MOREHEAD, Ky. – The Morehead State softball team will host Tennessee Tech this weekend for the final time with both as members of the Ohio Valley Conference.
The Eagles have played the Golden Eagles more than any other team in its history.
The two will meet on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. and then Sunday at noon and 2:30 p.m. at the University Field at Prefontaine Park in Morehead. The schedule was adjusted slightly due to extremely cold temperatures forecasted on Saturday.
"The team is excited to be playing back at home," MSU head coach
Megan Griffith said. "We've prepared all week for Tech and we're confident that all facets of our game will come together this weekend."
Morehead State (2-21/1-8) split its road series at Western Illinois last weekend, winning the first game 7-5, before falling 10-9 in 10 innings and 4-2. Saturday's victory snapped a 10-game skid and was the team's first true road win of the season.
The Eagles have been competitive in most contests this year, in spite of their overall record. They are 2-11 in outings decided by two or fewer runs, including a 1-8 mark in one-run games. Morehead State is 0-3 at home this year. Its last victory at the University Field was on April 27, 2025, 6-5 over Western Illinois. It was the final home game of last season.
In comparison to last spring, the Blue and Gold have made noticeable strides. MSU has 17 contests with six or more hits this season, compared to 14 at this point last spring. Through 23 games last season, it had scored 77 runs. So far this spring, the team has 106. At this point in 2025, the pitching staff totaled 56 strikeouts and 99 walks. This year, those numbers are 98 strikeouts and 83 walks.
Essentially at the halfway point of its season, MSU has 10 stolen bases in 23 games. At the current pace with 22 outings remaining, the team would finish with 20, which is the fewest in any season, including the Covid-shortened 2020 campaign.
As a team, the Eagles are batting .268, averaging 4.61 runs per game, with 13 home runs, 10 stolen bases, a 7.24 ERA and a .955 fielding percentage. Their opponents are hitting .361, with 7.83 rpg, 14 home runs, 32 stolen bases, a 3.66 ERA and a .947 fielding percentage.
Junior outfielder
Maddy Christopher has 27 multi-hit games in her career, and she continues to lead the squad in batting average at .368. She also has tallied 21 runs, six RBI and a .398 on-base percentage. Junior infielder
Sage VanDemark adds a .321 batting average, with 12 runs, six doubles, three home runs, 17 RBI, 10 walks, a 513 slugging percentage and a .398 on-base percentage. Junior infielder
Sela Pickford has 26 career multi-hit games. This season, she is batting .305, with 17 runs, six doubles, 12 RBI, three stolen bases, a .439 slugging percentage and a .337 on-base percentage. Junior catcher
Sydney Farmer contributes a .295 batting average, with 19 runs, nine doubles, three home runs, 15 RBI, three stolen bases, a .551 slugging percentage and a .313 on-base percentage.
Pitching remains a major concern, but the staff has shown improvement. Freshman
Allicen Harris tops the group with a 0-9 record, a 4.55 ERA, 26 strikeouts and eight walks in 52 and one-third innings. Among regulars, Harris has allowed the fewest walks in the OVC this season. Junior
Ainsley Stubbs has a 2-7 record, with a 7.43 ERA, 49 strikeouts and 37 walks in 60 and one-third innings. Senior
Rylie Burney adds a 0-5 record, a 10.50 ERA, with 22 strikeouts and 33 walks in 38 and two-thirds innings.
Tennessee Tech (9-19/6-3) is 7-2 in its last nine outings, including sweeping a pair of three-game series with Tennessee State and Lindenwood. Most recently, it topped the Lions at home 5-0, 3-1 and 8-0. In its last game it fell to No. 1-ranked Tennessee 8-0 in Knoxville, Tenn.
This season, the Golden Eagles are 4-10 in true road outings and 6-15 overall away from home. They are 3-1 on the road since March 14, with UT and TSU as their most recent contests.
The lone common opponent for MSU and TTU is SIU-Edwardsville. The Cougars swept both squads, including Tech 3-1, 8-1 and 6-4 at home; and the Eagles 4-3, 3-1 and 5-3 in Illinois.
As a team, Tennessee Tech is batting .247, with 4.0 rpg, 10 home runs, 43 stolen bases, a 4.64 ERA and a .957 fielding percentage. Its opponents average hitting .306, with 4.93 rpg, 17 home runs, 38 stolen bases, a 3.17 ERA and a .966 fielding percentage.
Sophomore catcher/infielder Jailynn Paderez is the only regular batting over .300, sitting at .361. She adds four doubles, 11 RBI, 19 walks, a .417 slugging percentage and a .500 on-base percentage. Sophomore infielder Ashley Capelouto is next with a .297 batting average, 14 runs, seven doubles, five home runs, 24 RBI, 13 walks, a .595 slugging percentage and a .416 on-base percentage. Sophomore outfielder Julie Martin is batting .274, with seven runs, nine stolen bases and a .318 on-base percentage.
Junior pitcher Emily York leads the staff with a 5-8 record, one save, a 4.40 ERA, with 42 strikeouts and 15 walks in 55 and two-thirds innings. Senior Addison Abell, the reigning OVC Pitcher of the Week, is 3-2, with a 2.68 ERA, 16 strikeouts and 20 walks in 52 and one-third innings. Sophomore Lainey Fitzgerald is 1-8, with a 6.18 ERA, 30 strikeouts and 32 walks in 28 and one-third innings. Junior Faith Rush is 0-1, with a 5.47 ERA, 16 strikeouts and 22 walks in 24 and one-third innings.
Danielle Penner is in her fourth season leading the club. She owns a 59-122 record at the school.
MSU has faced TTU more than any other opponent, a total of 114 times. The Golden Eagles lead the series 81-33. Those are also the most wins by one team over the Eagles. The two sides have met every year since 1989, except for the Covid-19 season (2020).
Tennessee Tech won all three meetings last year in Cookeville, Tenn., 10-2 in five innings, 8-0 in five innings and 3-1. It was just the fourth time since 2008 that the Golden Eagles swept the series (2014, 2019, 2021, 2025). Since that year, MSU has won at least one game each season, including in 2023, when the Blue and Gold captured all three meetings in Cookeville, 7-3, 8-1 and 9-7. TTU owns a 28-7-7 record in two and three-game series against the Eagles.
Since 2019, Morehead State owns a 5-13 record against Tech. The Eagles are 13-36 all-time at home in the series. The last time the two met in Morehead (2024), MSU won the opener 4-2, before falling 7-2 and 9-4. Since 2019, the Blue and Gold is just 2-10 versus TTU at home.
Live stats will be available for all three contests,
https://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=639462 (game one),
https://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=639463 (game two) and
https://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=639464 (game three).
ESPN+ will broadcast each contest. The link for game one is:
https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/4bbb747d-8fc4-4a70-8014-3528b85d56d6?om-navmethod=espn%3Aglobalsearch%3Aresults, game two is:
https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/3fe33696-d26c-49c6-bf25-fb944fee833f?om-navmethod=espn%3Aglobalsearch%3Aresults and game three is:
https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/480343de-596a-4894-afba-f8435283827f?om-navmethod=espn%3Aglobalsearch%3Aresults.
This weekend's promotion will be "Easter with the Eagles" and will include an Easter egg hunt with Beaker after Sunday's final game.
Tickets can be purchased through the link
https://www.etix.com/ticket/v/18447.
Morehead State's next four games will all be on the road. That stretch will begin next weekend when it plays a doubleheader on Friday, Apr. 3 at Southern Indiana. Game times will be 1 p.m. ET and 3:30 p.m. ET. The final outing of the series with the Screaming Eagles will be on Saturday, Apr. 4 at 1 p.m. ET. After that, the Blue and Gold travel to Lexington, Ky., to face the University of Kentucky on Wednesday, Apr. 8 for a single game at 6 p.m.
MSU's next home contest will be the weekend of Apr. 11-12 and come against Tennessee State.
