Troy softball started its 2025 season with a 3-2 start at the Trojan Classic. A new-look Trojans roster played host to Central Michigan, Tennessee State, North Texas and Samford as all nine freshmen on the roster saw game action.
After starting the season with wins over Central Michigan and Tennessee State, Troy went 1-2, facing the North Texas and Samford aces. The season started with two huge wins on Friday as Troy improved to 3-0 in season openers under head coach Eric Newell.
The Trojans beat Central Michigan 7-4 and ended the night with an 8-2 victory over Tennessee State. Over the two games, Troy showed its versatility in both speed and power.
“We had big power in the first game and just passed the bat in the second game, so I’m excited about how things went today,” Newell said. “The plan is to be versatile and not be one dimensional.
“We have power and speed, but we also have youth and experienced players as well.”
The Trojans mashed five home runs and stole eight bases on the day. Taylor McKinney hit two homers – numbers 26 and 27 for her career – moving her into eighth place all-time in program history. The Sun Belt Conference Player of the Week now sits five home runs behind Kelly Horne for seventh place.
The Trojans smashed four home runs to open their season with a 7-4 win over Central Michigan. After being no-hit for four innings, the Trojans offense exploded for a five-run fifth inning.
Down 2-0 in the fifth inning, Cassidy Boltz crushed a three-run homer to give Troy a lead it wouldn’t relinquish. She finished the game 1-for-2 with three RBIs. Caiden Oliva, a true freshman from Ponte Vedra, Florida, went 2-for-2 with a home run after entering the game as a pinch hitter.
Mya Holt earned the win, making her first career start as a true freshman. The righty from Wetumpka, Alabama, finished the contest with 5.1 innings pitched, three earned runs, two strikeouts and two walks.
Troy capped off the first day of the season with a dominant 8-2 win over Tennessee State as the offense continued raking. Alyssa Faircloth shut down the Tigers offense, spinning five scoreless innings before allowing a run.
Faircloth was untouchable from the circle, striking out six batters and only allowing four hits over six innings. In her first outing of 2025, the sophomore forced 14 swings and misses.
Over the game, Troy put together a team effort offensively. Four Trojans had multi-hit games, and six recorded an RBI.
After hitting a home run in the first game of the day, McKinney hit a line drive homer as part of a 2-for-3 game. Reaghan Oney went 2-for-2 with two walks, two runs and an RBI.
Sissy Dunn and Makaley Boswell also had two-hit games, knocking in one run apiece.
Troy dropped a 7-3 contest to North Texas on Saturday afternoon. The Trojans struggled to get any offense going after scoring two runs in the first inning.
While the Trojans pitching staff struggled at times, Esmee Ames shined in her first Troy outing. The Florida Southwestern State transfer spun three hitless innings out of the bullpen, striking out one.
Mean Green pitcher Skylar Savage shut the Trojans down, allowing only four hits in the complete game.
Troy ended the Trojan Classic on Sunday with a 6-1 win over Tennessee State and a 12-0 loss to Samford, capping off the first weekend of play before the Cardinal Clash starts next Thursday.
McKinney and McKinnon Howard each finished the day with three hits, as McKinney launched her third home run of the season. The Preseason All-Sun Belt selection is already halfway to her 2024 home run total.
The Trojans kept the lineup turning over in the win over the Tigers, getting 12 hits and relying on a dominant performance from Ames to hold Tennessee State in check.
After twirling three hitless innings against North Texas on Saturday, Ames got the start against the Tigers. She rolled through the Tigers lineup, pitching 6.1 innings, giving up one run and striking out three.
Ames ran her hitless innings streak to five before giving up a hit later in the Tennessee State game.
With the Trojans clinging to a 2-1 lead in the sixth inning, McKinney stepped up to lead off the frame and unloaded on a ball, sending her third homer of the season to left-center field. McKinney is the first Trojan to hit three home runs in the first four games of a season since 2016.
The Trojans dropped the nightcap 12-0 to Samford, who used an eight-run fourth inning to put the game out of reach and seal a run-rule win.
Reese Green and Sarah Beth Brake collected hits, but that was all the offense Troy could muster against Bulldogs pitcher Jordyn Partain.
Troy returns to the diamond on Thursday against Southeast Missouri to start the Cardinal Clash. The tournament is the second straight held at the Troy Softball Complex, and Eastern Illinois, Western Kentucky and Alabama State will join SEMO.
First pitch on Thursday is set for 4:30 p.m.
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