs and driving in 10 runs. Gabby LaSala (13), Love-Baker (10) and Raleigh Lewis (10) have each eclipsed the double-digit RBI count for the Golden Eagles. Alyssa Arden is the leading pitcher for Tennessee Tech, posting a 5-3 record with a 2.78 ERA and 42 punch outs.

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.

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.