Softball Preview: Tennessee Invitational

UT Softball / Credit: UT Athletics

Softball Preview: Tennessee Invitational

UT Softball / Credit: UT Athletics

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The No. 5/6 Lady Vols (19-3) welcome BYU and Texas to Knoxville for the annual Tennessee Invitational (3/14-17).

Tennessee is coming off an 8-0 midweek win against Middle Tennessee in the Midstate Classic after a 2-1 weekend at then-No. 4 Florida in which it secured its first series against the Gators in Gainesville since 2007. Freshmen Kaili Phillips and Ally Shipman led the Lady Vols, batting .375 each while combining for three home runs and five RBI in the series with UF.

Broadcast Info

Thursday, March 14 

  • BYU vs. Tennessee
    • Time: 5:30 p.m. ET
    • Radio: UTSports.com | UT Gameday App | AM 990
    • Live Stats: UTSports.com
    • Broadcast: SECN+/WatchESPN App

Friday, March 15

  • Texas vs. BYU
  • Texas vs. Tennessee
    • Time: 5:30 p.m. ET
    • Radio: UTSports.com | UT Gameday App | AM 990
    • Live Stats: UTSports.com
    • Broadcast: SECN+/WatchESPN App

Saturday, March 16

  • BYU vs. Texas
  • BYU vs. Tennessee
    • Time: 2:30 p.m. ET
    • Radio: UTSports.com | UT Gameday App | AM 990
    • Live Stats: UTSports.com
    • Broadcast: SECN+/WatchESPN App

Sunday, March 17

  •  Texas vs. Tennessee
    • Time: 1 p.m. ET
    • Radio: UTSports.com | UT Gameday App | AM 990
    • Live Stats: UTSports.com
    • Broadcast: SECN+/WatchESPN App

Need to Know

  • Tennessee has hosted 11 invitationals since the inaugural 1996 season, amassing a 45-5 record. Overall, Tennessee is 113-14 in regular-season tournaments it has hosted.
  • Kaili Phillips is the first Lady Vol since Madison Shipman in 2014 to hit homers in four straight games. From 2/28-3/9, Phillip’s notched eight hits with six home runs in 14 at-bats.
  • Tennessee leads the Southeastern Conference with a .363 batting average and ranks second in fielding percentage (.990). The Lady Vols’ average at the plate ranks third in the nation while their FLD % is second.
  • In 2019, UT has outscored its opponents 165-38 and hit 26 home runs. Lady Vol newcomers have hit 13 of the long balls.
  • Senior pitcher Matty Moss is fifth in the nation with a 10.60 strikeout-to-walk ratio. The senior has issued just five walks through 40.0 innings of work.

Scouting Report

BYU

  • Head coach Gordon Eakin led the Cougars to their 14th straight NCAA postseason in 2018 and led BYU to a win over No. 18 Baylor earlier this season.
  • This past Monday, offensive leader Rylee Jensen earned her third West Coast Conference Player of the Week Award after batting .597 while tallying runs in every game of the UCLA/Long Beach State Invite.
  • In the circle, BYU is led by Autumn Moffat who owns a 5-5 record and 2.10 ERA through 12 appearances (55.2 IP). She also leads the staff with 46 strikeouts.

All-Time Record vs. BYU: 7-1

  • In Knoxville: UT leads, 1-0
  • At Neutral Sites: UT leads, 6-1
  • Last Meeting: UT won, 13-0 (5) on 2/22/18

Texas

  • Head coach Mike White is in his first season as head coach of the Longhorns after spending eight years at Oregon.
  • Texas is coming off a home weekend in which it went 3-2 as host of the Longhorn Invite. The Longhorns have faced seven ranked opponents this season and sport a 3-4 record in those contests.
  • Offensively, Texas is led by Janae Jefferson. She boasts a .459 batting average, 39 hits and 22 runs scored.
  • Shealyn O’Leary is tops on the pitching staff with a 0.48 ERA and 7-0 record through 43.2 innings of work.

All-Time Record vs. Texas: 2-3

  • In Knoxville: UT leads, 1-0
  • At Neutral Sites: UTA leads, 2-1
  • Last Meeting: UTA won, 2-4, on 2/25/17

-UT Athletics

 

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