University of Tennessee Athletics
UT Softball Wraps Fall Play With 8 Wins
October 17, 2012 | Softball
Oct. 17, 2012
Fall Photo Gallery 1 | Photo Gallery 2 KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - Poised for another run at the Women's College World Series, the Tennessee softball team got a glimpse of what its 2013 squad will look like over eight fall games this month. The Lady Vols wrapped fall play this past weekend with four wins in the Tennessee Fall Classic, pushing the team's October record to a perfect 8-0.
Tennessee batted .372 as a team over its eight contests and its pitchers combined for a 1.30 ERA.
"This is an offensive-minded conference," Tennessee co-head coach Ralph Weekly said. "Pitchers, then hitters, win games. Karen and I were pleased with both components, but know we have a lot of work to do. We have a veteran team, but play one of the very toughest schedules in the SEC. Now is the time to work hard and put the hay in the barn."
At the Tennessee Fall Classic, UT outscored its opponents, 25-1. On Saturday, the Lady Vols shut down 2012 NJCAA Division I National Champions Chattanooga State, 6-0, and posted a 6-1 win over Lee later that afternoon. Tennessee had two shutouts on Sunday, defeating Chipola, 5-0, and Milligan, 8-0.
For the fall season, junior Melissa Davin was the most impressive hitter, leading the team with a .533 batting average (16-for-30), four homers, 12 RBIs, nine runs scored and a whopping 1.515 OPS. Davin is coming off her best year as a sophomore. In 2012, she garnered second team All-SEC honors and hit .280 with eight homers and 29 RBIs.
Five UT players hit over .380 for the fall. Senior infielder Melissa Brown was second on the team with a .476 batting average (10-for-21) and also tallied two doubles, six RBIs and five runs scored.
Senior outfielder Kat Dotson, a 2010 Louisville Slugger/NFCA All-American and a three-time Louisville Slugger/NFCA All-Southeast Region selection, hit .458 (11-for-24) with three doubles, one triple, two homers and nine RBIs.
Coming off her breakout, 2012 All-American campaign, junior shortstop Madison Shipman hit .423 (11-for-26) with one homers, one double, five RBIs, six runs and a team-high five stolen bases.
Two-time first-team All-American (2011, 2012) Lauren Gibson hit .381 (8-of-21) with one double, five RBIs and five runs scored. The senior second baseman also stole three bases.
In the circle, the Lady Vols' pitchers finished the fall strong with three shutouts in four Tennessee Fall Classic games.
Senior Ivy Renfroe (3-0) had a 1.62 ERA with 22 strikeouts over a team-high 17.1 innings of work.
Sophomore Cheyanne Tarango (3-0) posted a 0.00 ERA, allowing no earned runs and fanning 15 over 12 frames.
Two-time first-team All-American (2011, 2012) Ellen Renfroe had a 0.54 ERA over three appearances. The junior righty stuck out 14 batters in 13 innings.
UT continues fall practice in preparation for the 2013 season. Tennessee will open the season on Feb. 7 against Southern Utah in the Red Desert Classic in St. George, Utah. The Lady Vols return to Sherri Parker Lee Stadium on Feb. 26 to host Lipscomb on Feb. 26. Tennessee returns all four of its 2012 Louisville Slugger/NFCA All-Americans in Lauren Gibson, Ellen Renfroe, Raven Chavanne and Madison Shipman as well as All-SEC selections Melissa Davin and Kat Dotson.
For all of the latest Tennessee softball news and updates, follow us on twitter @LadyVol_Sftball and check out the team's official Facebook page at facebook.com/tennesseesoftball.
