MOREHEAD, Ky. – The Morehead State softball team will play its first mid-week game of the season on Wednesday, when the Eagles travel to Lexington, Ky., and John Cropp Stadium to face Kentucky for a single contest at 6 p.m.
It is the first time the two teams will meet since 2021 and just the second time in 15 seasons. It also marks the first non-tournament non-conference game this season.
"We're excited to go on a short trip and compete with Kentucky. It comes at a good time to help us prepare for TSU this weekend," said MSU head coach
Megan Griffith. "We're looking to carry the momentum from the series win into the week."
Morehead State (4-25/3-12) is coming off its first series win of the season having toppled Southern Indiana in two of three games over the weekend. The Blue and Gold won the first two games 2-10 and 10-6, before falling in the finale 6-2. It was the first day-one doubleheader sweep since defeating Western Illinois on Apr. 27, 2025, and the first time it took place on the road since beating Tennessee Tech on Mar. 18, 2023.
The game-one victory featured the Eagles scoring a season-high nine runs in the top of the seventh, marking just the second time this spring the club rallied from at least a five-run deficit to pull out a win.
MSU continues to post historically impressive offensive numbers. Its batting average (.274) equals last year's mark, which was the highest since 2013 (.311). It is on pace to tally its most runs since 2013 (231), its most home runs since 2011 (30) and have its fewest strikeouts (191) in a non-Covid year this century.
The Eagles have at least seven hits in 19 of 29 games this season. Its streak of nine straight outings with at least that many ended in Friday's final contest of the USI series.
Individually, junior infielder
Sela Pickford enters the UK matchup riding her fourth career 10-game hitting streak. She also had an 11-game streak earlier this season. She owns the presumptive school record with 15 set last spring. She is two doubles and two extra base hits shy of reaching the MSU career top-10 list.
Based on her performance against USI, junior
Ainsley Stubbs was named the OVC's co-Pitcher of the Week. In three games versus the Screaming Eagles, Stubbs had a 2-0 record, a 0.64 ERA, a 1.45 WHIP, with 10 hits, four strikeouts, six walks and one hit batsman in 11 innings. She held the opponents to a .238 batting average. It was her second OVC Pitcher of the Year award, having also shared it on March 1.
As a team, the Eagles are batting .274, with 4.69 runs per game, 16 home runs, 10 stolen bases, a 7.12 ERA and a .951 fielding percentage. Its opponents are hitting .360, with 7.76 rpg, 17 homers, 44 stolen bases, a 3.63 ERA and a .949 fielding percentage.
Individually, junior outfielder
Maddy Christopher leads the squad with a .360 batting average, while adding 24 runs, a .378 slugging percentage and a .385 on-base percentage. Junior first baseman
Noemye Letendre is hitting .324, with four home runs, 19 RBI, a .529 slugging percentage, just seven strikeouts and a .370 on-base percentage. Junior catcher
Sydney Farmer follows with a .320 batting average, 23 runs, 12 doubles, three homers, 18 RBI, three stolen bases, a .557 slugging percentage and a .358 on-base percentage. Pickford is hitting .308, with 21 runs, seven doubles, two home runs, 19 RBI, three stolen bases, a .452 slugging percentage and a .345 on-base percentage. Junior second baseman
Sage VanDemark contributes a .292 batting average, six doubles, three home runs, 18 RBI, a .448 slugging percentage, 14 walks and a .387 on-base percentage.
Senior outfielder
Taikibrea Campbell, who has missed the last eight games continues to sit tied for the team lead in home runs with four.
In the circle, freshman
Allicen Harris continues to lead the league with the fewest walks at 11. She has a 0-11 record, with a 5.08 ERA and 28 strikeouts in 60 and two-third innings. Stubbs is 4-8, with a 6.49 ERA, 57 strikeouts and 49 walks in 77 and two-third innings. Senior
Rylie Burney is 0-6, with a 9.80 ERA, 24 strikeouts and 42 walks in 50 innings. She also picked up her first career save in the series opener against Southern Indiana.
This spring, MSU is 3-8 in true road games and 4-19 overall away from home.
Kentucky (23-19) was in action tonight at home against Eastern Kentucky, with the Wildcats prevailing 5-2. The Wildcats are 8-7 at home this year, where prior to meeting EKU, they dropped all three games to No. 11 Georgia (10-2 in six innings, 11-1 in five innings and 5-0). This past weekend, they were swept at No. 3 Oklahoma (10-2 in five innings, 9-1 in five innings and 12-2 in five innings).
As a team, UK is hitting .285, while averaging 4.83 rpg, with 49 home runs, 43 stolen bases, a 4.32 ERA and a .965 fielding percentage. Their opponents are batting .284, with 4.64 rpg, 29 home runs, 27 stolen bases, a 4.48 ERA and a .959 fielding percentage.
Individually, the Wildcats are led by junior catcher Carly Sleeman, who is batting .387, with 27 runs, six doubles, 11 home runs, 34 RBI, 12 walks, five stolen bases, a .739 slugging percentage and a .430 on-base percentage. Sophomore utility player Allie Blum is hitting .378, with 31 runs, six doubles, five home runs, 21 RBI, 12 walks, nine stolen bases, a .559 slugging percentage and a .440 on-base percentage. Senior catcher Karissa Hamilton contributes a .366 batting average, with 28 runs, 10 doubles, five triples, nine home runs, 41 RBI, eight walks, four stolen bases, a .716 slugging percentage and a .401 on-base percentage. Junior outfielder Peyton Plotts adds a .287 batting average, with 28 runs, seven doubles, nine home runs, 24 RBI, 13 walks, three stolen bases, a .582 slugging percentage and a .356 on-base percentage.
In the circle, freshman Hailey Nutter tops the club with a 7-4 record, a 3.40 ERA, one save, 63 strikeouts and 22 walks in 55 and two-third innings. Senior Sarah Haendiges is 10-7, with a 3.69 ERA, 91 strikeouts and 50 walks in 96 and two-third innings. Former Ohio Valley Conference Pitcher of the Year, who played for Eastern Illinois the last two seasons, junior McKenzie Oslanzi, is next with a 3-4 record, one save, a 4.00 ERA, 38 strikeouts and 23 walks in 64 and two-third innings.
Coach Rachel Lawson is in her 19th year at UK and owns a 620-379-1 record.
The teams do have some common opponents with both having competed in Memphis' Blues City Invitational. The Eagles went 0-5 at the tournament, falling to Bradley (7-6 in eight innings), Indiana State (5-0 and 11-3 in five innings), Northern Illinois (11-3 in six innings) and North Carolina A&T (11-10). Kentucky went 5-0 in Memphis, defeating North Carolina A&T (5-0), Northern Illinois (11-0 in five innings), Bradley (7-3), Memphis (7-1) and Indiana State (8-0 in five innings). Both teams have also played Dayton, with the Flyers besting MSU (9-3), and the Wildcats topping UD (5-1 and 9-0 in six innings).
Morehead State and Kentucky have met 27 times, with the Eagles winning the first matchup on April 30, 1997, in Lexington, and then dropping the rest of the outings. Overall, the Blue and Gold is 1-14 at UK. Most of the meetings between the two took place between 1997 and 2012, when the teams met almost every year, usually rotating as the host. The last time the two faced was in 2021, when the then-No.7-ranked Wildcats won 12-1 in five innings. Prior to that, they squared off in 2010 (3-0) and 2012 (3-1), with Kentucky winning both games at home. The last time the two met in Morehead, UK came out victorious 4-3 and 5-1 in 2009.
The game can be viewed on the SEC Network (
https://shorturl.at/IUqr4). Live stats are available at the link
https://shorturl.at/jL6QL.
MSU is back at the University Field this weekend to host Tennessee State for a pivotal three-game home stand that will go a long way in determining the makeup for the Ohio Valley Conference tournament. The two will play a doubleheader on Saturday at noon and 2:30 p.m. and then a single game on Sunday at noon.
