KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — No. 12/14 Tennessee softball wraps up conference play and the 2022 regular season this weekend with a three-game set against the No. 16/15 Auburn Tigers. The series runs Friday through Sunday at Sherri Parker Lee Stadium with a top-four seed at next week’s conference tournament on the line for both ball clubs.
Friday and Saturday’s games will be televised on SEC Network, with first pitches set for 6 p.m. and 11:30 a.m. respectively. Sunday’s regular season finale is scheduled for a 1:30 p.m. start and will be broadcasted online via SEC Network+.
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 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.
SATURDAY SENIOR SENDOFF: The Tennessee softball program will honor nine players on Saturday for Senior Day, with a pregame ceremony scheduled for approximately 11:05 a.m. on the field at Sherri Parker Lee. Fifth-year players Amanda Ayala, Samantha Bender, Ivy Davis, Erin Edmoundson and Kelcy Leach will be celebrated along with four-year seniors Kaitlin Parsons and Ashley Rogers, who both have the option to return for a fifth year in 2023. Junior infielder Anna Fox will also be recognized after completing her political science degree in three years, as she plans to pursue her graduate degree at a different institution.
SEEDING SCENARIOS: Entering the weekend with a 12-8 record in SEC play, the Lady Vols need one win over Auburn to guarantee a top-4 seed and double-bye to the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament next Thursday in Gainesville, Florida. A Lady Vol sweep over the Tigers combined with two losses for Alabama vs. Missouri would catapult the Big Orange to a second-place finish in the conference standings for the second time in the last three full seasons (not including the COVID-19 shortened 2020 campaign).
Additionally, the latest D1Softball Field of 64 has Tennessee projected as the No. 13 seed and hosting the Knoxville Regional for the 17-straight year. The first weekend of NCAA Tournament action will take place May 20-22 at 16 regional sites across the country.
LOVIN’ THE LONG BALL: With six home runs last weekend in the series at Ole Miss, the Lady Vols have hit 82 homers this year for the second-highest total in a single season in program history. It’s the most for UT since blasting a school record 100 in 2015.
Tennessee’s 1.64 home runs per game this year rank third in the SEC and 11th in the country. The Lady Vols have hit two or more homers in 22 games, touting a 20-2 record in those contests.
DOUBLE DIGIT DINGERS: Tennessee has five players with 10 or more homers this season: Kiki Milloy (14), Zaida Puni (12), Ivy Davis (11), McKenna Gibson (10) and Ashley Morgan (10). The Lady Vols are one of three teams in the SEC that can make that claim.
WE LOVE FREE BASES: The Lady Vols lead the SEC with a program-record 83 HBP this season, led by career record holder Ashley Morgan who ranks third in the league with 17 HBP. Ivy Davis (16), Kiki Milloy (13) and McKenna Gibson (11) each sit inside the conference’s top 10 in HBP this season, and UT is the only program in the country with four players sporting 10-plus HBP in 2022.
Despite not having a single player in the conference’s top 10 in walks, Tennessee ranks third in the league with 181 free passes awarded this spring. Due in part to its significant number of hit by pitch and walks this season, the Lady Vols rank third in the SEC with a .404 team on-base percentage.
TOP-NOTCH OFFENSE: Tennessee boasts the SEC’s second-best scoring offense with 125 runs scored in conference games. The Lady Vols also rank second in the league in doubles (36), slugging percentage (.535), on-base percentage (.403), and stolen bases (19) in SEC action.
DAVIS TRENDING UP: Super senior shortstop Ivy Davis has stepped up her game at the plate over the last three weeks, hitting a team-high .448 (13-for-29) in 12 games since April 13 at Western Carolina. She leads the Lady Vols with five home runs, 14 RBIs and six HBP over that span with a team-high 1.000 slugging and .579 on-base percentage.
NOTING THE TIGERS: Auburn (39-11, 11-10 SEC) has won back-to-back conference series heading into the regular season finale, most recently knocking off No. 15 Georgia in a three-game set at home last weekend. The Tigers are part of a four-way tie for sixth place in the SEC standings, sharing an 11-10 league record with Kentucky, LSU and Georgia.
- Head Coach: Mickey Dean (Record at AU: 162-84 in five seasons)
- Series Record: Tennessee leads 41-27
- Last Meeting: No. 16 Tennessee completed a sweep at Auburn with a 2-1 victory on May 2, 2021. Ivy Davis drove in both runs for the Lady Vols with a two-run double in the top of the fourth, while Ashley Rogers tossed six scoreless innings of one-hit relief to earn the win.
- Key Player/Stat: Freshman infielder Bri Ellis earned SEC Freshman of the Week honors on Tuesday, hitting 5-for-10 with two doubles and a triple for a .900 slugging percentage to help the Tigers to a series win over the Bulldogs. Ellis leads the team and ranks second in the SEC with 18 homers this year, which ties the Auburn freshman record.
UP NEXT: The Lady Vols will travel to Gainesville next week for the 2022 SEC Softball Tournament, hosted by the University of Florida May 10-14 at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium.
-UT Athletics
