GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The 14th-ranked Tennessee softball team is set for its third consecutive SEC weekend series against a top-10 opponent as the Lady Vols travel to Gainesville, Florida, for a three-game set against the No. 6 Gators. Friday and Saturday’s games are scheduled for 6 p.m. and 1 p.m. ET, respectively, and first pitch for Sunday’s series finale will fire off at 2 p.m. from UF’s Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium.
BROADCAST INFO: The first two games of the series will be broadcast online via SEC Network+, with Kyle Crooks (play-by-play) and Francesca Enea (analyst) on the call from Gainesville. Sunday’s weekend finale will be nationally televised on ESPNU as Mike Couzens (play-by-play) and former Alabama softball standout Kayla Braud (analyst) call the game remotely.
A live audio stream for all three games will be available on UTSports.com as voice of the Lady Vol softball team Brian Rice describes the action. Broadcast links for all three games this weekend can be foun on the 2022 Tennessee softball schedule page.
COMING OFF A WIN: Tennessee rounded out its SEC home-opening series vs. No. 10 Arkansas with a 6-2 win on Sunday, marking UT’s fourth victory over a ranked opponent this season. Sophomore infielder Zaida Puni went 2-for-4 at the plate and drove in all six runs for the Big Orange, highlighted by a no-doubt grand slam in the bottom of the second.
ROAD WARRIORS: The Lady Vols are 4-0 on the road this season with doubleheader sweeps at FIU and No. 8 Mizzou. Two weeks ago in Columbia, Missouri, Tennessee opened conference play with back-to-back victories over the nationally ranked Tigers by scores of 14-3 (6 Inn.) and 5-4.
WELCOME TO THE SEC: Tennessee has seen a pair of newcomers thrive during the first two weekends of SEC play. Sophomore infielder Zaida Puni leads the squad with three home runs and 10 RBIs in conference games, while graduate transfer pitcher Erin Edmoundson touts a 3-1 record with three complete games and 20 strikeouts against league foes.
AYALA BALLIN’: Super senior outfielder Amanda Ayala shined for the Lady Vols last week offensively, leading the team with a .500 average, eight hits, fives runs, two home runs and a 1.500 OPS. For the season, the Bloomfield, New Jersey, native tops the squad with a .359 batting clip, 33 hits, nine doubles and two triples.
THE EDMOUNDSON SHOW: Graduate transfer pitcher Erin Edmoundson has had a phenomenal start to her Lady Vol career, posting a team-best 13-2 record in 19 appearances with a 1.56 ERA and 77 strikeouts in 89.2 innings. Her 13 victories rank fifth in the country and second in the SEC, and the Deer Park, Texas, native is six Ks away from notching her 600th career strikeout.
NOTING THE OPPOSITION: Florida has won five of its last six games and is off to a 4-2 start in SEC play with series wins at home against Mississippi State and on the road at Texas A&M. The Gator pitching staff boasts the top ERA in the conference at 1.61 and also leads the league with 11 shutouts this season. Redshirt junior Skylar Wallace is UF’s top weapon offensively with a 1.336 OPS and a conference-best 36 runs scored and 23 stolen bases this year.
UP NEXT: The Lady Vols return to Knoxville for a four-game homestand, beginning Wednesday, March 30, with a midweek bout against Lipscomb before hosting a three-game conference set vs. Mississippi State Friday to Sunday, April 1-3, at Sherri Parker Lee Stadium.
-UT Athletics
