ETSU to kick off SoCon Tournament with Mercer

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (May 7, 2019) – The ETSU Softball squad is geared up and ready for the 2019 Southern Conference Tournament at Frost Stadium in Chattanooga, Tenn. The fifth-seeded Bucs will begin the tournament on Wednesday, May 8 at 10 a.m. in the first game of the week when they square off with No. 4 seed Mercer. The winner of game one will take on top-seeded UNCG on Thursday at noon, while the loser will play in the final game of day two at 8 p.m. against the loser of game six.  

For the complete tournament bracket, click here.

SoCon Tournament’s Needs to Know
The 2019 SoCon Tournament will be hosted by Chattanooga at Frost Stadium from Wednesday, May 8 – Saturday, May 11. Fans can purchase an all-session pass for $20 for adults and $15 for youth (3-12). Singles-session passes can be purchased for $10 (adult), $5 (youth 3-12), $5 for a group (10+ in a group) and $5 for any faculty/staff. Students of Southern Conference schools can get in free with a valid student ID.

TOURNAMENT OUTLOOK
Date: Wednesday, May 8 – Saturday, May 11
Location: Chattanooga, Tenn. / Frost Stadium
Teams: No. 5 ETSU (20-25-2, 6-11) vs. No. 4 Mercer (25-27, 10-7)
Live Stats: click here
Live Video: click here
Twitter Updates: @ETSUSoftball

Battling the Buccaneers
ETSU was led at the plate all season by Nikki Grupp (Jacksonville, Fla.) with a .326 average with 46 base hits, 21 of which were extra-base knocks. Grupp finished the regular season second in the SoCon in doubles (10) and fourth in home runs (11), while leading the league in RBIs (43). Kelly Warren (Mechanicsville, Va.) concluded the regular-season campaign with a .321 average with a team-high 51 hits. Warren also swiped 18 of 22 bags in the regular season. Julia Fritz (Glen Allen, Va.) also turned in a strong sophomore campaign, batting .333 in 39 at bats with two homers and seven runs batted in. Fritz also made four appearances in the circle, throwing six and two-thirds innings, picking up her first collegiate save against UNCG on May 3.

Kelly Schmidt (Norcross, Ga.) leads the Bucs in both wins (8) and ERA (4.14), while Taylor Boling (Jasper, Ga.) is second on the team with seven wins and a 4.45 ERA.

Beating the Bears
Mercer is led by Danielle Castleberry with a .373 batting average which leads the SoCon this season. Castleberry has 59 hits, including nine extra-base hits and 25 runs batted in. Allie Jones (.317) and Megan Lane (.315) are the other two players batting over .300 for the Bears. Jones and Lane turned in seasons of 20-plus RBIs, while Abby Walsh led the team with 31 runs batted in. Freshman Kenlie Harvey led the squad in home runs with six, while batting just .211 on the season.

The Bears are led by a freshman duo in the circle, Bailey Pattison and Lynn Gardner. Pattison finished 11-9 with a 3.73 ERA in 118.1 innings pitched. Pattison tallied 52 strikeouts and held opponents to a .272 batting average. Gardner finished the regular season with a 9-10 record and a 4.36 ERA in 139.2 innings with a team-high 80 strikeouts.

Series History
The Bucs are 13-24 all-time against Mercer, including 0-3 this season as the Bears entered Betty Basler Field and swept the Blue & Gold at home. The Bucs are a perfect 3-0 against Mercer on neutral ground, including a 5-3 victory in nine innings in the 2018 SoCon Tournament in Greensboro, N.C.

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.

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