Skyhawks Begin Final Month Of Season at Home Against Tennessee Tech

Date (Time): Sat., Apr. 12 (2:30 p.m.); Sun., Apr. 13 (12 p.m., DH)
Location (Stadium): Martin, Tenn. (Bettye Giles Field)
UTM Record: 14-20, 6-8 OVC
UTM Last 5 Games: 3-2 (LWWLW)
Opponent (Record): Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles (12-26, 4-11 OVC)
Last 5 Games: 2-3 (WLLLW)
Head Coach (Alma Mater): Danielle Penner (California [PA], 1998)
Record (Seas.) Overall/TTU: 445-304 (15th)/ 41-94 (3rd)
TV/Streaming: ESPN+ (PxP: Chris Brinkley; Analyst: Eddie Suiter)
UTM vs. TTU: Series tied 49-49

The University of Tennessee at Martin softball team begins the final stretch of the season Saturday and Sunday at home against Tennessee Tech in a pivotal three-game Ohio Valley Conference series. The two teams will play a single game Saturday at 2:30 p.m., followed by a doubleheader Sunday at Noon.
On Saturday, the Skyhawks will partner with the Alzheimer's Association for their AlzTogether game to raise awareness about the devastating disease in the hope of one day ending Alzheimer's for good. Before the game, the Skyhawks will be joined by Dr. Jan Knox, Ms. Linda Busby, Amy Gammel and Parker Reed to throw out the ceremonial first pitch.
After several schedule changes and a venue change, the Skyhawks won both games of a doubleheader against Morehead State on Monday at Bettye Giles Field. The opening game of the series, scheduled for Sunday, was canceled due to poor field conditions. UT Martin scored 20 runs on 23 hits over the two-game span, winning 11-2 in five innings in game one and 9-5 in game two. On Tuesday, however, the Skyhawks ran into a buzz-saw in the form of 19^th-ranked Ole Miss and lost 12-0 in five innings in Oxford.
The Skyhawks are batting .248 as a unit on the year and are led by Alli Robinson at .337. Robinson also leads her team with 30 RBIs, 32 hits, eight doubles and six home runs. In the circle, UT Martin has a team ERA of 450, while opponents hit .298 against them. Ashtyn Green has been the go-to for the Skyhawks at pitcher so far this season, as she is 7-6 with a save, a team-low ERA of 2.80, 30 strikeouts compared to just 16 walks, and an opponent's batting average of .313.
Tennessee Tech enters the weekend at 12-26 overall and 4-11 in OVC play. The Golden Eagles were swept at home last weekend by Tennessee Tech but bounced back Tuesday with a 7-1 win over Georgia State in Cookeville.
Tennessee Tech is batting .262 on the season, while opponents are hitting .285 against them. Abby Shoulders currently leads the way for Tennessee Tech, batting a team-high .340 to go along with 22 stolen bases, five doubles, a triple and 11 home runs. She is currently the 21^st toughest player to strike out in Division I, striking out just three times total this season for an average of one strikeout per every 35.3 at-bats.
As a pitching staff, the Golden Eagles have an ERA of 3.91, are striking out 4.43 batters over seven innings, have a WHIP of 1.79, and a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 1.21:1. Emily York leads Golden Eagles at 6-6 on the year with an ERA of 3.22 and 51 strikeouts compared to just 22 walks.
The series between the Skyhawks and the Golden Eagles is dead even after 98 games between the two teams with each team winning 49. Outside of a loss last year in Cookeville, UT Martin has won 10 of the 11 meetings between the two teams and 20 of the last 23.
Dylan Scott will enter the weekend on a six-game hitting streak, which is currently tied for the longest of the season by a Skyhawk. Kennedy and Kyrsten Brown each saw their six-game hit streaks come to an end Tuesday, when they went hitless at Ole Miss. Scott is also currently on an eight-game reached base streak needing just three more games to tie Alli Robinson for the longest such streak of the season.
One of UT Martin's strong suits this season has been its effectiveness on the base paths. The Skyhawks are averaging 2.21 stolen bases per game, which leads the OVC and is the 16th-best average in Division I. Kyla Harley leads the way for UT Matin in swiped bags at 20-for-22 on the year and boasts the 26^th-best stolen base percentage in the country at .909 and 32^nd-best average in stolen bases per game at 0.59.
Two UT Martin pitchers are currently among the nation's best in strikeouts and allowing walks. Natalie Kreuziger is second in the OVC and 88^th in the nation in strikeouts per seven innings at 7.0, while Ashtyn Green leads the league and has the 49^th-best average in Division I for walks per seven innings at 1.51.
Defensively, the Skyhawks have the second-best fielding percentage in the OVC and the 88th-best in the country at .966. UT Martin has not committed an error in the last four consecutive games and just one in the last five.

Skyhawks Begin Final Month Of Season at Home Against Tennessee Tech

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Players Mentioned

Kyrsten Brown

Ashtyn Green

Kyla Harley

Natalie Kreuziger

Alli Robinson

Dylan Scott