MOREHEAD, Ky. – With two Ohio Valley Conference softball series left on tap for Morehead State, the Eagles enter into a critical weekend hosting Tennessee State in the race for a spot in the conference tournament. The two teams will tangle on Friday and Saturday, with a doubleheader at 3 p.m. kicking off the action and closing out with a single contest starting at 1 p.m. on day two all at the University Field.

This weekend will also feature Senior Day in which three Eagle players and two team managers will be recognized: third baseman Peyton Rose, catcher/infielder Peyton Slater, first baseman Alexis Strother, Sara Estes and Chloe Whitlock.

Live stats are available for all three contests at the following links: http://stats.statbroadcast.com/statmonitr/?id=383277 (game one), http://stats.statbroadcast.com/statmonitr/?id=383278 (game two) and http://stats.statbroadcast.com/statmonitr/?id=383279 (game three).

Rose, from Versailles, Ky., has started 37 games this season. In 79 at-bats, she has a .127 batting average, with four RBI, 12 runs and a .917 fielding percentage. An anchor at third base, Rose has really made her mark this year by being hit by a pitch in which she leads the OVC and ranks fourth nationally at 0.43 times per game. In addition, the 16 times she has been struck this spring is the second-highest total in MSU history. Rose has been a four-year starter and has a career .189 batting average.

Slater, from New Kent, Va., has played and started every game. Most of her action has come behind the plate, but recently due to injuries she has moved to shortstop. She owns a .252 batting average in a team-high 103 at-bats, and has contributed 12 RBI and scored 10 times. She leads the squad with 26 hits, two homers and a .369 slugging percentage, and is tied for the top spot with six doubles. She also has walked seven times, been hit by five pitches and has a .962 fielding percentage. This year, Slater has become a force at throwing players out attempting to steal. She is second in the OVC and tied for fifth nationally with 15. A four-year starter, she boasts a .243 career batting average.

Now in her fifth year, Strother, from Lebanon, Ohio, started her career at Sinclair Community College, where she posted a. 485 batting average. This spring, she has started in 36 games and owns a .233 batting average in 90 at-bats. She is tied for the team lead with six doubles and 11 walks. She adds 10 RBI, a .333 slugging percentage, a .330 on-base percentage and a .939 fielding percentage. As a sophomore and a junior, Strother saw time in the circle as a pitcher, appearing in 11 games. A four-year starter at MSU, she has a career .268 batting average in NCAA competition.

Estes has been with the program for four years, while Whitlock joined this year.

As has been tradition, MSU also will honor Tennessee State's seniors, shortstop Lauren Farias and pitcher Raven Loveless.

The Eagles and Tigers are in a tight race for the final two spots in the league's post-season competition, which will run May 11-14 in Oxford, Ala. With the top six positions all but sewn up, Eastern Illinois (23-26/8-14), SIUE (15-30/6-16), Morehead State (6-32/5-16) and Tennessee State (13-35/4-18) are in a tight race for seventh and eighth place. This weekend, SIUE hosts Southeast Missouri, while EIU travels to Belmont.

Friday's twin bill will be the first two outings of a seven-game season-ending home stand. MSU split its Wednesday series at Tennessee Tech, winning the first contest 5-2 and then dropping the nightcap by the same score. The game-one victory snapped a string of 30 consecutive defeats away from home. The prior weekend, the team fell at Belmont in all three games.

The Eagles sport a 5-6 home mark and have won their last three contests on the University Field, sweeping SIUE on April 15-16.

Junior Madeline Gailor continues to lead the Blue and Gold offensively. She has a .293 batting average, five doubles, 17 RBI, a .354 slugging percentage, a .341 on-base percentage and 10 stolen bases. The batting average, RBI and stolen base totals are team highs. In addition, Gailor has reached base in 16 of her last 19 games.

Sophomore Lennon Spicer (5-16) paces the pitching staff. She has a 4.99 ERA with 76 strikeouts and 45 walks in 112 and one-third innings. Freshman Madi Ogden (1-10) has seen 75 and one-third innings in the circle. She owns a 5.48 ERA, with 44 strikeouts and 44 walks. She had a career-high six Ks in Wednesday's second game and picked up the team's first save of the season in the win earlier in the day.

"Tennessee State will be a good battle as they have some competitive pitching and they always find a way to get on base," said Morehead State coach Samantha Jones. "We will work on our individual offense plans to string together some hits and produce runs."

Tennessee State won its last outing, a 3-2 home decision over Belmont. Prior to that, the Tigers dropped nine straight, including a 2-0 result in the first contest of the doubleheader with the Bruins. TSU is 6-24 away from home this season, including a 1-16 mark as the true road team.

The Tigers are batting .182 as a team, are averaging 1.79 runs per game, have a 4.30 ERA and a .945 fielding percentage.

Sophomore first baseman Peyton Fointno has a .248 batting average, with eight doubles and 17 RBI, all either are tops on the club or ties for that honor. Freshman outfielder Jasmine Brown is next with a .217 average. She leads the Tigers with 12 stolen bases and 16 runs scored. Sophomore third baseman Anayah Baker has a .206 batting average, with 11 RBI. She has the team's only home runs (two).

In a team-high 113 and two-thirds innings of work, Freshman Caitlyn Manus has won seven games and 11 losses, with a 4.06 ERA, 78 strikeouts and 38 walks. She also has two saves. Loveless owns a 4-14 record, a 3.19 ERA, 41 strikeouts and 35 walks in 112 innings. Sophomore Francys King has pitched in 75 and one-third innings, and has a 2-10 record, a 6.32 ERA, 40 strikeouts and 27 walks.

Morehead State has had more success against Tennessee State than any OVC opponent, boasting a 66-16 record. MSU has a 37-3 mark all-time against the Tigers in Morehead, having won the last 14 outings.

In 2021, TSU won two of the three games, 5-2 on April 1 and 6-2 on April 2, in Nashville. The Blue and Gold captured the match up in between 1-0 on April 2. The last time the two squads faced on the University Field, MSU won 6-0 and 2-1, on March 31, 2018. Tennessee State's last victory in Morehead was on Apr. 6, 2007, when it claimed both ends of a doubleheader 2-0 and 2-1.

Coach Jones is 2-3 all-time against the Tigers.

The Eagles remain at home for four mid-week, non-conference games, starting Tuesday with a doubleheader against Rio Grande (Ohio). The first pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m. On Wednesday, Butler comes to town for a twin bill, with the opening contest slated to begin at 1 p.m. Morehead State will close out the regular season next weekend with a three-game series at Murray State.