University of Tennessee Athletics
20 for 20: 20 Days Til Softball Season
January 17, 2015 | Softball
Tennessee celebrates its 20th year of softball in 2015. In honor of the program's 20-year anniversary, we will count down the 20 days leading up to 2015 season opener on Feb. 6 against Ohio by reflecting on each Tennessee softball team, starting with the first-ever squad in 1996. We will also count down the days by jersey number, reflecting on the past players who wore that day's countdown number.
The 1996 inaugural Tennessee softball team penned an impressive first page in the program's history books. The Lady Vols went 54-14 and led the nation with a .366 team batting average -- a mark that stands as a UT record to this day. Tennessee became the first program to receive votes in the USA Toda/National Softball Coaches Association (now known as the National Fastpitch Coaches Association) poll in its first year of existence. The team's 54 victories were the most regular-season wins of any team in the nation.
Jim Beitia was Tennessee's first head coach and arrived in Knoxville with a considerable amount of experience. He had worked the previous five years at Oklahoma as an assistant, interim head coach and head coach. Beitia had led Oklahoma to its first NCAA Tournament appearance in 1994.
The inaugural team included a roster featured Jackie Beavers, Tracy Fuentes, Jennifer Ortiz, Jennifer Hutson, Kelli Fitzgerald, Buffy Walker, Candice Fode, Kenyail Norris, Jenny Steele, Bridget Jackson, Lisa Wyatt, Heather Moore and Carrie Swinford.
The Lady Vols lost their first game, falling Baylor, 1-0, in what was the program debut for both teams. Tennessee bounced back with a 5-4 win over Baylor the next day. UT enjoyed a 19-game winning streak to close out its first year of softball.
UT would join the SEC the following season. So in 1996, the team played in 10 non-conference tournaments. The Big Orange set several offensive records that still stand to this day, such as team batting average (.366), runs (520), triples (19) and RBIs (457).
Nine Lady Vols hit .326 or better. Jackson emerged as one of Tennessee's first sluggers, hitting .427 with 15 homers, 24 doubles and 77 RBIs. Wyatt (.386 BA, eight homers, 53 RBIs) and Swinford (.354 BA, 13 homers, 62 RBIs) also emerged as key power hitters in the Tennessee lineup. The Tennessee pitching staff held its own, combining for a 1.62 ERA and 17 shutouts. Beavers was the ace, going 24-7 with a 1.33 ERA, 98 strikeouts and nine shutouts over 215.2 innings in the circle.
JERSEY COUNTDOWN - #20
| No. 20 | |||||||||||
| No. | Player | Years | Pos. | GP-GS | Avg. | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | SB |
| 20 | Jodi Ramirez | 1997-98 | C/1B | 131-117 | .315 | 340 | 27 | 107 | 2 | 107 | 2 |
| 20 | Angela Brewer | 2003-04 | 1B/DP | 132-123 | .286 | 346 | 44 | 99 | 17 | 92 | 0 |
| 20 | Ivy Renfroe | 2010-13 | P | 1-0 | 1.000 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| No. 20 | |||||||||||
| No. | Player | Years | Pos. | ERA | W-L | GS | CG | SH | IP | SO | |
| 20 | Ivy Renfroe | 2010-13 | P | 2.04 | 97-24 | 115 | 55 | 28 | 749.2 | 737 | |
Looking Back...#20 Jodi Ramirez
1997-98 | C/1B | 5-6 | R/R | Sacramento, Calif.
Ramirez joined the Orange and White after a successful junior college career at Sacramento City CC. She had an impressive debut season with UT in 1997, batting .325 with 11 doubles, 30 RBIs and 15 runs. As a senior, she hit .306 with two homers, five doubles, 36 RBIs (tied for the team high) and 12 runs.
THROWBACK NOTES FROM HER BIO!
- Listed biggest softball accomplishment as winning the state championship with Sacramento City CC
- Superstitious by nature, she does all of her gameday preparation in the same order
#20 Angela Brewer
2003-04 | 1B/DP | 5-8 | R/R | East Ridge, Tenn.
Brewer played for the Weeklys at Chattanooga in 2000 and 2001 and was the 2001 Southern Conference Player of the Year, hitting .383 with Chattanooga records of 14 homers and 55 runs. She followed the Weeklys to Tennessee and continued to be an impressive bat in the lineup. After sitting out 2002 with an injury, she hit .292 and knocked nine homers and 13 doubles with 43 RBIs and 18 runs in her 2003 debut season at Tennessee. In 2004, Brewer had hit .281 with eight homers, 13 doubles and 49 RBIs and was a big-time performer in SEC play, leading the team with 17 RBIs and eight doubles while hitting .304 and also hitting two homers. She would earn All-SEC honors in 2004.
THROWBACK NOTES FROM HER BIO!
- Hobbies include hanging out with friends, playing golf and shopping
- Considers her father to be her biggest influence because he inspires her and pushes her to be the best she can be
#20 Ivy Renfroe
2010-13 | P | 6-0 | R/R | Jackson, Tenn.
Ivy Renfroe was one of the greatest pitchers in Tennessee history and her incredible numbers speak for themselves. She ranks second in appearances (176), third in wins (97), shutouts (28) and strikeouts (737) and fourth in starts (115), innings pitched (749.2) and winning percentage (.802). Ivy is a three-time WCWS pitcher and was a workhorse in the circle during the 2010 and 2012 postseasons to lead the team to Oklahoma City. She tossed an impressive five no-hitters during her career, a feat only topped by Monica Abbott (23). Ivy was a rare pitcher who could clock 70 miles per hour on the speed gun and got better with each year, lowering her ERA each season from 2.41 as a freshman to 1.77 as a senior to finish with a 2.04 career ERA.
THROWBACK NOTES FROM HER BIO!
- Chose Tennessee over Oklahoma, Louisville and NC State
- Cites hitting a home run in the seventh inning of the 2006 Class A Softball State Championship Game with her team trailing, 1-0, as her biggest thrill to date in the sport (entering her 2010 freshman year)
