Softball 5/2/2019 10:05:00 AM CU Athletics

Lady Tiger softball opens Mid-South Conference Tournament against Pikeville on Friday

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — The 2019 Mid-South Conference Softball Championship gets underway on Friday at Michael Buchanon Park and Lady Tiger softball will play University of Pikeville in the opening round.

Two-seeded Campbellsville and seventh-seeded Pikeville will play at 1:30 p.m. ET to open the tournament. The winner will advance into Friday night's 6:30 matchup against the winner of University of the Cumberlands and Shawnee State.

The loser falls to the consolation bracket and will face elimination against either Cumberlands or Shawnee State.

All games throughout the championship will air on the Campbellsville University Sports Network – www.campbellsvilletigers.com/watch.

Lady Tigers vs. UPIKE

Campbellsville and Pikeville met in early April and the Lady Tigers won three of four games.
CU won 10-1, lost 7-6, won 5-0 and won 16-4 in the regular season series.
Morgan Gailor was the pitcher of record in three of the four games. She earned a pair of wins and a loss in relief. Anna Wantz picked up her first-career win in the finale as well.
Offensively, Payton Blades had a stellar week by going 10-for-18 at the plate, drove in six runs, and hit three home runs in the series.
Since the 2006 season, the Lady Tigers boast a 40-5 record against UPIKE.
The longest win streak was set at 19 games for Campbellsville from 2009 to 2015.
While playing at home, the Lady Tigers are 19-2 and 20-3 on the road.
The two have only met in the MSC Tournament once and the Lady Tigers won 2-1 on April 29, 2017.

Mid-South Conference History:

Campbellsville has won the regular season a record eight times and the Lady Tigers have earned the No. 1 seed in the tournament seven times, with four of those turning into tournament championships.
Overall, the regular season champion has also won the tournament title only 10 of the 19 years.
The Lady Tigers have won the MSC Tournament five times – 2018, 2016, 2008, 2007 and 2006.

Season Notes:

Campbellsville is entering the MSC Tournament losing four of its last five games and five of the last seven.
After climbing up to as high as No. 11 in the NAIA Rankings, the Lady Tigers started the year 28-6 overall before the last two weeks of the regular season.
The CU offense is led by four freshmen – Lexi Miller, Payton Blades, Hannah Judd and Riley Hurst.
Miller leads CU with a .366 average, while Blades is hitting .354 overall with 10 home runs and 37 RBI. In MSC play, Blades is tearing it up by hitting .414 with nine of her 10 home runs and driving in 25. She's also 1-1 in the circle with a 1.81 ERA in 31 innings pitched.
Hannah Judd is hitting .345 with seven home runs but is 8-of-37 in the last 13 games. Her average has dropped from .411 to .345 in the span.
Hurst is hitting .331 and is tied for the team-lead with 11 home runs and leads CU with 45 RBI. Hurst's average had climbed to as high .386 but is 4-of-27 in the last eight games entering the MSC Tournament.

Veteran leadership:

The Lady Tigers have won the MSC Tournament twice in the last three years and many upperclassmen have played vital roles on those championship squads.
Morgan Gailor and Kelly Wheeler are the lone two seniors. Gailor is 15-6 on the year with a 2.58 ERA. Her 15 wins lead the MSC.
Juniors Mia Aldridge and Tori Humphrey have also played vital roles the last three seasons. Aldridge is a career .320 hitter with 19 home runs the last three seasons. Humphrey, an All-American, is a career .384 hitter with 29 home runs and 128 RBI.
Sophomore catcher Ryley Whitney is hitting .308 on the year with nine home runs and is playing right down the road from her hometown of Scottsville, Ky.

MSC Tournament Seeds:

No. 1 Lindsey Wilson (42-2, 21-1 MSC)
No. 2 Campbellsville (30-11, 16-8 MSC)
No. 3 Cumberlands (29-19, 17-11 MSC)
No. 4 Georgetown (25-19, 12-10 MSC)
No. 5 Cumberland (25-20, 11-15 MSC)
No. 6 Shawnee State (21-20, 8-16 MSC)
No. 7 Pikeville (28-22, 7-15 MSC)
No. 8 Kentucky Christian (22-29, 4-20 MSC)

Print Friendly Version

Players Mentioned

#4 Mia Aldridge: LF; 5' 7"; Junior; Lawrenceburg, Ky.

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

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

#18 Kelly Wheeler: 2B; 5' 0"; Senior; Fisherville, Ky.

#15 Ryley Whitney: C; 5' 9"; Sophomore; Scottsville, Ky.

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

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

#3 Lexi Miller: OF; 5' 7"; Freshman; Madisonville, Ky.

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

#25 Anna Wantz: IF; 5' 6"; Freshman; Goodlettsville, Tenn.

Players Mentioned

#4 Mia Aldridge
: 5' 7"; Junior; Lawrenceburg, Ky.
: LF

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

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

#18 Kelly Wheeler
: 5' 0"; Senior; Fisherville, Ky.
: 2B

#15 Ryley Whitney
: 5' 9"; Sophomore; Scottsville, Ky.
: C

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

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

#3 Lexi Miller
: 5' 7"; Freshman; Madisonville, Ky.
: OF

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

#25 Anna Wantz
: 5' 6"; Freshman; Goodlettsville, Tenn.
: IF