Golden Eagles take on No. 1 Tennessee Tuesday
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee Tech has won seven of its last eight softball games and the Golden Eagles are building valuable momentum in the Ohio Valley Conference. Tuesday, however, Tech Softball will get its chance against one of the top teams in the country as the Golden Eagles take on No. 1-ranked Tennessee.
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By Thomas Corhern, TTU Athletics Media Relations
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee Tech has won seven of its last eight softball games and the Golden Eagles are building valuable momentum in the Ohio Valley Conference.
Tuesday, however, Tech Softball will get its chance against one of the top teams in the country as the Golden Eagles take on No. 1-ranked Tennessee.
First pitch is scheduled for 6 PM ET/5 CT. The game will be streamed on SEC Network+ (subscription required).
The Lady Vols enter the midweek contest with a 28-3 record, dropping its last two games to No. 5 Florida, putting its top-rated standing in jeopardy before the ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 poll releases on Tuesday morning. All three of Tennessee's losses have come in Southeastern Conference play with a 1-0 loss to No. 12 Mississippi State and a pair of 5-2 and 3-2 losses to the Gators in Gainesville.
The Lady Vols have not lost at Sherri Parker Lee Stadium this season, posting a 10-0 record so far in the campaign in their friendly confines.
As a team, Tennessee is hitting .306 with 182 RBI and 202 runs scored in 31 games – an average of 5.9 RBI and 6.5 runs scored per game. The Lady Vols have 11 run-rule victories this season, including a 9-1 win in six innings over Austin Peay and a 12-0 five-inning victory over Lipscomb among in-state competition.
UT has 89 extra-base hits, including 49 doubles, two triples and 38 home runs. Ella Dodge (.350) leads the team in RBI production with 37, while also tying Makenzie Butt (.339) with a team-best seven home runs. Sophia Knight leads the team in average with a .441 mark and stolen bases with 12, while Gabby Leach (.352) has a team-best 34 runs scored.
In the circle, Tennessee has an NCAA-leading 1.06 staff ERA, allowing 30 earned runs and 34 total with 68 walks to 238 strikeouts. Erin Nuwer (0.90) has an 11-1 record in 16 appearances, walking 16 and striking out 55 with opponents hitting .101 against her. Sage Mardjetko (0.88 ERA) has a 7-0 record in 13 appearances with 15 walks and 75 strikeouts with opponents hitting .124 and Karly Pickens (7-2, 1.24 ERA) has a team-best 84 strikeouts with opponents batting .120 against her.
The Golden Eagles are playing well of late, winning their last six conference matchups and seven of their last eight games. In that span, Tech is hitting .355 with 64 RBI and eight home runs, while the staff has a 2.24 ERA with opponents hitting .251. The Golden Eagles have outscored their foes 68-21 in the last eight games.
In the span, Ashley Capelouto has driven in 17 runs with five home runs, Ella Grace Harvey has driven in eight, while Makayli Harris, Sofia Carroll and Abbee Klinefelter have all driven in seven. In the circle, Addison Abell has a 1.15 ERA with a 2-0 record in the last eight, while Emily York is 5-1 with a 2.26 ERA and 20 strikeouts.
Overall for the season, the Golden Eagles are hitting .255 with 98 RBI and 112 runs scored, collecting 50 extra-base hits – 34 doubles, six triples and 10 home runs. Jailynn Paderez leads the team with a .371 average, while Capelouto (.308) has a team-best 24 RBI and Olivia Evans (.269) leads the team with 16 runs scored.
Abell has a 3-2 record with a 3.00 ERA to stand at top, while York (5-7, 4.28 ERA) has a team-best 42 strikeouts.
Following Tuesday's game, the Golden Eagles are on the road for the next six games as they travel to Morehead State this weekend, then Western Illinois on Easter weekend. Tech will then return home on April 8 as it hosts North Alabama.
