Middle Tennessee State University welcomes local youth softball teams to games throughout the season to get the chance to meet the Blue Raiders. This past weekend the Living Legends 10-under team surrounded one player after the game in particular, first baseman Ava Tepe. 

Tepe, a senior from Cincinatti, Ohio, led Middle Tennessee over the last four years behind the plate. 

With Tepe cheering on her teammates any chance she gets, there’s rarely a quiet moment during an MTSU softball game. Some of her favorite phrases include, “here we go,” and “that’s a great pitch, way to work.”  

Tepe led by example for four seasons, bringing the same energy every day and carrying the hard work mentality of first one in and last one out, head coach Jeff Breeden said.  

Tepe started at MTSU as one of three catchers on the roster and within a month of the regular season became the everyday catcher for the Blue Raiders. The freshman went on to play in 33 games and hit .206 on the year.  

“We knew that she was going to be good for us and once she got here, we couldn’t keep her out of the lineup,” Breeden said.  

Since becoming a staple on the lineup card, Tepe appeared in 188 games out of 220 which is 85% of her career at MTSU.  

During MTSU’s Conference USA tournament run in 2023, Tepe struggled at the plate early on. In the championship game against North Texas, Tepe got her first two hits of the tournament. With the second hit coming in the sixth inning on a single to center field driving in a run.  

MTSU went on to win the conference title and make a run in the NCAA tournament where the Blue Raiders were a game away from making the NCAA Super Regionals. Tepe caught all 33 innings Middle Tennessee played and got hit by four pitches.  

Another one of Tepe’s best moments came against No. 19 Mississippi State this year where she stepped up to the plate with two outs in the top of the seventh inning. With a 0-2 count, Tepe blooped a ball into shallow left field to drive in the winning run.  

It was Middle Tennessee first ranked win since beating Alabama in the 2023 NCAA tournament.  

“It took every single person, and it took everything we had from our heart to win those games,” Tepe said. 
“It’s so beautiful to see each of my teammates working their butts off and then it pays off and then it’s amazing.”  

In the final home weekend of the season, Tepe hit three of six at the plate with a two-run homer in the second game of the series against UTEP.  

Tepe finished her career with a .220 batting average, 100 hits and the school record for hits by a pitch with 40 along with a CUSA championship.  

“Every day, I’m just so grateful, so grateful to be here and I’m beyond blessed to have this team and coaches,” Tepe said.