Milligan set to take charge at helm  

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (Feb 9, 2023) – The ETSU Softball team will commence its 2023 campaign by playing in the Charlotte Invitational, held at the Sue M. Daughtridge Stadium this weekend in Charlotte.

The Bucs will open the Cheryl Milligan era by squaring off against Campbell on Friday morning at 10 a.m. The Blue and Gold will then play a pair of games against Miami (Ohio) and Charlotte on Saturday. To close out the tournament, ETSU will face South Carolina on Sunday afternoon at 12:30 p.m.

WEEKEND OUTLOOK:

Dates: Friday, Feb. 10 – Sunday, Feb.12

Location: Charlotte, N.C. | Sue M. Daughtridge Stadium

Weather: Friday (H- 61, L-47), Saturday (H-51, L-37), Sunday (H-46, L-34)

Twitter Updates: @ETSUSoftball

ABOUT THE BUCS:

• ETSU will commence its first year under the direction of head coach Cheryl Milligan, who comes to the program with 25 years of coaching experience. Most recently, spending the previous four years at Army.
• The Bucs return 10 players from a season ago, including Cameron Young (Knoxville, Tenn.) who earned preseason honors and landed a spot on the 2022 All-SoCon Second Team and all-conference freshman team.
• The Blue and Gold added seven freshmen to the roster, including four pitchers. In addition, five transfers have made the way to Johnson City.
• The Bucs will open the first 15 games of the season away from home.

ABOUT CAMPBELL:

• Campbell finished 37-19 last year, winning the Big South Championship. Campbell eventually lost to No. 11 Tennessee and Ohio State in the NCAA Tournament.
• The Fighting Camels return sophomore Tyra Parker who led the team in batting average with a .322 mark from a season ago. Parker started 48 games for Campbell in 2022.
• The Bucs are 4-15 all-time against Campbell, playing for the first time since 2015 where ETSU fell 5-4 on the road.

ABOUT MIAMI (Ohio):

• Miami finished 40-17-1 last year, winning the Mid-American Conference Championship. The RedHawks lost games to Kentucky and Virginia Tech in the NCAA Tournament.
• The RedHawks return junior Karli Spaid, who led the team with a .413 batting average while adding 78 hits last year.
• The Bucs look for their first win against Miami as ETSU has dropped all four meetings all-time against Miami. The teams met twice last season in Johnson City.

ABOUT CHARLOTTE:

• Charlotte finished 35-23 last year and placed fourth in C-USA East standings.
• The 49ers return graduate student Bailey Vannoy, who led the team in hits (74), runs (60) and she also led the team with a .381 batting average.
• The Bucs are 0-2 all-time against Charlotte and Saturday will be the first time the two teams meet since 2010, where the Bucs dropped a 7-3 contest in Charlotte, N.C.

ABOUT SOUTH CAROLINA:

• The Gamecocks finished 26-30 last year.
• South Carolina returns junior Riley Blampied, who led the team in hits (50) and led the team with a .313 batting average.
• The Bucs look for their first win against South Carolina as they are 0-6 all-time against the Gamecocks.

For more information on Buccaneer softball, visit ETSUBucs.com and click on the softball tab.