20 for 20: 6 Days Til Softball Season

Jan. 31, 2015

2015 Schedule | UTTIX.com

Only six days left until the start of the 2015 Tennessee softball season! Today we look back at the 2010 Lady Vols -- Tennessee's fourth Women's College World Series Team!

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.

UT went 3-0 in the Knoxville Regional and defeated Michigan in the Ann Arbor Super Regional to advance to the WCWS. In Supers, Ivy Renfroe shut down the Wolverines in Game 1 and Kelly Grieve contributed three two-out RBIs in a 5-0 win. Seniors Nicole Kajitani and Erinn Webb blasted back-to-back homers in the second inning of UT's 4-3 win in Game 2.

Tennessee improved to 4-0 in WCWS opening games with a 9-0 (5) rout of No. 3 seed Arizona. Webb and Jessica Spigner had two RBIs each and Renfroe tossed a three-hit shutout. UT defeated Georgia, 7-5, in Game 6 after Webb hit a third-inning grand slam and the Lady Vols survived a late push by the Bulldogs. UT fell twice to Arizona on June 6, ending an outstanding season for the Big Orange.

The 2010 roster featured Nicole Kajitani, Megan Givens, Kelly Grieve, Leah Taylor, Holly Baker, Cat Hosfield, Jessica Spigner, Melissa Brown, Andi Williamson, Erinn Webb, Ivy Renfroe, Ashley Andrews, Whiney Hammond, Morgan Fowler, Lauren Gibson, Shelby Burchell, Kat Dotson, Tiffany Huff and Raven Chavanne.

Chavanne and Dotson enjoyed breakout freshman seasons, earning UT's 17th and 18th All-America nods. Chavanne hit a team-best .455 with 64 runs and 37 stolen bases. Dotson hit .391 to go with 54 runs and 29 stolen bases.

Tennessee had several players with good power who could change the game with the swing of the bat. Webb led the team with nine homers, Spigner had eight with a team high 58, Huff had seven and Gibson had six.

Renfroe burst onto the scene with an outstanding rookie campaign, going 31-6 with a 2.41 ERA and 235 strikeouts while earning All-SEC honors.

The 2010 freshman class would go on to re-write the record books and bring about a new era of Tennessee dominance.

JERSEY COUNTDOWN - #6

No. 6
No.	Player	Years	Pos.	GP-GS	Avg.	AB	R	H	HR	RBI	SB
6	Maura Mollet	1998-2001	C/OF	245-205	.247	639	88	158	1	45	25
6	Blaine Teasley*	2002-03	OF	125-119	.263	339	66	89	15	50	14
6	Katherine Card	2003-06	UT	286-255	.308	763	118	235	21	147	6
6	Natalee Weissinger	2008-09	IF	80-1	.103	29	20	3	0	3	2
6	Hannah Akamine#	2012-14	C/IF	139-108	.249	273	35	68	7	57	1

* Blaine Teasley wore No. 6 in 2002 before switching to No. 10 in 2003.
# Hannah Akamine wore No.6 from 2012-13 and switched to No. 12 for 2014.

No. 6
No.	Player	Years	Pos.	ERA	W-L	GS	CG	SH	IP	SO
6	Jennifer Ortiz	1996	P	1.47	14-4	17	13	1	95.1	81

Looking Back...
#6 Katherine Card
2003-06 | UT | 5-9 | L/R | Soddy Daisy, Tenn

Card was one of the greatest clutch hitters and postseason performers in Tennessee softball history. Time after time, she came up with that one hit the Lady Vols would need to lift them to victory. In the 2005 hit a solid .375 at the Women's College World Series on her way to all-tournament honors. In UT's initial foray into WCWS play, the Soddy Daisy, Tenn., native's single down the right field line in the sixth inning scored the Lady Vols' lone run in a 1-0 victory over No. 4 Arizona. She followed that up in 2006 with a grand slam vs. Virginia Tech in NCAA Regionals, clutch RBI hits vs. Michigan in the Super Regionals and big solo homer in a win over Arizona in the WCWS. For her career, Card hit .308 with 21 homers, 147 RBIs and 118 runs scored.

THROWBACK NOTES FROM HER BIO!
- Considers Lady Vol basketball legend Pat Summitt to be an influence because she has shown that a woman can hold her own in a male-dominated coaching field
- Became the second player from Soddy Daisy to compete on Tennessee's softball team, as Jenny Steele patrolled center field between 1996-99

BY THE NUMBERS