KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The 17th-ranked Lady Vol softball team returns home this weekend as they host No. 21 Georgia at Sherri Parker Lee Stadium.
The series is Friday-Sunday with first pitch Friday set for 6 p.m. ET and first pitch coming at 2 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
BROADCAST INFO
Game one of the series can be streamed on SEC Network+ with Will Boling on the call. Game two and three will air nationally on ESPN2 with Courtney Lyle (play-by-play) and Kayla Braud (color) describing the action.
Fans can also listen live on their local Vol Network affiliate or online at UTsports.com to hear VFL Brian Rice calling each game on the radio.
QUICK HITS
LAST TIME OUT
Tennessee picked up its second SEC series win of the season as it defeated South Carolina on the road in games two and three. After dropping game one 3-2, the Lady Vols bounced back with an 11-0 victory in the second game and a 4-2 win in the rubber match.
WE’RE GOING TO STEAL AND YOU CAN’T STOP US
Heading into its fifth SEC series of the year, Tennessee retains its position as the SEC leader in stolen bases per game this season with 1.95. The Lady Vols are 17-for-19 on stolen base attempts in SEC play and 72-for-78 overall this season.
DOUBLE SEC AWARDS
Kiki Milloy was named the league’s Player of the Week for the second time this season, and junior pitcher Ashley Rogers took home her third Pitcher of the Week honor of the year following Tennessee’s series victory over South Carolina and a pair of wins Tennessee State.
Milloy was consistent at the plate and dominant on the base paths in UT’s five games last week, helping lead the Lady Vols to a 4-1 record during the week. The Woodinville, Washington, native went 7-for-15 at the dish with three runs scored, a pair of RBI and six stolen bases.
Rogers was stellar in the circle, grabbing two wins and a save while fanning 35 batters over four games – including two 10-plus strikeout outings – to run her strikeout total to a SEC-best 210 on the year.
Along the way, Rogers threw two complete games and also captured her 19th win this season and fifth in league play.
PITCHING BY COMMITTEE
Through 40 games, Tennessee softball has combined to toss a trio of no-hitters. Callie Turner has both a solo and combined no-no – teaming with Anna Hazlewood to no-hit Bellarmine – while Samantha Bender tossed a no-hitter against Northern Kentucky.
The Lady Vol pitching staff has also been stellar on all fronts, boasting a 1.48 team ERA and having given up one or zero runs on 17 different occasions this season. All four pitchers who have made at least one start this year have tossed at least one complete game shutout (Rogers, Turner, Bender and Bailey McCachren).
SCOUTING GEORGIA
2021 Record: 28-12 overall, 6-9 SEC
Series Record: Tennessee Leads – 41-36
Last Meeting: A run-rule 8-0 victory for Georgia in Athens on April 21, 2019.
Key Player/Stat: Georgia comes to Knoxville with a 28-12 record and two SEC series wins against Missouri and Kentucky. The Bulldogs hosted No. 1 Oklahoma in a Tuesday doubleheader this week, ending the Sooners’ 40-game win streak by taking the first game 7-6 in nine innings, before falling in game two, 12-3. Georgia averages 1.58 home runs per contest, good for second most in the SEC, while they are 11th among SEC teams with an on-base percentage of .366.
UP NEXT
Tennessee will hit the road for its final non-conference matchup of the season, heading into the mountains to take on Western Carolina in doubleheader action on Tuesday, April 27.
-UT Athletics
