OXFORD, Miss. — Entering the weekend winning eight of its last nine games, the 12th-ranked Lady Vol softball team travels to Oxford, Mississippi, for a three-game set against the Ole Miss Rebels. UT’s final road series of the regular season runs Saturday to Monday at the Ole Miss Softball Complex.
Saturday’s series opener is scheduled for a 5 p.m. ET first pitch and will be streamed online via SEC Network+. Sunday and Monday’s action will be televised on the SEC Network at 6 p.m. and 7 p.m., respectively, with Pam Ward (play-by-play) and Jenny Dalton-Hill (analyst) set to call the linear broadcasts from Oxford.
Voice of the Lady Vols softball team Brian Rice will host an audio broadcast for all three games, available for listening on UTSports.com and locally in Knoxville on AM 990 and FM 99.1 (Sunday only).
POWER ON DISPLAY: Tennessee wrapped up non-conference play at Liberty on Wednesday, mashing three home runs off the bats of Kiki Milloy, Rylie West and Zaida Puni on the way to a 7-2 victory over the Flames. The Lady Vols have hit three or more homers in 10 games this season, outscoring opponents 84-14 in those contests.
CHALLENGE ACCEPTED: The Lady Vols hosted the 2022 Lady Vol Challenge last week and rounded out an undefeated weekend with a 9-1 run-rule victory over ECU in the tournament finale. UT posted 12 hits, including six for extra bases, with McKenna Gibson and Rylie West each mashing two-run homers.
Lady Vol senior Ashley Rogers opened the Lady Vol Challenge with the 15th perfect game in program history, retiring 15 consecutive East Carolina batters in the 8-0 run-rule win. She fanned a season-high 12 batters, striking out the side three times in five innings pitched.
Between its two victories over the Pirates, Tennessee picked up a 4-2 win over SoCon front runner UNC Greesnboro. Graduate lefty Erin Edmoundson racked up 10 Ks against the Spartans for her third double-digit strikeout effort this season.
LOVIN’ THE LONG BALL: Tennessee’s 76 home runs this season are the most for the program in a single season since hitting 100 in 2015. Tennessee’s 1.62 home runs per game rank fourth in the SEC and 12th in the country this year, and UT touts a 19-2 record when hitting two or more homers in a game in 2022.
WE LOVE FREE BASES: The Lady Vols lead the SEC with 78 HBP this season, led by career record holder Ashley Morgan who ranks second in the league with 16 HBP. Ivy Davis (15), Kiki Milloy (13) and McKenna Gibson (10) each sit inside the conference’s top 10 in HBP this season, and UT is the only program in the country with four players sporting 10-plus HBP in 2022.
STANDINGS UPDATE: With two weekends of conference play remaining, the Lady Vols check in at third in the standings with an 11-6 record against SEC opponents. Arkansas (14-4) and Alabama (14-7) hold the top two spots in the league, while Georgia (10-8) and LSU (10-8) are tied for fourth, battling for a No. 4 seed that will earn a double bye at the SEC Tournament.
TOP-NOTCH OFFENSE: Tennessee boasts the SEC’s top scoring offense with 110 runs scored in conference games this season. The Lady Vols also rank second in the league in doubles (32), slugging percentage (.529) and stolen bases (19) in SEC action while sitting third in on-base percentage (.499).
NOTING OLE MISS: The Rebels (34-14, 8-10 SEC) bring a five-game win streak into the weekend after an 11-0 run-rule win at Memphis Tuesday night. Last weekend, Ole Miss swept South Carolina in a three-game conference series on the road.
- Head Coach (Record at OM): Jamie Trachsel (70-36)
- Series Record: Tennessee leads 48-10
- Last Meeting: W, 2-1 (9) on 4/28/19 in Oxford, Miss.
- Key Stat: The Rebel pitching staff is tied for first in the SEC with 13 shutouts this season. Freshman RHP Catelyn Riley — a Dandridge, Tennessee, native — leads the unit with a 10-3 record in 72.1 innings.
UP NEXT: The Lady Vols will close out the 2022 regular season next week at Sherri Parker Lee Stadium, playing host to the Auburn Tigers for a three-game series Friday through Sunday, May 6-8.
-UT Athletics
