Softball to host Southeast Missouri

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. - Despite two days of heavy rain and storms, the Middle Tennessee softball is set to play its Thursday doubleheader with Southeast Missouri State. First pitch will be thrown out at 4 p.m.

"It has been a rough week for us because of the weather," head coach Sue Nevar said. "We have the tarp secured on the infield and hopefully the outfield will not be too saturated for Thursday's game. We need to play a couple games this week, so we do not have a full week before playing an important series with Western Kentucky next week."

Thursday's doubleheader was originally scheduled to be played on Tuesday, but wet field conditions caused the contests to be moved. Wednesday's game with Tennessee State was canceled because of storms.

The Blue Raiders are in desperate need of strong play as their 2011 campaign nears a close. The team currently sits in eighth in the league standings, just a game ahead of North Texas for the final qualifying position. Middle Tennessee has three crucial conference games with WKU next weekend as they wrap up 2011 Sun Belt play.

Middle Tennessee is 16-28 on the year, 7-14 in Sun Belt games. Corrie Abel still leads the team at the plate with a .381 off 51hits. Her 14 doubles on the season is second-most in the league.

Entering the two-game set, Southeast Missouri State holds a 26-15 advantage. The last meeting between the two teams came in 2008, with the squad splitting a doubleheader in Cape Girardeau, Mo.

This year, the Redhawks boast a 22-24 record overall, including a 14-10 mark in the OVC. The squad holds a combined .288 average, while slugging .417 as a team. Carmen Fowler leads the team with a .413 batting average off 59 hits. Her 17 extra-base knocks have given left her with a .580 slugging percentage and 35 RBIs. Four players on the team have a slugging percentage above .500.

With Thursday's doubleheader and next Tuesday's scheduled series with UT-Martin, the Blue Raiders will have four consecutive games verses the Ohio Valley Conference. Middle Tennessee holds a 185-122-1 all-time record when facing teams from the OVC. In 2011, the Blue Raiders are 3-2 against the Ohio Valley, having defeated Murray State twice and Jacksonville State once at home.

Live audio and statistics for Thursday's doubleheader will be available on GoBlueRaiders.com with updates and interviews on Twitter.com/MT_Softball.

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