GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- Tusculum University softball is scheduled to play three South Atlantic Conference series over a five day span. The Pioneers will suit up at Catawba on Wednesday (Mar. 17), host Coker on Saturday (Mar. 20), and travel to nearby Mars Hill on Sunday (Mar. 21).
RECAPPING THE WEEK
The Pioneers (6-8, 0-2 SAC) opened its conference season with a doubleheader against No. 6 Lincoln Memorial at Red Edmonds Field. Tusculum dropped both games, but remained in contention in each.
Mya Maddox went 4-for-4 at the plate, scoring three runs with one walk. Alexis Grampp was 3-for-6 with a double and two homers. She also racked up seven runs batted in and scored twice. Anna Alloway was the only other Pioneer to record more than one hit (3). Claire Crout hit the remaining double, while Hannah Hughes, in her collegiate debut, drew the other walk.
Nancy-Jo Roberts made her first collegiate appearance against the Railsplitters. Both she and Keylon Reynolds allowed no earned runs in their combined three innings. Kaitlyn Pickens and Delilah Malczewski picked up the losses, totaling 11 innings, eight earned runs, seven walks, and 10 strikeouts.
As of the last NCAA statistical database update on March 11, Tusculum is ranked across the top-20 in five categories: double plays (t-1st; 8), sacrifice bunts (t-6th; 13), hit by pitch (11th; 16), double plays per game (16th; 0.57), and shutouts (19th; 3).
Individually, Emily Sappington is tied for the Division II lead in least amount of batters hit with one. Grampp is fifth nationally with six home runs, eighth with 20 runs batted in, 11th with 41 total bases, and 18th in home runs per game (0.43). Alloway is 16th with 22 hits thus far, while Kiley Longmire is 26th nationally after being hit by four pitches.
LOOKING AHEAD
Catawba (14-2, 4-2 SAC) begins with Tusculum and steps out of conference for a doubleheader with UNC Pembroke the next day. Carlee Brawley's 22 hits, 16 runs scored, and five doubles are a team-high, while six homers and 21 RBI (fifth nationally) by Brittany Ireland lead the Indians. Gracie Gibson has walked 15 times and been hit by 10 pitches (NCAA-best) as well. Brooke Walser is 6-0 across 45 innings pitched with eight starts and four complete games. Meanwhile, Madison Hunter has an earned run average of 1.77 with 41 strikeouts and Division II-leading four saves.
Coker (7-7, 2-4 SAC) will start its week off with Queens on Wednesday and Tusculum is Saturday's destination. Ava Jay and Chloe Pelham are tied for the team lead with 14 hits apiece, both hitting .350 and above. Pelham is also tied for a team-best 11 RBI, alongside Kayla Oswell. The Cobras have a three-pitcher rotation. Jordyn Goodman has the most appearances (12), but Hannah Fisher has worked the most innings (37.1). The latter has the best ERA (3.00) and most strikeouts with 29. Goodman is 2-1 with a pair of saves, while Fisher is 5-2.
Mars Hill (10-9, 1-5 SAC) is scheduled to travel to Lincoln Memorial before hosting Lenoir-Rhyne and Tusculum over the weekend. Maggie Langheim has been the big bat thus far for the Lions, notching 25 hits with six home runs included. She has totaled 19 RBI, 12 runs scored, and four walks on a .424 batting average. Marissa Adame has pitched over half of Mars Hill's innings, completing eight of 10 games started for a collective 65.0 frames. She has a 3.45 ERA and 6-4 record, alongside 104 strikeouts to 27 walks. Her eight complete games are tied for first in Division II, while her strikeout count is nation-leading.
Links to live stats and video for Tusculum University athletic events can be found through tusculumpioneers.com.
ATTENDANCE POLICIES
Catawba has recently updated its outdoor attendance policy. Outdoor venues, other than football, are open to all fans, up to 30% capacity. This includes visiting team fans.
Mars Hill is currently not permitting fans or parents of visiting teams to attend on-campus events.
At this time, no fans of visiting teams are permitted at any Tusculum University venue. The full TU athletic attendance policy can be found here.
