East Tennessee State University’s softball team began its 2026 season with two victories at the Scotsman Invitational in Clinton, South Carolina. The Buccaneers won their opening game against Albany with a score of 8-7 and followed up by defeating Presbyterian 14-1. This marks the first time since 2019 that ETSU has started its season with a 2-0 record.
In the first game against Albany, a senior pitcher secured her second career win, recording three strikeouts over 24 batters and five putouts. The team’s senior catcher contributed four putouts, two assists, and went three-for-four at bat, including one double and three runs batted in (RBI). A senior center fielder led base running efforts with three stolen bases—a personal best—while also going three-for-three at the plate, scoring twice and drawing one walk.
A freshman third baseman made her debut for ETSU by hitting two-for-five with a double and two RBI. The junior second baseman had three putouts, an assist, drew two walks, and scored once. Freshman shortstop Haliey Porter recorded three putouts and two assists along with a double in her collegiate debut. Additionally, a sophomore left fielder matched her career highs by going two-for-four with two RBI and one run scored.
In their second game against Presbyterian, another player hit her first collegiate home run during the third inning while collecting four RBI overall after going two-for-four at bat. She also contributed defensively with two putouts and two assists. Two players each registered seven putouts to set an individual single-game high for the team so far this season; one of them added an RBI after going one-for-three at bat.
Another standout performance came from a player who crossed home plate four times—a single-game high for ETSU through these first games—and went two-for-three with four RBI and drew two walks while adding an assist on defense. Another member of the squad went two-for-four with both an RBI and a run scored plus defensive contributions.
A senior pitcher earned her first win of the season—her fifth across the last two seasons—by striking out three batters over four innings faced against 18 opponents. A sophomore pitcher also saw action in relief, striking out four hitters across three innings facing ten batters.
The Buccaneers are scheduled to continue play on Saturday, February 14th in back-to-back games against Albany at 10:00 a.m., followed by Mercyhurst at 12:15 p.m., both taking place at PC Softball Complex.
