RUSTON – The Louisiana Tech Softball team looks to get back in the win column when it hosts Missouri State for a four-game weekend series beginning at 6 p.m. on Friday.
SERIES INFORMATION
Date/Time: Feb. 23, 6 p.m. | Feb. 24, 1 p.m. (DH) | Feb. 25. 11 a.m.
Location: Dr. Billy Bundrick Field (Ruston, La.)
Radio Broadcast: Listen
Stats: LATechSports.com/Stats
ABOUT LOUISIANA TECH (6-1)
Louisiana Tech is 6-1 this season and coming off a 9-3 loss at UL-Lafayette in a game that featured a season-high four errors from the Bulldogs' infield.
Claire Raley paced LA Tech offensively, going 2-4 at the plate with a single, a home run, 2 RBI, and two runs scored. Raley's two-run round-tripper came in the top of the fifth when she smashed a 1-0 pitch from the Ragin' Cajuns Chloe Riassetto over the wall in the right-center field.
Nicole Hammoude drove in the Bulldogs' first run of the ballgame with an RBI single to right-center that scored Raley in the top of the first.
Alexis Gilio,
Kaylee Grealy,
Kylie Neel, and
Alannah Rogers also recorded a hit in the loss.
Through seven games this season, the Bulldogs have outscored opponents 62-19, totaling 66 hits, 17 doubles, and six home runs. Louisiana Tech has homered in five consecutive games, their longest streak since March 19-April 1, 2022, when they homered in seven straight games.
Caroline Easom has been on fire offensively this season. Easom leads the Bulldogs with a .529 batting average and .636 on-base percentage. She has collected nine hits, three doubles, two RBI, five walks, five runs scored and 12 total bases.
Raley leads the Bulldogs with three home runs. She is just one shy of her single-season high of four, which she set in 2023 at Utah State. Gilio has also been impressive at the top of the LA Tech order, posting a .500 batting average with eight hits, three RBI, and three runs scored while batting in the No. 2 spot in the order.
Easom and Hammoude have reached base in all seven games this season, while
Alannah Rogers and
Alexis Gilio are on six-game reached base streaks.
Louisiana Tech has excelled in the circle in 2024. The Bulldogs have recorded a 2.07 team earned run average and .95 WHIP as opponents are hitting .204 against the Bulldogs' pitching staff this season.
Allie Floyd leads LA Tech in innings pitched (18.0) and strikeouts (17) this season while owning a 1.56 ERA. She also holds a 2-0 record.
Brook Melnychuk has been impressive as well. The redshirt junior holds a 1.91 ERA in 18.2 innings pitched. Opposing hitters are batting .212 against her. She was recently named Conference USA Pitcher of the Week on Feb. 19.
LA Tech is led by head coach
Josh Taylor, who is 77-45 in three seasons at Tech and 310-213 in his career, with prior stops at Nevada (2017-2021) and Feather River College (2009-2012).
ABOUT MISSOURI STATE (2-6)
Missouri State is 2-6 this season. The Bears opened the 2024 campaign at the NFCA Leadoff Classic in Clearwater, Fla., where they posted a 1-4 mark with an extra-innings win over Army (9-6, 8 inn.) and losses to Clemson (12-0, 5 inn.) WKU (1-0), NC State (4-3) and Oregon (8-0). Last weekend the Bears went 1-2 in a three-game series at Southern Miss with a 3-2 win in game one before dropping the final two contests 9-2 and 4-3.
As a team, Missouri State is batting .189 with 37 hits, five doubles, three home runs, 17 RBI, 19 walks and 20 runs scored this season.
Standout senior third baseman Olivia Krehbiel is the most dangerous player in the Missouri State lineup. Krehbiel has a team-best .350 batting average along with seven hits, one homer, two RBI and three runs scored. Senior Outfielder Annie Muller leads the Bears with five RBI this season. She is batting .235 with four hits including a home run and a double.
In the circle, the Bears hold a 5.28 team ERA and have allowed 46 runs this season. Gracie Johnston leads MO State in innings pitched (23.0) and is 0-6 with a team-best 4.24 ERA. Mackenzie Chacon has accounted for both of the MSU wins in the circle, she is 2-0 with a 6.11 ERA this season.
Holly Hesse is in her 36
th and final season at the helm for Missouri State with a career record of 905-863. Hesse announced her retirement effective at the end of the season on Oct. 23, 2023.
SERIES HISTORY
This weekend will be the 14th meeting between the two programs. LA Tech leads the all-time series 8-5. The Bulldogs won the last matchup 8-4 on Feb. 10, 2019 in Gulf Shores, Ala. Mary Terral hit a three-run home run in the win.
TICKETS
Season and single-game tickets are on sale and can be purchased at
LATechSports.com/Tickets or by calling the LA Tech Ticket Office at (318) 257-3631.
CLEAR BAG POLICY
Clear bags are required at all Louisiana Tech athletic events.
SOCIAL MEDIA
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