MOREHEAD, Ky. – This weekend, the Morehead State softball team will host Tennessee State in a critical three-game weekend series. Saturday's start time has been altered slightly and will now be at 1 p.m., with the second game of the day at approximately 3:30 p.m. The two teams will conclude the set on Sunday at noon. It is the Eagles' third of four Ohio Valley Conference home series. Each contest will take place at The University Field at Prefontaine Park in Morehead.
Morehead State (4-26/3-12) and Tennessee State (0-26/0-15) are among three teams battling for a spot in the OVC Tournament. With 12 games to play, the Eagles currently sit ninth. Eight teams qualify for the event.
"We're excited to be back at home this weekend. We're coming off a series win and a competitive midweek (game)," MSU Coach
Megan Griffith said. "We've prepared this week to have clean base running, strong pitching and defense and a consistent approach offensively."
The Eagles played their first mid-week game of the season on Wednesday and fell to Kentucky 7-0. Prior to that, the team won its series against Southern Indiana, defeating the Screaming Eagles 2-1 and 10-6 in last Thursday's doubleheader, before dropping the Friday contest 6-2.
At home, the Blue and Gold post a 0-6 mark, having dropped all three games against both Eastern Illinois and Tennessee Tech. The team's last home victory came in its final contest at the University Field in 2024, 6-5 over Western Illinois on April 27.
Morehead State has been on a tear offensively. Like last year, the squad is posting some of its best numbers in a decade. Included on that list are hits (242), runs (136), doubles (44), home runs (16), slugging percentage (.383) and fewest strikeouts (121). The Eagles also lead the nation in fewest hit batsmen (3).
In addition, the Eagles have recorded at least seven hits in 20 games, six in three outings, five in two, four in four and two once.
The Blue and Gold also has several impressive individual superlatives. Junior infielder
Sela Pickford has hits in 26 of 30 games this season, and 22 of the last 23. She currently is on an 11-game streak, the fourth time in her career she has had at least a stretch of at least 10 outings. She holds the school record with 15, which she set last year. Additionally, junior outfielder
Maddy Christopher has reached base in 28 straight games. That total includes all manners of getting on base.
Among the pitchers, freshman
Allicen Harris leads the OVC in fewest walks (11) and is 27th nationally in fewest walks per 7 innings (1.25). Junior
Ainsley Stubbs is 14th nationally in fewest hit batsmen (2).
As a team, MSU is batting .274, with 4.53 runs per game, 16 home runs, 10 stolen bases, a 7.12 ERA and a .950 fielding percentage. Its opponents are hitting .359, with 7.73 rpg, 18 home runs, 46 stolen bases, a 3.51 ERA and a .950 fielding percentage.
Individually, five Eagles are batting over .300, with Christopher leading the way at .365. She also adds 24 runs, eight RBI, a .383 slugging percentage and a .388 on-base percentage. Junior first baseman
Noemye Letendre is next at .324, with four home runs, 19 RBI, a .529 slugging percentage and a .270 on-base percentage. Junior catcher/third baseman
Sydney Farmer is batting .310, with 23 runs, 12 doubles, three home runs, 18 RBI, a .540 slugging percentage, just four strikeouts, three stolen bases and a .349 on-base percentage. Pickford adds a .308 average, with 21 runs, seven doubles, two home runs, 19 RBI, a .449 slugging percentage, three stolen bases and a .345 on-base percentage. Junior second baseman
Sage VanDemark rounds out the group with a .303 batting average, 16 runs, seven doubles, three home runs, 18 RBI, 14 walks and a .395 on-base percentage. Senior outfielder
Taikibrea Campbell continues to share the team lead in homers with four.
Among the pitchers, freshman
Allicen Harris is 0-11, with a 4.99 ERA, 28 strikeouts and 11 walks in 61 and two-third innings. Junior
Ainsley Stubbs, the reigning OVC co-Pitcher of the Week, is 4-9, with a 6.40 ERA, 58 strikeouts and 50 walks in 81 innings. Senior
Rylie Burney is 0-6, with a 10.22 ERA, with 24 strikeouts and 43 walks in 50 and two-thirds innings.
Tennessee Tech remains winless this year and enters the weekend having lost 28 straight dating back to last year. The team also is 0-9 on the road this spring and 0-13 overall away from home. Including 2024, the Tigers are on a 10-game slide in true road outings and on a 15-game skid in total contests away from home.
Last weekend, TSU fell at home to Lindenwood 11-10, 9-1 and 11-4. Prior to that, it fell to Southeast Missouri on the road 7-2, 14-4 in five innings and 9-1 in five innings.
On the season, it has dropped five outings by one run and another by two. Three contests have gone to extra innings: February 14 versus Butler (10-6 in eight innings), March 8 against Southern Indiana (6-5 in nine innings) and March 14 versus Tennessee Tech (11-8 in eight innings).
It also has been run-ruled six times.
MSU and TSU have four common opponents. Tennessee State fell to Presbyterian (4-0), Southern Indiana (10-4, 6-5, 6-1), Tennessee Tech (10-2, 11-8, 14-1) and Chattanooga (9-3). Morehead State defeated SIU (2-1, 10-6) and fell to PC (3-2), UTC (11-10 in eight innings), TTU (15-10, 10-3, 7-3) and USI (6-2).
As a team, Tennessee State is batting .232, with 3.15 rpg, five home runs, 30 stolen bases, a 7.36 ERA and a .932 fielding percentage. Its opponents average hitting .354, with 9.33 rpg, 15 home runs, 103 stolen bases, a 2.35 ERA and a .955 fielding percentage.
Junior infielder Jace Jackson leads the team with a .381 batting average, 14 runs, four doubles, four triples, one home run, 12 RBI, a .540 slugging percentage, four stolen bases and a .429 on-base percentage. Senior center fielder Jasmine Blackburn is hitting .301, with 16 runs, two doubles, two home runs, 15 RBI, a .422 slugging percentage, 10 walks, five stolen bases and a .372 on-base percentage. Senior infielder Kailyn Jean-Baptiste is batting .269, with seven runs, three triples, 10 RBI, a .418 slugging percentage, 18 walks and a .449 on-base percentage.
Four pitchers share the workload. Redshirt freshman right-hander Chelsi Ervin has a 0-2 record, a 4.24 ERA, with 19 strikeouts and 24 walks in 36 and one-third innings. Sophomore left-hander Kristian Holder is 0-7, with a 7.08 ERA, 11 strikeouts and 25 walks in 28 and two-third innings. Freshman right-hander Miriam Gordon is 0-5, with a 7.96 ERA, eight strikeouts and 26 walks in 31 and two-thirds innings. Sophomore left-hander Tianna Salcido is 0-10, with an 8.76 ERA, 19 strikeouts and 51 walks in 58 and one-third innings.
Genee McRath is in her fifth season as the team's head coach. She has a record of 86-139-1.
The two teams have met every year since 1974, except the 2020 Covid season. The Eagles lead the series 70-26, however the Tigers have won the last five meetings, including sweeping the 2025 contests 8-0 in five innings in the first two games and then 12-2 in five innings in the finale. TSU also won all three outings of 2023 (4-2, 7-4 and 3-2 in five innings).
Under Coach McRath, the Tigers are 10-2 against the Blue and Gold. Under Coach Griffith, the Eagles are 1-8.
The last time the teams played in Morehead, 2024, the Eagles won the opener 6-1, before falling 15-3 and 4-3. At home in 2022, MSU won 3-1, before falling 4-2 and 4-2 in eight innings. In total, Morehead State holds a 39-7 advantage at home.
MSU won every contest between 1994 and 2000 (28 straight to open the series), before falling twice in 2001 in Nashville, Tenn. Since 2019, TSU leads the series 13-4.
Morehead State has won the season series 21 times. However, TSU has won the last five, with the 2019 meetings tied 1-1. The last time MSU won the series was in 2018 (2-0) and the last time it swept a three-game series was in 2014. Overall, the Eagles have swept the season series against the Tigers 15 times.
Live stats will be available for all three contests at the links:
https://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=653810 (game one),
https://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=653811 (game two) and
https://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=653812 (game three).
ESPN+ will broadcast each contest. The link for game one is:
https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/3d092301-1ba0-40c6-ab45-b14255265bcc?om-navmethod=espn%3Aglobalsearch%3Aresults, game two is:
https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/a1fb6bb5-c93a-4194-a573-80773deeb053?om-navmethod=espn%3Aglobalsearch%3Aresults and game three is:
https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/967970e1-97c5-4aa6-a288-6741862df9d6?om-navmethod=espn%3Aglobalsearch%3Aresults.
Saturday will be Military Appreciate Day, with all military personnel and their families receiving free admission. There will be a ceremonial first pitch on Saturday at 12:45 p.m.
Tickets can be purchased through the link
https://www.etix.com/ticket/v/18447.
Morehead State will go on the road for the next six outings, including a doubleheader on Wednesday at Eastern Kentucky. Game one is scheduled for 3 p.m. Next weekend, the team will face UT Martin. There will be a doubleheader on Saturday with the first pitch at 1 p.m. ET and then a single contest on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET. After a single game at Northern Kentucky on Wednesday, Apr. 22, the Eagles will return home for their final series at the University Field from April 25-26 against Southeast Missouri.
