Tech softball opens OVC tourney Wednesday vs. Tennessee State
PEORIA, Ill. – It’s been a while since Tennessee Tech opened the Ohio Valley Conference slate against Tennessee State back in early March, so it’s almost fitting that the two teams will open this week’s Ohio Valley Conference Softball Championships at Peoria’s Louisville Slugger Sports Complex. First pitch is slated for 10 a.m. on Wednesday. The game will be streamed on ESPN+ (subscription required).
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By Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information
PEORIA, Ill. – It's been a while since Tennessee Tech opened the Ohio Valley Conference slate against Tennessee State back in early March, so it's almost fitting that the two teams will open this week's Ohio Valley Conference Softball Championships at Peoria's Louisville Slugger Sports Complex.
First pitch is slated for 10 a.m. on Wednesday. The game will be streamed on ESPN+ (subscription required).
Wednesday's opener is a single-elimination contest with the winner advancing to Wednesday afternoon's contest against Southeast Missouri at 3 p.m. The loser will see its season come to a close.
After a strong 10-3 start to OVC play, the Tigers finished the conference campaign 3-10, but took two out of three on the final weekend against Southeast Missouri. State took two of three from the Golden Eagles on that opening league weekend, winning 3-0 before Tech took the Saturday nightcap 6-3. TSU claimed the finale 7-2.
In the series, Tech batted .282 with eight runs scored and seven RBI. Abby Shouders and Jailynn Paderez both batted .444, while Olivia Evans hit .400. The Golden Eagles swiped six bases on eight attempts, including two for Julie Martin. Sydney Kirby had four of Tech's RBI in the three-game set.
Tech broke a five-game slide in the final weekend sweeping Morehead State 10-2 in five, 8-0 in five behind Payton Wagner's no-hit effort and 3-1 in the finale.
As a team, Tennessee State (23-21) batted .270 in the regular season, scoring 208 runs with 179 RBI. The Tigers had 60 extra-base hits with 34 doubles, 12 triples and 14 home runs. Jace Jackson led the team in average with a .336 clip, 33 runs scored and 30 RBI. The RBI crown went to Onnika Spencer (.331), driving in a team-best 32 and scoring 31 times with a team-best nine home runs.
Anayah Baker-Rowell (.315) and Hailey Hunt (.308) both finished the season batting over .300.
In the circle, TSU's staff ERA was a 6.13, walking 121 and striking out 100 as it allowed 372 hits and 245 runs – 195 earned.
Tech, as a team, is hitting .267 with 210 runs scored on 180 RBI. The Golden Eagles had 80 extra-base hits with 64 doubles, six triples and 10 home runs. Evans climbed into the batting average lead with a .333 mark with 27 runs scored and 12 RBI. Shoulders (.331) leads the team in runs scored (34) and stolen bases (29), while Kirby, Tech's representative on the All-OVC team, collected a .317 average with 12 doubles, three home runs and a team-best 32 RBI. Abbee Klinefelter (.301) also has 12 doubles, two home runs and 28 RBI.
In the circle, Tech has a 3.62 ERA, walking 171 and striking out 217, allowing 406 hits and 233 runs – 180 earned. Wagner has one of the top ERAs in the conference with a 2.59, while Emily York (3.24) has a team-best 78 strikeouts.
