Softball 4/5/2019 10:35:00 AM Jordan Alves

Lady Tigers travel to Pikeville for crucial four-game Mid-South Conference series

PIKEVILLE, Ky. — Riding a 13-game win streak over University of Pikeville, the 13^th-ranked Lady Tigers will meet the Bears for a crucial Mid-South Conference series this weekend.

Campbellsville (19-4, 5-1 MSC) and Pikeville (19-11, 2-4 MSC) meet on Saturday and Sunday for a pair of doubleheaders. Saturday's slate starts at 2 p.m. ET and Sunday is a 1:00 first pitch.

All four games will air on the CU Sports Network.

Campbellsville hasn't lost to Pikeville since the series finale in 2015 and has won 33 of the last 34 meetings between the two dating back to the start of the 2009 season. But the Lady Tigers tripped up against Shawnee State on Monday by falling in the final game of that doubleheader, 12-10, after getting down 10-0 early in the game.

Mid-South Conference Standings:

Only four programs have played all eight schedule contests early in MSC play. Lindsey Wilson leads the way at 8-0, while Campbellsville is currently second at 5-1.
Shawnee State holds down the No. 3 spot, while University of the Cumberlands and Georgetown are both tied for fourth at 4-4.
Pikeville is sixth at 2-4, Kentucky Christian is seventh at 1-5 and Cumberland University is 0-8 to round out the standings.

Tori Humphrey is starting to swing it!

After only tallying five hits in the first 15 games of the year, Humphrey is starting to see the ball better the last eight games.
In that span of eight games, Humphrey is 14-of-20 (.700) with six home runs and has drove in 20 runs.
Humphrey has upped her average from .125 the first 15 games to now .297 in a span of three weeks.

Riley Hurst is starting to show power:

The freshman from Tennessee is one of only two Lady Tigers that have started every game at their original defensive spot (Ryleigh Oldham, RF).
But she's moved up the batting order in recent weeks and is riding a five-game hitting streak. In that five-game span, Hurst is 10-of-16 (.625) with nine RBI and three home runs.
Since tallying a career-high seven RBI against Culver-Stockton on March 2, Hurst has hit safely in 10 of the last 12 games and upper her average from .214 to .379 in the span.
Hurst and Humphrey are now tied for the team-high with 26 RBI on the season.

Hannah Judd takes over early batting title:

Another freshman has been on a roll lately. Judd, a rookie from Greensburg, Ky., leads the Lady Tigers by hitting .439 on the season.
Her freshman year started slow as well but then took off after picking up her first multi-hit game vs. Houston-Victoria on March 2.
Since the Gulf Coast Invitational, Judd has upped her average from .167 to .439. In that span, she's hit safely in 11 of the last 13 games and is hitting 20-of-36 (.555). In the last four games, she's 10-for-12.

Pitching Staff breakdown:

The pressure was mounted on Morgan Gailor's back after freshman righty Aleigha Talsma went down with an injury two weeks ago.
Since the injury, Gailor has thrown 15 innings in two starts and a relief appearance. She's allowed only five earned runs in those 15 innings while striking out 12.
Karson Williams has the best outing of her career vs. union on March 26 tossing a three-hitter in her first-career start. But she didn't make it out of the third inning vs. Shawnee State earlier this week, allowing eight runs.
The Lady Tigers also have Payton Blades that has thrown seven innings on the year but all three – Gailor, Williams and Blades – will have to step up in the absence of Talsma.

Make-up series vs. Shawnee State is rescheduled:

After only playing two of the four-game series against Shawnee State on Monday, the Lady Tigers and Bears have two make-up games to put on the docket.
Coach Shannon Wathen announced on Friday morning that the two would make those games up on Wednesday, April 24 at Portsmouth High School. First Pitch is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. ET.

CU to recognize coach Shannon Wathen for 600 wins:

The Lady Tigers are hosting Georgetown on Tuesday, April 9 and the Campbellsville University athletics department will honor coach Shannon Wathen before the doubleheader for eclipsing the 600-win barrier at CU.
The Lady Tigers beat Brescia 7-0 on Feb. 26 for Coach Wathen's 600^thwin.

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Players Mentioned

#17 Morgan Gailor: RHP; 5' 7"; Senior; Louisville, Ky.

#9 Tori Humphrey: 3B; 5' 8"; Junior; Paducah, Ky.

#21 Ryleigh Oldham: RF; 5' 5"; Sophomore; Madisonville, Ky.

#14 Karson Williams: LHP; 5' 5"; Sophomore; Bowling Green, Ky.

#6 Hannah Judd: INF.; 5' 4"; Freshman; Greensburg, Ky.

#2 Payton Blades: RHP/UTIL; 5' 5"; Freshman; Island, Ky.

#1 Riley Hurst: SS; 5' 11"; Freshman; Baxter, Tenn.

#7 Aleigha Talsma: RHP; 5' 7"; Freshman; Hudsonville, Mich.

Players Mentioned

#17 Morgan Gailor
: 5' 7"; Senior; Louisville, Ky.
: RHP

#9 Tori Humphrey
: 5' 8"; Junior; Paducah, Ky.
: 3B

#21 Ryleigh Oldham
: 5' 5"; Sophomore; Madisonville, Ky.
: RF

#14 Karson Williams
: 5' 5"; Sophomore; Bowling Green, Ky.
: LHP

#6 Hannah Judd
: 5' 4"; Freshman; Greensburg, Ky.
: INF.

#2 Payton Blades
: 5' 5"; Freshman; Island, Ky.
: RHP/UTIL

#1 Riley Hurst
: 5' 11"; Freshman; Baxter, Tenn.
: SS

#7 Aleigha Talsma
: 5' 7"; Freshman; Hudsonville, Mich.
: RHP