KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The Lady Vols will remain home for their final tournament of non-conference play and welcome ETSU, Stanford and Toledo for the Tennessee Invitational this Friday-Sunday at Sherri Parker Lee.
Tennessee (10-7) looks to build some momentum behind two consecutive home wins and recover from disappointing play in its previous two tournaments in Tampa, Fla., and Johnson City, Tenn., respectively, that resulted in a 2-5 showing.
However, UT goes into the weekend as the easy favorite with a 27-1 all-time record at the Tennessee Invitational and boasts a combined 23-6 edge over its weekend opponents.
Full Schedule (all times ET and subject to change)
Friday, March 6
G1 10:00 am ETSU vs. Toledo
G2 12:30 pm Stanford vs. Toledo
G3 3:00 pm Tennessee vs. ETSU
G4 5:30 pm Tennessee vs. Stanford
Saturday, March 7
G5 10:00 am Stanford vs. ETSU
G6 12:30 pm Tennessee vs. Toledo
G7 3:00 pm Seed #1 vs. Seed #4
G8 5:30 pm Seed #2 vs. Seed #3
Sunday, March 8
*G9 9:30 am Loser G7 vs. Loser G8
*G10 12:00 pm Winner G7 vs. Winner G8
*Tennessee will play in game 10 regardless of outcome of games 7 and 8
Broadcast Info
All UT games will be streamed on WatchESPN.com and the ESPN app. Andy Brock and Madison Shipman will have the call for the Lady Vols matchups this weekend.
Fans can also listen to the games on UTSports.com and the UT Gameday app with Brian Rice providing coverage.
Quick Hits
Double Down
Tennessee has recorded 14 double plays so far this season, with a single-game season high three against USF on Feb. 22 that ties for a program record. The achievement has only occurred on three occasions, the last time coming at Virginia Tech in 2015. The only other time a UT team had three double plays was in 1998 versus Kansas. The Lady Vols’ 0.82 double plays per game leads the SEC and ranks second in the nation.
Seggern Takes ‘Em for the Team
Senior Chelsea Seggern quickly jumped into another top-10 category early in the season, albeit a painful one. Recording eight hit-by-pitches so far, Seggern ranks seventh all-time in UT history after being pegged at the plate 27 times since she joined the Lady Vols family in 2017. The Thrall, Texas, native ranks second in the SEC and sixth in the nation in HBP per game (0.47). Seggern is also ranked 20th in the nations with 0.576 on base percentage.
Pitching Coming Together
Despite UT’s expected ace Ashley Rogers temporarily sidelined, the young pitching staff has maintained its competitiveness behind freshman starter Callie Turner, who ranks third in the SEC and 30th in the nation with seven victories. Newcomer and redshirt sophomore transfer Samantha Bender has also been reliable for the Lady Vols in the circle recording two saves so far this season, which ranks fifth in the conference and 18th in the nation. Bender has a 3-1 win-loss record om 27.1 innings pitched.
Freshmen’s First Dingers
Kiki Milloy and KK McCrary have stood out for their impressive play at the plate in the early 2020 season. Milloy who was the leadoff hitter in the 2020 lid-lifter, was the first freshman to go yard in their first collegiate at-bat for the Lady Vols since at least 2012, while McCrary was the first of the eight freshmen to go yard at Sherri Parker Lee. McCrary blasted a 2-run homer through centerfield against UT Martin on Feb. 25 to become the first freshman to record a dinger in a home opener since Meghan Gregg hit two against Northern Iowa on March 6, 2015.
Hail Tennessee
Nearly half of the Lady Vols squad is made up of in-state talent. There are nine Tennessee natives on the 2020 roster, believed to be a record for the program. Seniors Treasuary Poindexter (Covington, Tenn.) and Cailin Hannon (Franklin, Tenn.) and sophomores Kaili Phillips (Ooltewah, Tenn.) and Ashley Rogers (Athens, Tenn.) are joined by freshmen Anna Fox (Columbia, Tenn.), KK McCrary (Murfreesboro, Tenn.), Josie Willingham (Medon, Tenn.), Anna Hazlewood (Martin, Tenn.) and Madison Webber (Sevierville, Tenn.).
25th Anniversary
On Feb. 23, 1996, Tennessee fielded its first softball team at the 10th Annual Louisiana Classics in Lafayette, La. A 1-0 loss to Baylor, a program that had been around since 1979, marked the beginning of what would become one of the Vols and Lady Vols premier athletic programs. The Lady Vols bounced back the following day to pick up the program’s first win, a 5-4 victory over the Bears and eventually took the series in a rubber match on Feb. 25, a 9-8, eight-inning victory. Fast forward to 2020 and 1,124 wins later, the Orange and White opens the programs 25th year in extant as the season commences on Feb. 8 in Tempe, Ariz., against Northwestern.
All-American Homecoming
In late January, Tennessee announced that it would host the U.S. Women’s National Team as part of Team USA’s “Stand Beside Her” Tour – a nationwide tour where the Red, White and Blue will face top Division I collegiate teams in preparation for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. On April 8, the Lady Vols face off against the WNT at Sherri Parker Lee and will welcome back Tennessee great Monica Abbott, a four-time All-American (2004-07), three-time SEC Pitcher of the Year (2004, 05, 07), USA Softball National Collegiate Player of the Year trophy winner and NCAA/UT program record holder. Tickets for the event are currently sold out, but the game will be broadcast on ESPN2.
Scouting Report
ETSU
2020 record: 7-10, 0-0 SoCon
Series: 19-1
Last meeting: A 20th-ranked UT fell 4-3 on March 1, 2019 in Johnson City, Tenn.
Key players/stats: Kylie Toler was named SoCon Player of the Week and leads the team with 13 RBI and three homers. The Bucs clipped the Lady Vols 100-game win streak against in-state opponents in the recent stunner.
Stanford
2020 record: 18-3, 0-0 Pac-12
Series: 3-5
Last meeting: A second-ranked Tennessee downed the 13th-ranked Cardinal 3-1 in Cathedral City, Calif., on Feb. 23, 2014
Key players/stats: Led by Hannah Howell’s .444 batting average and Teaghan Cowles 20 runs. In the circle, Alana Vawter is undefeated with a 1.13 ERA and has thrown 37 strikeouts.
Toledo
2020 record: 9-4, 0-0 MAC
Series: 2-0
Last meeting: A 14th-ranked Lady Vols squad won 6-2 in Knoxville in 2018
Key players/stats: Led by Hannah Howell’s .444 batting average and Teaghan Cowles 20 runs. In the circle, Alana Vawter is undefeated with a 1.13 ERA and has thrown 37 strikeouts.
-UT Athletics
