KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Fresh off a series win at Florida and a midweek victory over Lipscomb, the 11th-ranked Lady Vol softball team will welcome the Mississippi State Bulldogs to Sherri Parker Lee Stadium this weekend for a three-game SEC home series. Friday’s opener is set for 6 p.m., Saturday’s game is scheduled for 2 p.m., and Sunday’s series finale is slated for noon ET.
 
Single-game tickets are available at AllVols.com and can also be purchased at the Sherri Parker Lee ticket office when gates open to the public one hour prior to first pitch. Parking is free for all Tennessee home softball games in lots S14 and C25 adjacent to Sherri Parker Lee Stadium and Regal Soccer Stadium, and fans should note that Tennessee Athletics’ clear bag policy will be in effect.

Fans are encouraged to visit the Tennessee softball gameday information page before making their way to Sherri Parker Lee to familiarize themselves with gameday policies and procedures.

RALPH WEEKLY CELEBRATION: Prior to Sunday’s first pitch, Tennessee softball will honor former head coach Ralph Weekly with a pregame ceremony and in-game recognitions on the video board. Alongside his wife Karen Weekly, Ralph served as co-head coach of the Lady Vols for 20 seasons and led Tennessee to seven Women’s College World Series appearances—including two national runner-up finishes.
 
Ralph finished his decorated 35-year coaching career with a 1,450-481-2 record that included stints at Pacific Lutheran (1986-94), Chattanooga (1995-98, 2001) and Tennessee (2002-2021). He ranks No. 4 all-time among NCAA softball coaches in career wins.
 
ALL FOR ALEX: The SEC softball community will be united on Saturday, April 2, when all 13 teams participate in the second annual “All for Alex” weekend to honor the legacy of Mississippi State’s Alex Wilcox. Wilcox was a member of the 2018 Mississippi State softball team who inspired the nation with her courageous fight against ovarian cancer. That fight ultimately took her life in the summer of 2018.
 
The Lady Vols will don solid teal jerseys with an orange collar and orange Tennessee wordmark in recognition of Wilcox’s impact on the softball community and in the fight against ovarian cancer.
 
BROADCAST INFO: Friday and Saturday’s game will be streamed online via SEC Network+, available at ESPN.com/watch and ESPN app. Sunday’s contest will be televised regionally on SEC Network with Eric Frede (play-by-play) and former Lady Vol All-American Madison Shipman (analyst) on the call.
 
A free online audio broadcast for all three games featuring the voice of the Lady Vol softball team Brian Rice will be streamed live on UTSports.com and can be heard locally on AM 990.
 
Links to each broadcast can be found on the 2022 Tennessee softball schedule page.
 
MIDWEEK W: The Lady Vols limited Lipscomb to one hit on the way to a 9-2 victory Wednesday evening. Sophomore lefty Bailey McCachren pitched 4.1 perfect innings of relief, retiring 13 consecutive batters to earn the win.
 
With the wind blowing out at SPL, Tennessee hit three home runs in the win over the Bisons. McKenna Gibson, Kiki Milloy and Lair Beautae went yard for UT’s sixth game with three or more HRs this season.
 
LEAGUE PLAYERS: UT has seen a pair of newcomers thrive during the first three weekends of SEC play. Sophomore Zaida Puni leads the squad with four HRs and an SEC-best 14 RBIs in conference games, while graduate transfer pitcher Erin Edmoundson touts a 4-2 record with four complete games and 26 strikeouts against league foes.
 
FANTASTIC FRESHMAN: Rookie infielder Lair Beautae has adjusted well to the college game in the nation’s toughest conference, leading the Lady Vols with a .385 batting average (10-for-26) over the first three weeks of SEC play. Her nine runs scored in conference games are tied for the most of any player in the league.
 
ROGERS RETURNS: Tennessee senior right-hander Ashley Rogers made her first appearance in more than three weeks last Saturday in Gainesville and flashed her All-American form over three innings pitched. The Athens, Tennessee, native sat down nine consecutive batters and racked up five strikeouts in limited action against the sixth-ranked Gators.
 
HBP UNIT: The Lady Vols have three players inside the top-25 in the country for total HBP this season. Kiki Milloy leads the squad and ranks second in the SEC with 12, while Ashley Morgan and Ivy Davis have 11 and 9, respectively. UT is the only team in the nation with three players sporting 9+ HBP this season.
 
DIGGING THE LONG BALL: The Lady Vols have combined for 49 home runs through the first 32 games of the season. UT’s 1.53 HRs/game rank fourth in the SEC and 15th in the country.
 
UT has multiple homers in 14 games already this season, compared to 16 all of last year, and is 12-2 on the year when hitting 2+ home runs. Additionally, the Lady Vols have at least one home run in 12 straight games, the longest streak for the program since at least 2001.
 
NOTING THE OPPOSITION: Mississippi State owns a 20-13 record under third-year head coach Stephanie Ricketts and is coming off a slugfest victory at MTSU, taking the midweek win over the Blue Raiders 19-14 in Murfreesboro Wednesday night.

• Series Record: Tennessee leads, 42-20
• Last Meeting: Mississippi State swept a Wednesday doubleheader against the 15th-ranked Lady Vols, 2-1 and 6-2 in Starkville on May 5, 2021.
• Key Player/Stat: Sophomore Addison Purvis is the reigning SEC Co-Player of the Week after batting .750 (6-for-8) across three starts last week with a 1.875 slugging percentage. She collected seven RBIs with three doubles and a pair of home runs.

UP NEXT: Tennessee will bus down to Athens, Georgia, next week for a three-game series at No. 18 Georgia April 8-10. The series finale will be nationally televised on ESPN2.

-UT Athletics