NASHVILLE – The Tennessee State Tiger softball team (18-24-1) have enjoyed a renaissance year, earning them their first Ohio Valley Conference tournament berth since 2001. Head coach Genee McRath and her staff contribute their surge to a demanding pre-conference schedule, including a trip to Austin, Texas, for a tournament where they faced three teams that made it to the NCAA tournament 2022. In the tournament, they defeated the reigning Ivy Champion Princeton Tigers.

The Tigers started the season fast, sweeping the four-game River City Classic. To start the OVC campaign, they traveled to Lindenwood and swept them in a three-game series. It was their first conference sweep since an April 28-29, 2007, series against Eastern Kentucky. The 3-0 start is the best in OVC history for Tennessee State. In the next game, TSU defeated the SEMO Redhawks to start the OVC at 4-0. The victory broke a 14-game losing streak to SEMO, and it was the first home win over the Redhawks since April 3, 2005. So far this year, the Tigers are the only OVC team to beat SEMO.

"We played a tough schedule to prepare us for OVC play," said McRath. "The Texas trip helped us to rely on each and bond on and off the field. It helped us not to get too high or too low. It gave us the confidence to start 4-0 against OVC opponents. We still have work to do, but we are excited to earn a postseason berth."

TSU has also broken losing streaks against UT-Martin (18 games) and Tennessee Tech (seven games). Both games happened away from Tiger Field, where they earned a 14-14-1 record (5-5 neutral sites). Defensively, the Tigers have been solid behind the pitching of sophomore Caitlyn Manus (13-13) and freshman Holly Ayala (5-13). They are ranked ninth in the country with a .51 per game rate in turning double plays. They have turned 22 to lead the conference.

TSU batters are getting hot at the right time. This past weekend, sophomore Mikayla Duke batted .625, reaching base nine times in three games. She is now hitting .286 in conference games. In the Sunday victory over Tennessee Tech, the Tigers scored 15 runs, the most this season by any OVC team. Every player that played either scored a run or knocked in one. Junior Peyton Fointno and freshman Onnika Spencer each had five RBI in the game.

Spencer has been solid all season. The backstop from Murfreesboro, Tennessee, leads the team with eight home runs and 30 RBI. Sophomore Ryla Traylor is the team leader in batting average at .309. The left side of the infield of third basemen Anayah Baker-Rowell and shortstop Nahtali Simpson are threats at the plate and in the field. Baker-Rowell is a perfect 10-for-10 in stolen bases, and Simpson is batting .271 in conference games.

All in all, the season has been a rollercoaster. After their final series this weekend against Morehead State, they will turn their sights to Oxford, Alabama, the home of the OVC tournament. They will try to break another streak and win their first postseason game there.