JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (April 11, 2025) – East Tennessee State University softball will host its last games at Betty Basler Field in April when it welcomes Mercer to Johnson City.
Gameday Central vs. Mercer
Game 1
DATE: Saturday, April 12
TIME: 1 p.m.
LOCATION: Johnson City, Tenn.
LIVE STATS:
StatBroadcast
TWITTER/X:
@ETSUSoftball
Game 2
DATE: Saturday, April 12
TIME: 3 p.m.
LOCATION: Johnson City, Tenn.
LIVE STATS:
StatBroadcast
TWITTER/X:
@ETSUSoftball
Game 3
DATE: Sunday, April 13
TIME: 1 p.m.
LOCATION: Johnson City, Tenn.
LIVE STATS:
StatBroadcast
TWITTER/X:
@ETSUSoftball
The Bucs come into the weekend looking to snap a six-game skid after being swept in the nonconference finale on Tuesday against Gardner-Webb.
Cameron Young has been a bright spot in the Buccaneers' lineup throughout the season. The Knoxville, Tenn., native has totaled 52 hits and a .441/.518/568 slash line. Her hits, batting average and on-base percentage are all second in the conference and rank 43rd, 44th and 69th nationally, respectively. The ETSU career record holder in doubles, she leads the squad with nine on the season, along with a team-best 26 RBI and 24 runs scored.
ETSU had strong appearances at the plate from the freshman duo of
Whitney Boone and
Eden Muncy in the doubleheader against Gardner-Webb. Boone hit her first career homer on a solo shot to left field, and Muncy notched her first collegiate hit on a double to center.
Junior catcher and Grand Canyon transfer
Leinani Lutu has made an instant impact behind the plate. Her 19 runners caught stealing ranks second in the country and leads the SoCon. Junior pitcher
Marissa Barnes has stacked solid outings for ETSU as of late, including two of her three wins on the season in the last two weeks, and back-to-back appearances without allowing a walk. She now has a 4.17 ERA in 43.2 IP.
Mercer enters at 20-21 (1-7 SoCon). The Bears had a conference game canceled against Chattanooga, and tallied their lone conference win at Samford. However, Mercer's schedule is highlighted by an upset win over No. 15 Georgia in Athens to open the month of April, along with a neutral site win over Illinois in February.
Tori Hedgecock leads the Bears with ten home runs and 37 RBI, which rank second and fourth in the conference, respectively. Hallie Langford has added a team best 11 doubles, along with 19 stolen bases, the latter of which ranks third in the SoCon. Mercer has three pitchers with an ERA under 4.00, led by Gabby Ellis with a 3.07 mark through 68.1 IP.
For more information on Buccaneer softball, follow @ETSUSoftball on X (Twitter), @etsubucssoftball on Instagram and visit ETSUBucs.com.
