KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — No. 9 Tennessee begins postseason play this week in the SEC Tournament, which will be hosted by the Vols at Sherri Parker Lee Stadium. For all your information on the tournament, please visit the SEC Tournament Gameday Information page HERE.
The Big Orange have secured a first-round bye and will begin their quest for a third SEC Tournament championship on Thursday night at 7:30 p.m. against the winner of No. 6 LSU and No. 11 Missouri, who will square off on Wednesday night at 7:30 p.m.The tournament is a single-elimination format with the winner securing the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Media & Broadcast Info
All 11 games of this year’s SEC Tournament will be aired lived on the ESPN family of networks. Wednesday’s first-round games and Thursday’s quarterfinal games will be carried on the SEC Network, while Friday’s semifinals will be broadcast on ESPNU and Saturday’s title game will air in primetime on ESPN.
For Wednesday and Thursday’s day sessions Adam Amin (PxP), Amanda Scarborough (Analyst) and Laura Rutledge (Field) will be on the call. The night sessions on those days will feature the broadcast trio of Beth Mowins (PxP), Michele Smith (Analyst) and Holly Rowe (Field). Scarborough will join that trio as they call both semifinal games on Friday as well as Saturday’s championship game on ESPN.
Radio coverage for any Tennessee games will be carried on Sports Radio WNML (FM 99.1 or AM 990) and UTSports.com. There will also be radio coverage for all 11 games by IMG Radio on one of the following channels: Sirius 137 / XM 190 or Sirius XM Channel 84 College Sports Nation.
Live stats for all 11 games will be available on the softball schedule page at UTSports.com HERE.
Tournament Schedule
View the full tournament schedule below:
Wednesday
Game 1 | #5 Alabama vs. #12 Arkansas | 12 p.m. ET| TV: SEC Network
Game 2 | #8 Ole Miss vs. #9 Mississippi State | 2:30 p.m. ET | TV: SEC Network
Game 3 | #7 Kentucky vs. #10 South Carolina | 5 p.m. ET | TV: SEC Network
Game 4 | #6 LSU vs. #11 Missouri | 7:30 p.m. ET | TV: SEC Network
Thursday
Game 5 | #4 Texas A&M vs. Game 1 Winner | 12 p.m. ET| TV: SEC Network
Game 6 | #1 Florida vs. Game 2 Winner | 2:30 p.m. ET | TV: SEC Network
Game 7 | #2 Auburn vs. Game 3 Winner | 5 p.m. ET | TV: SEC Network
Game 8 | #3 Tennessee vs. Game 4 Winner | 7:30 p.m. ET | TV: SEC Network
Friday
Game 9 | Game 5 Winner vs. Game 6 Winner | 3 p.m. ET| TV: ESPNU
Game 10 |Game 7 Winner vs. Game 8 Winner | 5:30 p.m. ET | TV: ESPNU
Saturday
Game 11 |Game 9 Winner vs. Game 10 Winner | 8 p.m. ET| TV: ESPN
Need to Know
For the second consecutive season, the Vols have secured a first-round bye and enter the tournament as the No. 3 seed. UT will be looking to win its third SEC Tournament in program history after taking home the title in 2006 and 2011. This is the second time that the SEC Tournament will be hosted in Knoxville and the first time since 2009.
Weekend Lookback
The Vols are coming off a big road series win over then No. 6 Texas A&M to jump from the No. 4 to the No. 3 seed. UT road its hot bats to two consecutive victories over the Aggies after dropping the series opener on Friday night. The Big Orange broke out for eight runs in each of Saturday and Sunday’s wins, giving them three victories over top-10 opponents in the span of seven days.
Vols in the SEC Tournament
UT has had great success in the SEC Tournament throughout the years. The Vols have won two tournament championships (2006 & 2011) and boast the third best record in the SEC Tournament among conference schools with a 26-21 all-time record. LSU has the best record at 40-20, followed by Alabama at 36-23. The Orange and White have advanced to the semifinals the past two years and went all the way to the final in 2015 before falling to Auburn in extra innings. Tennessee’s senior class is 4-3 in the SEC Tournament.
Fan Information/Stadium Policies
Please be advised that the university’s clear bag policy for all of its athletic venues will be in effect for the SEC Tournament and every other event at Sherri Parker Lee Stadium. In order to enhance safety and expedite fan entry at Tennessee athletic events, the university is implementing new safety policies for fans bringing bags into all athletic venues.
Only one clear plastic bag no larger than 12 inches by 6 inches by 12 inches or a one-gallon, clear, resealable plastic storage bag per person will be permitted. Fans will also be allowed a small clutch purse not to exceed 4.5 inches by 6.5 inches. Fans interested in purchasing an approved clear bag may visit the Official Team Store at Neyland Stadium, VolShop locations in the Student Union, 17th & Cumberland Avenue and University Commons; as well as other area retailers.
For more information on the new bag policy and all other stadium policies please visit the SEC Tournament Gameday Information page HERE.
What’s Next?
The Vols will wait to see their seeding for the NCAA Tournament, which will be revealed on Sunday night’s NCAA Selection Show at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN2. UT is likely to be a top-16 seed and host an NCAA Regional for the 13th straight season.
-UT Athletics
