KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The 14th-ranked Tennessee softball team continues conference play this weekend with a three-game home series against the Texas A&M Aggies. The SEC set runs Saturday to Monday, April 16-18, at Sherri Parker Lee Stadium, beginning a seven-game homestand for the Lady Volunteers.
Saturday’s series opener is scheduled for 2 p.m. ET, while game two’s first pitch will fire off at 4 p.m. Sunday. UT will round out the series with the Aggies under the SPL lights Monday night at 7 p.m.
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.
HONORING A LEGEND: Prior Saturday’s opener, Tennessee softball will recognize two-time All-American LVFL Sarah Fekete Bailey (2003-06) by retiring her jersey at Sherri Parker Lee Stadium. The Maryville native was a four-year starter on Rocky Top from 2003-06 and helped lead the Lady Vols to their first two appearances at the Women’s College World Series in 2005 and 2006.
Bailey had a historic senior campaign for the Lady Vols in 2006, hitting .500 on the year to claim the NCAA batting title. She established a new SEC single-season record with 110 hits and also led the league in on-base percentage (.553) while ranking third in runs scored (61). Her 110 hits and .500 batting average still stand as single-season Tennessee program records.
EASTER FUNDAY: Promotions for Sunday’s game against the Aggies include a postgame Easter Egg Hunt for kids of all ages. Tennessee fan experience staff will also host a Kids Carnival with face painting, drawings, inflatables, games and more.
LEUKEMIA & LYMPHOMA AWARENESS GAME: Tennessee softball will help raise awareness for leukemia and lymphoma in Monday’s matchup with Texas A&M. Lady Vol head coach Karen Weekly is a 2022 Woman of the Year nominee for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and has been key in assisting the organization with fundraising efforts in the fight against blood cancer.
BROADCAST INFO: All three of Tennessee’s games against the Aggies will be televised, beginning Saturday with a broadcast on ESPNU before Sunday and Monday’s game both air live on SEC Network. Pam Ward (play-by-play) and Jenny Dalton-Hill (analyst) will be on hand for all three contests in Knoxville.
Additionally, an audio broadcast for all three games featuring voice of the Lady Vols softball team Brian Rice can be heard on UTSports.com and locally on FM 99.1 / AM 990.
LAST TIME OUT: The Lady Vols crushed a season-high five home runs in their 9-1 run-rule victory at Western Carolina on Wednesday. Ivy Davis and McKenna Gibson each tagged a pair of homers, while Kiki Milloy also went yard in front of a sellout crowd.
Lady Vol lefty Erin Edmoundson picked up her 15th win of the season with a complete game outing, dealing five innings with one earned run. She posted nine strikeouts, her most since recording a season-high 11 Ks against No. 12 Clemson on Feb. 18.
TOP-NOTCH OFFENSE: Tennessee boasts the SEC’s top scoring offense with 87 runs scored in conference games. The Lady Vols lead the league with 26 doubles and rank second in the league in slugging (.539), on-base percentage (.391) and home runs (23).
ON-BASE MACHINE: Outfielder Kiki Milloy sports the second longest active reached base streak in the country at 32 consecutive games. It is the longest string of games reaching base by a Tennessee player since 2018 (Meghan Gregg, 35).
LAIR ON A TEAR: Lady Vol rookie Lair Beautae has been phenomenal in conference play, leading the Lady Vols with a .370 batting clip against SEC opponents. She also leads UT in hits (17), runs (13) and doubles (5) in league action, ranking top-5 in the conference in each of those statistical categories.
DIGGING THE LONG BALL: The Lady Vols have crushed 65 home runs this season, already surpassing last year’s season-end total of 64. UT’s 1.67 HRs/game rank fourth in the SEC and 10th in the country.
UT has multiple homers in 18 games this season, and Tennessee is 16-2 on the year when hitting two or more HRs.
NOTING THE OPPOSITION: Under 26th-year head coach Jo Evans, A&M enters the weekend with a 24-14 record on the season with a 3-9 mark in conference play. The Aggies salvaged a three-game series vs. No. 21 LSU last weekend, winning Sunday’s finale 5-4 after dropping the first two matchups.
- Series Record: Tennessee leads 17-5
- Last Meeting: The Lady Vols topped A&M 3-2 in the first round of the 2021 SEC Tournament as Ivy Davis laced a two-run walkoff double in the bottom of the ninth. Ashley Rogers served up her 22nd complete game of the season, striking out 13 Aggies.
- Key Player/Stat: Since moving All-American Haley Lee to the top of the batting order, the Aggies have scored 79 runs, accounting for 33 percent of their runs scored all season. The Maroon & White are averaging 8.7 runs per game over the last nine outings with Lee leading off, which is 3.2 more runs per contest than when the senior was batting second or third in the order.
UP NEXT: The Lady Vols will welcome the No. 3 Virginia Tech Hokies to Rocky Top for yet another nationally televised game on Wednesday, April 20. The matchup will air on ESPN, with first pitch scheduled for 7 p.m. from Sherri Parker Lee Stadium.
-UT Athletics
