KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Coming off an SEC series sweep and riding a four-game win streak, the 14th-ranked Tennessee softball team continues its homestand in the national spotlight when the No. 3 Virginia Tech Hokies visit Rocky Top Wednesday night. The top-15 matchup will air on ESPN, with first pitch scheduled for 7 p.m. at Sherri Parker Lee Stadium.
Limited 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.
BROADCAST INFO: Wednesday’s action will be nationally televised on ESPN with Mark Neely (play-by-play) and Amanda Scarborough (analyst) on the call. An audio broadcast featuring voice of the Lady Vols softball team Brian Rice can be heard locally on FM 99.1/AM 990 and online at UTSports.com.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Super senior shortstop Ivy Davis took home SEC Co-Player of the Week honors on Tuesday after hitting .714 in UT’s four wins last week. Davis went 5-for-7 at the plate between the four contests, slugging 1.714 with one double, two homers and seven RBIs. With four HBP and one walk, she reached base safely 10 times in 12 plate appearances for an .833 on-base percentage and scored three runs for the Lady Vols.
SWEEP SECURED: The Lady Vols (30-12, 11-6 SEC) rounded out a three-game sweep of Texas A&M Monday night with a 5-1 victory over the Aggies. Graduate left-hander Erin Edmoundson tossed a complete game in the circle with eight strikeouts, while sophomore infielder Zaida Puni launched her 10th home run of the season to help UT earn its 30th win of the year.
WALK-OFF WINNERS: Tennessee secured back-to-back wins on walk-off home runs in the bottom of the seventh in the first two games against Texas A&M to clinch its fourth SEC series win of the season. Zaida Puni launched an opposite field two-run blast to secure a 7-5 victory in Saturday’s opener before Kelcy Leach blasted a game-ending grand slam to complete Tennessee’s comeback on Easter Sunday as the Lady Vols triumphed, 11-8.
MIDWEEK DERBY: The Lady Vols crushed a season-high five home runs in their 9-1 run-rule victory at Western Carolina last Wednesday. Ivy Davis and McKenna Gibson each tagged a pair of homers, while Kiki Milloy also went yard in front of a sellout crowd in Cullowhee, North Carolina.
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 110 runs scored in conference games. The Lady Vols also lead the league with 32 doubles, 69 walks and 27 HBP against league foes while ranking second in the conference in slugging (.529), on-base percentage (.399) and stolen bases (19) in SEC action.
NOTING THE HOKIES: Checking in as the unanimous No. 3 team in the country in the national polls, Virginia Tech heads to Rocky Top atop the ACC standings with a 32-6 overall record and a 15-2 mark in conference play. Most recently, the Hokies took two out of three against in-state rival Virginia this past weekend.
Senior pitcher Keely Rochard is having a phenomenal season in the circle, touting an 18-2 record with a 1.50 ERA in 139.2 inning pitched. The right-hander leads the ACC with 228 strikeouts this season. Offensively, sophomore outfielder Emma Ritter tops the Hokie lineup with a .427 average, 34 runs, eight doubles, 31 RBIs and 16 steals.
SERIES HISTORY: Tennessee leads the all-time series with Virginia Tech 11-7 with wins in the last four meetings between the two programs. In the most recent UT-VT matchup, the 12th-ranked Lady Vols blasted four home runs on the way to a 13-4 victory in Blacksburg on April 15, 2015.
UP NEXT: UT will welcome East Carolina and UNC Greensboro to Knoxville this weekend for its second home tournament of the season, dubbed the Lady Vol Challenge. The Lady Vols will play a doubleheader against the Pirates and Spartans on Saturday at 1:30 and 4:00 p.m., respectively, before closing out the event Sunday at 1 p.m. against ECU.
-UT Athletics
