University of Tennessee Athletics
2004 LADY VOL SOFTBALL SEASON IN REVIEW
June 07, 2004 | Softball
June 7, 2004
 Angela Brewer
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Entering their third campaign at the helm of the Lady Vol Softball program, Co-Head Coaches Ralph and Karen Weekly were confident that their massive rebuilding process would continue to yield positive results. After directing the Orange to its first postseason appearance in four years, as well as the second-most victories (45) in school history the previous year, a heightened sense of excitement and increased expectations surrounded the 2004 season. Adding another highly-touted recruiting class to a contingent of 13 returning letterwinners resulted in Tennessee's initial preseason ranking and set the wheels in motion for what would be arguably the most outstanding squad fielded since the program's inception in 1996.
When all was said and done following an arduous 71-game schedule that took them from coast to coast and outside of the contiguous United States between January and May, these Lady Vols can take comfort in knowing that they have put the University of Tennessee back on the softball map. Having compiled an overall record of 55-16, UT snagged its first SEC Eastern Division crown since '99 and was later rewarded with the second seed at NCAA Regional No. 6 in Ann Arbor, Mich., where it picked up the club's first two NCAA wins. A final ranking of 16th and a record number of triumphs should only fuel the team's desire in its quest to reach the 2005 Women's College World Series in Oklahoma City.
Left-hander Monica Abbott, who had led the U.S. to a silver medal at the Junior World Championships in Nanjing, China, in October, provided an immediate impact and turned in one of the greatest rookie seasons in NCAA history. The Salinas, Calif., native was a finalist for USA Softball's Collegiate Player of the Year, was chosen as a first-team All-American and was the first person to collect both the SEC Pitcher and Freshman of the Year accolades. Sophomore third baseman Kristi Durant became the initial Lady Vol to achieve first-team All-SEC status twice, while the Weeklys were recognized as the Coaches of the Year by their peers. Senior Angela Brewer was a second-team all-conference honoree, while the duo of sophomore Sarah Fekete and freshman Lindsay Schutzler secured All-SEC Tournament kudos as UT duplicated its semifinal finish of 2003.
The No. 25 Lady Vols ushered in the new season by winging their way to the Hawaiian Islands for the Eighth Annual Paradise Classic in Honolulu, where they claimed six of seven outings en route to the tournament crown. Against Saint Mary's in the lid-lifter on Feb. 5, Abbott made her collegiate debut one to remember by throwing a no-hitter with 13 strikeouts in an 8-0 dismantling of the Gaels. A seven-run sixth inning, highlighted by a pair of pinch-hits by senior Lauren Mattox, paved the way to UT's first opening-game triumph in five years.
The following afternoon, the Orange and Brigham Young were deadlocked at a run apiece entering the start of the international tiebreaker in the eighth inning. However, the Weeklys' team would explode for five runs on four hits in the ninth to take an 11-6 slugfest. The combination of Mattox (grand slam) and Brewer (bases-clearing double) added up to a 9-1 thumping of UAB to raise UT's mark to 3-0 for the first time since 1997.
Following a 2-0 setback to No. 23 Oregon State and senior hurler Monica Hoffman on Feb. 7, Tennessee found its way back onto the winning track as Abbott retired all 21 Hawaii batters she faced for just the second perfect game in the school's nine-year existence. Senior Amber Rhinehart provided the offense with a majestic two-run homer off 2003 WAC Pitcher of the Year Melissa Coogan and the southpaw totaled 13 K against the hosts.
Facing the Rainbow Wahine in the semifinal round on Sunday morning, the Lady Vols snapped a 1-1 stalemate with three runs in the seventh and used the two-hit pitching of Abbott for a 4-1 win. Faced with a rematch against the Beavers in the championship game, UT reversed the previous outcome behind some timely hitting and dominating pitching. Brewer snapped a scoreless tie in the fourth with an RBI single and Mattox contributed a double in the sixth, more than enough support for Abbott, who tied Stephanie Humphrey's school-record of 15 strikeouts on the way to her sixth win and third shutout.
Chosen as the event's Most Outstanding Pitcher, Abbott won all six of her appearances and finished with 68 strikeouts and a 0.95 earned run average in 37 innings. Other all-tournament choices for the Orange included Mattox (.429 avg., 11 RBI), Rhinehart (decisive two-run homer against Hawaii) and Schutzler (.429 avg., 10 total bases, seven runs). Abbott was later chosen as USA Softball's National Player of the Week and was the first Lady Vol rookie to be tabbed as the SEC's Pitcher of the Week.
Sporting a 6-1 mark, UT journeyed to Las Cruces, N.M., for the New Mexico State Kick-Off Tourney, where it rolled to the title with five victories over the weekend of Feb. 13-15. Durant got the ball rolling against San Jose State with her first career homer in the bottom of the first and Rhinehart began what would be an amazing weekend at the plate with four RBI as the Orange crushed the Spartans, 9-3.
Delayed until Saturday because of chilly temperatures and snow flurries, Abbott delivered her third no-hitter with a 14-K, 9-0 gem versus Boston University in which she faced one hitter above the minimum. Soon after, UT exploded for season-highs in both hits (20) and runs (16) in a 16-3 pasting of the host Aggies. Rhinehart was a perfect 4-for-4 and drove in four runs, sophomore Katherine Card was 3-for-5 with three RBI and sophomore Stacey Jennings picked up her first win of the year. In her squad's third outing of the day, Abbott fired a one-hitter and Rhinehart belted two dingers and notched a career-high six RBI in an 8-0 rout of Southwest Missouri State that was shortened to five innings because of the mercy rule.
Tennessee finished off a weekend sweep on Sunday afternoon with a 7-1 triumph over NMSU. By securing their eighth victory in a row and finishing 5-0 at the event, the 18th-ranked Lady Vols (11-1) had matched the longest winning streak in the Weekly era. Rhinehart collected the Most Valuable Player accolade with an eye-popping performance that featured an .846 (11-for-13) batting average, 2.000 slugging percentage, 16 runs batted in, five runs, four homers and three doubles. The slugger from Citrus Heights, Calif., was later picked as the SEC Player of the Week for the first time. Abbott (10-0) went 4-0 with 54 K and a scant 0.30 ERA in 23.1 innings, and Durant batted .533 with five RBI and four runs to garner all-tournament status.
Now rated 12th in the polls, the Orange ventured to Cathedral City, Calif., to meet several of the nation's elite teams at the Palm Springs Classic. On Feb. 20, Abbott twirled a three-hit shutout and Card came through with a pinch-hit RBI single in the fifth to help UT defeat Baylor, 2-0. The string of nine consecutive wins was now the longest since the Lady Vols captured a school-record 24 triumphs between April 10, 1996, and Feb. 24, 1997. Everything has to end sooner or later, however, and top-ranked UCLA burst UT's bubble with a 3-0 decision that night. While Jennings limited the Bruins to just five hits and one earned run in going the distance, UCLA senior Keira Goerl was masterful in tossing a two-hit shutout. The Bruins would later repeat as the Women's World Series winner on Memorial Day.
Facing Utah on Feb. 21, the Orange plated three runs in the fourth, courtesy of RBI hits from Durant and Brewer, and used Abbott's 12th consecutive win en route to a 4-1 conquest of the Utes. The fireballer notched 13 more strikeouts, giving her 10 double-digit efforts already, and Rhinehart bashed her sixth home run of the spring to move UT to 13-2 overall.
After 15 straight road games to kick off the campaign, UT raised the curtain on its home slate at Tyson Park by hosting East Tennessee State in a twinbill on Feb. 25. Behind a school-record 16 strikeouts and a one-hitter by Abbott, as well as 3-for-4 outings by Card and Mattox, the Orange cruised to a 7-0 win in the opener. In the nightcap versus the Bucs, Abbott collected the win in relief of Jennings and also poked the game-winning single.
The following weekend brought UT's first voyage to the Lone Star State since '97 for the Compass Bank Invitational in Waco, Texas. Abbott limited Louisiana Tech to just a double in a 9-1 victory to kick off the event on Feb. 27, but host Baylor turned the tables later that evening to hand the Orange just its third loss in 19 outings.
With inclement weather looming on the horizon, organizers decided to shorten the tournament to a two-day affair. Tennessee responded with a pair of shutouts, downing Lipscomb (6-0) and the Techsters again (1-0 in nine innings) to reach the championship game. Versus the cross-state Lady Bisons, Abbott established another standard with 18 punchouts and later threw four scoreless innings in relief and worked out of a bases-loaded jam to secure the triumph against La. Tech. Freshman Ashley Cline wore the heroine's mantle with a game-winning double up the middle to score classmate Brittany Bessho with the game's lone run.
UT's hopes to bring the hardware back to Knoxville were dashed when Baylor posted a 5-1 victory in front of a raucous crowd at Getterman Stadium. After reeling off 17 straight wins, Abbott found herself on the short end of a result for the first time as a collegian when she allowed four hits and five unearned runs to the Bears. Still, a total of four orange-clad players achieved all-tourney: Abbott (3-1, 0.30 ERA, 46 strikeouts, 23 innings), Brewer (.273 avg., five RBI, two homers), Cline (.500 avg., three runs, two doubles), and Rhinehart (.308 avg., four RBI, two runs).
After returning home, the Lady Vols welcomed third-ranked LSU to Tyson Park to begin league activity on March 7 and came away with an important split. Eventual Women's College World Series Most Outstanding Player Kristin Schmidt out-dueled Abbott in the opener, 2-1, before Jennings answered with an impressive five-hit blanking of the Bayou Bengals, 4-0. In snapping LSU's 17-game winning streak, the upset matched the greatest conquest of a ranked foe for the Orange and represented Ralph Weekly's 600th coaching triumph. Cline continued her torrid stretch by going 3-for-4, while Brewer drove in three runs in the second tilt.
UT raised its mark to 22-5 overall and 4-1 in the SEC by sweeping a three-game set at Kentucky over March 9-10 by scores of 3-2, 4-1 and 1-0. The edging of the Wildcats in the first matchup represented the Weeklys' 100th successful verdict at Rocky Top. One of the low points of the campaign occurred several days later, when the Lady Vols dropped three one-run affairs at seventh-rated Alabama to remain winless in eight contests at the UA Softball Complex - the site of the 2004 SEC Tournament. Undaunted, the Weeklys' charges would proceed to string together an impressive 16-game winning streak between March 14 and April 3 to continue their ascent in the national rankings.
The skein started with Abbott's 20th victory, a one-hitter with a dozen strikeouts in a 7-0 romp over Georgia Southern in which sophomore Mandie Fishback socked a pivotal home run. UT climbed back above the .500 plateau in the SEC race with a crucial sweep of Mississippi State in Starkville over March 20-21, 10-1, 6-3 and 5-3. It was the first time that UT had ever taken every outing from the Maroons, with the offense erupting for 37 hits, 21 runs and a .381 batting average. Durant powered the attack with 10 RBI, including six in the second game of the series, and finished with a .545 (6-for-11) showing. In the circle, Abbott was a perfect 3-0 with a 1.05 ERA and notched 24 strikeouts in 20 innings.
Tennessee extended its winning streak to six games on March 24 by knocking off Austin Peay, 5-1 and 2-0. Abbott tied the program's single-season record for victories at 24 thanks to a two-hit, 13-strikeout effort in the first game and then collected her second save in the nightcap. Jennings tied her career high with eight strikeouts and limited APSU to one hit over 6.1 innings.
A perfect run through the Lady Vol Classic over March 26-28 yielded the squad's third tournament crown of 2004. Tennessee finished an unblemished 6-0 during the three-day event and did not permit a run over 42 innings. Schutzler was chosen as the tournament's Most Valuable Player after leading all hitters with a .438 (7-for-16) clip, while Abbott collected the Most Outstanding Pitcher honor by going 4-0 with a 0.00 earned run average. She delivered a 14-K, four-hit blanking of Tennessee Tech to secure the title and set an SEC record with 20 strikeouts during a no-hit effort against Liberty, resulting in her second weekly honor from the conference office. Three other players also enjoyed all-tourney laurels: Fekete, Jennings and Mattox.
Gaining momentum as they picked up the remainder of its league slate, the Lady Vols (34-8/7-4 SEC) faced a daunting task when No. 14 South Carolina invaded Knoxville for a mid-week set on March 30. Since the inception of SEC play in 1997, UT had never taken consecutive home outings from the Gamecocks and had dropped seven of 10 meetings at Tyson Park. This situation dramatically improved when Tennessee swept its East rival, 1-0, 3-2 and 5-1. Abbott crafted a four-hitter in the opener to enable the Orange to set an SEC mark with its eighth consecutive shutout before Jennings notched her fourth win in a row to take the second outing. Although her scoreless streak was halted at 39.2 innings, Abbott would register her 30th win of the year to conclude the series. Brewer was a catalyst in the historic sweep, as the first baseman from East Ridge, Tenn., mashed a pair of decisive two-run homers in the final two encounters.
Things appeared to be staying the course for the Lady Vols when Abbott collected her 12th straight decision against Arkansas to begin a weekend stay in Fayetteville on April 3. However, the Lady'Backs rebounded to pin a 6-3 setback on UT, halting the lengthy winning streaks held by the team and the left-hander. Buoyed by three hits apiece from Fekete and Mattox, as well as Abbott's 14th shutout, Tennessee left town with its first series triumph at Lady'Back Yard, 6-0.
After splitting a doubleheader on Good Friday against Auburn, the Orange and White took Saturday's rubber match, 4-0, behind a one-hit, 17-K performance by Abbott. The triumph marked the first time since 1997 that UT had defeated the Tigers in a series. In addition, the decision helped the Lady Vols equal their SEC win total (14) of 2003. For the third consecutive time, Abbott was picked as the SEC Pitcher of the Week on April 12. The lefty tossed a pair of donuts against the 23rd-ranked Tigers and tied the existing league mark with 17 strikeouts against a conference opponent. She registered 30 K on the weekend and did not issue any walks. Her fourth recognition of 2004 matched former LSU All-American Britni Sneed (2002) for the most awards earned in a season.
Tennessee snapped a six-game slide to East nemesis Florida over April 17-18 by taking all three contests from the Gators. In the process, UT was able to leapfrog both UF and Georgia to move into first place in the Eastern Division. Abbott (2-0, 0.41 ERA) and Jennings (1-0, 0.00 ERA) combined to limit the visitors to seven hits and one run over 24 innings. After taking both ends of Saturday's doubleheader, 4-1 and 3-0, the Big Orange used a suicide squeeze in the 10th inning by Fishback to score Cline with the winning run on Sunday.
It took nine innings on April 21, but Tennessee snapped a five-year drought at the State-Line Classic in Bristol, Tenn., with a 1-0 edging of Virginia Tech. Abbott twirled a two-hitter for her 18th solo shutout of the campaign and Card came across on a Hokie error with two down in the ninth to break the scoreless tie. Abbott had defeated Radford earlier that afternoon and hurled a total of 11 scoreless innings to be chosen as the event's Most Valuable Player. With 13 strikeouts against VT, she exceeded Sneed's single-season SEC mark that had stood since 2002.
Carrying a 4-0 lead into the seventh inning of its first game at No. 9 Georgia on April 24, Tennessee appeared to be on the verge of a huge victory. Abbott seemed to be in control after limiting the Dawgs to just two hits through six frames and had increased her scoreless streak to 30 innings. However, UGA tied the game on two-run jacks by Courtney Knight and Ashley Godfrey in the bottom of the seventh and wound up taking the contest, 5-4, on a bases-loaded single by All-American Nicole Barber in the 10th. The home team squeezed the Orange, 8-1, to take the doubleheader and was in position for the series sweep before UT rallied for a 6-3 decision in Sunday's finale. The visitors overcame a 3-2 deficit with three runs in the fifth inning to snag the victory as Card and Schutzler chipped in three hits apiece.
With a chance to claim their first Eastern Division title since 1999, the 12th-ranked Lady Vols (47-12/18-8 SEC) welcomed Ole Miss to Tyson Park to wrap up the conference schedule. Behind back-to-back shutouts from Abbott, the Orange swept both ends of the twinbill from the Rebels, 8-0 (5) and 4-0, on May 1. Unfortunately, Mother Nature intervened and washed away the final game. With a 20-8 record in the East, Tennessee was able to finish above Georgia (20-10) for the second divisional crown in school history.
The Orange capped off its best season at Tyson Park by taking both ends of a twinbill on May 11 from Appalachian State. Abbott twirled a two-hitter in the opener, a 5-0 UT win, and Jennings gave up just one hit in the nightcap, an 8-0 triumph that was shortened to five innings because of the mercy rule. The Lady Vols wound up 24-2 (.923) on their own turf, falling to only No. 3 LSU and No. 23 Auburn.
Seeded second at the SEC Tournament, Tennessee was relegated to the losers' bracket after suffering an 8-2 defeat at the hands of seventh-seeded Mississippi State on May 13. However, UT rebounded from a two-run, seventh-inning deficit to knock out No. 21 Florida, 7-5, and then ended an 0-for-8 drought at the Alabama Softball Complex versus the hosts with a 1-0 win over No. 13 Alabama as Abbott fired a one-hitter and Fishback lofted an RBI double to score Jennings with the only run. The squad's appearance in Tuscaloosa was clipped in 10 innings later that night in gut-wrenching fashion by No. 11 Georgia, 4-0, on a walk-off grand slam.
A silver lining was that Fekete and Schutzler were chosen to the all-tournament squad. A unanimous pick, Fekete became the first Lady Vol to achieve all-tourney recognition twice in her career with a .429 batting average over her four outings. The outfielder was 6-for-14, scored twice and swiped a pair of bases. In her postseason debut, Schutzler went 6-for-15 (.400), including 3-for-4 performances versus both Mississippi State and Florida.
Making its first NCAA appearance since 1999, Tennessee mowed down Illinois-Chicago behind Abbott's 12th two-hitter and an 11-hit outburst. The hurler also eclipsed Cat Osterman's record for strikeouts by a freshman in a year with her 555th as the Orange cruised to a 10-0 triumph in five innings. Durant was 3-for-3 with three RBI and Schutzler poked two hits, scored twice and had a stolen base. Trailing No. 18 Oregon State, 2-0, in the sixth inning on May 21, the Lady Vols and Beavers were forced to endure a 28-hour weather delay. When play resumed, OSU tacked on two more runs to remain in the winner's bracket.
Facing a fresh DePaul squad later that afternoon, Abbott was dominant in keeping Tennessee alive with her 24th solo shutout and 34th double-digit strikeout effort. Brewer launched a three-run blast in the opening frame and both Durant and senior Ellisha Humphrey registered two hits during the 4-0 ousting of the Blue Demons. With the seconds slowly ticking away toward the deadline immediately following the contest between Michigan and Oregon State, NCAA officials decided to have UT begin another elimination game versus Illinois-Chicago at around midnight. The Flames rallied from a 5-2 deficit in the sixth inning to prevail, 6-5, and extinguish UT's most successful campaign.
Abbott and Durant were chosen to the NCAA Region No. 6 All-Tournament squad to become the first Tennessee players to accomplish the feat in just the program's second NCAA appearance. Abbott concluded a sensational rookie campaign with a nation-leading 45 victories and 582 K and placed in the top three of 10 different SEC pitching categories. She totaled 24 shutouts and limited opponents to a .138 performance. Durant hit an eye popping .583 (7-for-12) at Regionals and captured the team's overall batting title for the second year in a row with a .350 clip. The first-team All-SEC pick, the school's all-time leader in overall batting average (.387) and on-base percentage (.448), managed at least one hit in every Tennessee outing.
"Karen and I are trying to build a solid softball program at the University of Tennessee and I think this year's team laid the ground-work for future success," said Ralph Weekly. "We are extremely happy to have had the opportunity to coach this group. They won four tournaments, the SEC Eastern Division title, placed second in the league overall, claimed a school-record 55 wins and won two games at NCAA Regionals for the first time - all while being ranked consistently for the first time ever. Those are things everyone can be proud of and items that we can build upon."
After posting 100 victories over the past two seasons, the most productive span in the program's history, the Lady Vols aim to continue their meteoric rise nationally in their quest to reach the Women's College World Series for the first time. Another talented recruiting class will arrive on campus for the 2004-05 school year, raising hopes for continued success.
