Tennessee Tech softball heads to Bowling Green

After just finishing one trip into the Bluegrass State, the Tennessee Tech softball team will pack up again on April 28 and head toward Bowling Green, taking on Western Kentucky in a single game to close out the non-conference slate.

First pitch on Wednesday is scheduled for 6 p.m. The game will be streamed online via Facebook Live and CUSA.tv.

The Hilltoppers come into the game with a 19-11 record, winning three of their last five games. They’ve played just two Conference USA series, falling in three of four to Middle Tennessee, then splitting the Charlotte series two games each.

As a team, WKU is hitting .298, scoring 159 runs with 139 RBI, hitting 46 doubles, two triples and 33 home runs. On the bases, the Hilltoppers have stolen 41 of 49 base attempts.

Kennedy Sullivan leads WKU in RBI with 28, Taylor Davis in batting average with .352, Paige Carter in runs scored with 29, hits with 35 and home runs with nine. T.J. Webster has a team-best 13 stolen bases on 15 attempts.

In the circle, WKU has a staff ERA of 2.63 with opponents hitting .229. Sullivan has the team’s best ERA with a 2.46 and a 4-0 record in 10 appearances across 37 innings. She has struck out 33 with opponents hitting .156. Shelby Nunn (2.56) has the most wins with an 8-3 record in 54 2/3 innings, while Kelsey Aikey (2.74, 4-8) leads the team in appearances (21), innings pitched (84 1/3) and strikeouts (91).

Tech is 8-10 all-time against Western Kentucky, falling in the last two meetings in 2019 and 2020 – a 4-1 loss in nine innings at Tech Softball Field and a 9-0, five-inning loss in the Chattanooga Classic in 2020.

As a team, Tech is batting .254, scoring 145 runs with 131 RBI, hitting 48 doubles, one triple and 22 home runs. The Golden Eagles have stolen 33 of 38 base attempts.

Nicolle Nysted, who missed nine games to injury and is coming back in pinch-hit appearances, leads the team in hitting with a .346 average, as well as a team-best seven home runs and tied for the most RBI with Jessie Lowery with 20 each.

Lowery (.281) also leads the team in hits (41) and total bases (60). Freshman Mackenzie Fitzgerald leads the Golden Eagles in stolen bases, going 17-for-17 on thefts.

In the circle, the Tech staff has a 3.43 ERA with opponents hitting .234. Alyssa Arden has seen the most innings, going 138 2/3 frames, with a 3.23 ERA and a 9-13 record in 29 appearances. She has struck out 92 and opponents are hitting .217. Haeli Bryson has an 8-7 record and a 2.56 ERA in 95 2/3 innings, striking out 55 and holding batters to a .235 average.

Despite falling in a series sweep at Eastern Kentucky on Sunday and Monday, the Golden Eagles are 4-6 in the last 10 games, 5-10 in the month of April.