MURFREESBORO, Tenn.—Middle Tennessee State (21-31, 7-18) got a great performance from a multitude of players that were donning the blue and white for one final time Sunday afternoon. After falling behind 3-0 to start the game, third baseman Claire Czajkowski ripped a double to right-center field in her final career at-bat to plate starting pitcher Kamryn Carcich, who also doubled in her final at-bat, to cap off the comeback and give the Blue Raiders a 4-3 lead, a lead which they didn't give up to take the series against New Mexico State (28-23, 13-11) in a 4-3 win.

"I was proud of all of our seniors, today," said Middle Tennessee State Head Coach Jeff Breeden. "They all contributed, and it was their day today. They showed they had a lot of energy about them and got the job done. (Carcich) was good and I thought the way we methodically got back into the game with a run here and a run there was good."

Both teams got off to a quick start. New Mexico State outfielder Devin Elam hit her second home run of the series; a three-run shot gave the Aggies a 3-0 lead. MTSU shortstop Shelby Echols placed a bunt single in no-man's land between the pitcher, catcher and third baseman and was brought around to score on Amaya Harris' second triple and 22^nd RBI of the season to make it 3-1 at the end of the opening frame.

MTSU catcher Ansley Blevins recorded her third RBI of the series on a sacrifice fly to centerfield that enabled Shelby Echols to score her second run of the game to make it 3-2. Echols collected her first RBI of the game on a sacrifice fly to centerfield that tied the game at three in the bottom of the fourth prior to Czajkowski's go-ahead RBI in the fifth.

Echols finished the afternoon 2-for-3 with a pair of runs scored and an RBI in her final game with the Blue Raiders.

"(Today) was really good," Echols said. "I was struggling a bit at the plate in the first two games, so I just wanted to leave it all out there today. (MTSU) has meant a lot to me. Before I got here, I was really struggling, mentally, with having fun playing softball. This place gave me a new opportunity and let me love softball again, so I was grateful for the opportunity to play here."

Amaya Harris also had a memorable final performance, going 2-for-3 with an RBI and a walk at the top of the lineup.

Carcich tossed six straight scoreless innings, retiring 14 straight from the second through sixth innings to win her 14^th game of the year and finish her 13^th complete game.

Middle Tennessee recognized eight players for Senior Day ceremonies including: Savannah Behabetz, Kamryn Carcich, Amaya Harris, Shelby Sargent, Shelby Echols, Ashlee Jacoway, Claire Czajkowski and Keri Munn.

Kamryn Carcich and Keri Munn both battled in the circle for the Blue Raiders. Carcich was the ace of the Blue Raider staff, yet also tied the program record for saves in a career with eight. The Ocean Springs, Mississippi, native tossed a no-hitter against Appalachian State in 2023 and led the Blue Raiders in wins, complete games, innings pitched, starts in the circle and saves in 2024.

Munn appeared in 37 games and made 23 starts. The right-hander allowed just one run in 6.1 innings in the conference semifinal matchup against Charlotte, last season, helping send the Blue Raiders to the conference title game.

Amaya Harris, Shelby Sargent and Savannah Behabetz were all integral parts of a great outfield unit the Blue Raiders have boasted over the past several seasons. Harris amassed 181 hits in her career including a 20-game hitting streak in 2024, the third highest in the country this year. The Georgia native sported a .972 career fielding percentage and had 37 assists while saving a countless amount of runs with some spectacular catches in her career.

Shelby Sargent joined Harris in the outfield as the everyday centerfielder. The Murfreesboro native led Conference USA with five triples in 2023 and earned the Tournament MVP, proving to be a pivotal member of the 2023 conference championship team. She joins Amaya Harris as one of just two players in program history to start five career games in the NCAA Tournament.

Savannah Behabetz proved to be one of the better defensive outfielders for Middle Tennessee in her career. The native Texan didn't commit one single error in 71 games played in her career. Behabetz started in 54 games a year ago.

In the infield, MTSU will lose three players in Shelby Echols, Claire Czajkowski and
Ashlee Jacoway. Echols was the second baseman as a member of the 2023 Conference Championship team and shifted to shortstop this season, starting in all 52 games. Echols finished with a career batting average in the .320's and stole 40 bases in two years as a Blue Raider.

Czajkowski and Jacoway both contributed as corner infielders. Both Murfreesboro natives, Czajkowski played in the hot corner while Jacoway played first base. Jacoway, the former Oakland Patriot, appeared in a career-high 25 games this season and had a career-best performance against the Montana Grizzlies in 2023, scoring three runs on two hits in the season opener. Czajkowski enjoyed a three-RBI weekend while starting at third base against rival Western Kentucky in 2024.

"(The senior's career's) have meant a lot," Breeden said. "If you just go back to last year, it was phenomenal finishing 23^rd in the country. They were all instrumental in that. I'm just really happy that for them, we finished things off on a good note."

By the Numbers:

57: The number of hits senior Shelby Echols finished the season with following her two hits in the season finale. That output is good enough for the team-high and a top-ten spot in Conference USA.

8: The MTSU program record for saves, held by Trish White and senior Kamryn Carcich following her save in game two.
   
Follow the Blue Raiders
Follow Middle Tennessee Softball on social media on Facebook (Blue Raider Softball), Twitter (@MT_Softball) and Instagram (@mt_softball).