20 for 20: 5 Days Til Softball Season

Feb. 1, 2015

2015 Schedule | UTTIX.com

Only five days left until the start of the 2015 Tennessee softball season! Today we look back at the 2011 Lady Vols -- UT's most recent SEC Tournament champs!

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.

Tennessee went 49-12 and 20-8 in SEC play. In the SEC Tournament, UT defeated Kentucky and Auburn to advance to the title game against Georgia. In the championship game, Jessica Spigner hit two home runs and Shelby Burchell hit a walk-off homer to give UT a thrilling 6-5 win in eight frames.

UT hosted the Knoxville Regional but did not advance to Super Regionals after falling twice to Oklahoma State.

The 2011 roster featured Kelly Grieve, Holly Baker, Tory Lewis, Cat Hosfield, Jessica Spigner, Melissa Brown, Ellen Renfroe, Kourtney Thomas, Melissa Davin, Chelsea O'Connor, Ivy Renfroe, Ashley Andrews, Whitney Hammond, Morgan Fowler, Lauren Gibson, Shelby Burchell, Kat Dotson, Ashley Holmes, Madison Shipman and Raven Chavanne.

Tennessee's offense was impressive in 2011. The sophomore trio of Chavanne (.455), Gibson (.420) and Dotson (.401) hit over .400. Grieve hit .376 and Burchell (15 homers) and Spigner (16 homers) provided a formidable 1-2 punch in the power department.

Ellen Renfroe enjoyed an incredible freshman campaign, going 26-7 with a 1.50 ERA and 259 strikeouts over 201.0 innings. Ivy Renfroe went 19-4 with a 2.07 ERA and 157 strikeouts. The 2011 season was the first of three memorable years of the Renfroe-sister combo in the circle.

Chavanne, Gibson and Renfroe each earned NFCA All-American honors.

JERSEY COUNTDOWN - #5

No. 5
No.	Player	Years	Pos.	GP-GS	Avg.	AB	R	H	HR	RBI	SB
5	Annie Fletcher	2000-01	IF	116-115	.250	284	30	71	1	20	16
5	Stacey Jennings	2003-05	P/OF	209-200	.279	535	78	149	14	88	20
5	Danielle Pieroni	2006-09	P/OF	157-71	.209	249	18	52	1	35	2
5	Taylor Koenig	2014-pres	IF	54-49	.305	141	20	43	2	29	0

No. 5
No.	Player	Years	Pos.	ERA	W-L	GS	CG	SH	IP	SO
5	Stacey Jennings	2003-05	P/OF	1.82	34-21	61	26	14	366.0	240
5	Danielle Pieroni	2006-09	P/OF	2.55	8-3	9	1	1	79.2	52

Looking Back...
#5 Stacey Jennings
2003-05 | P/OF | 5-10 | R/R | Aurora, Colo.

Jennings was a force both in the batter's box and in the pitcher's circle. Her 2003 debut season was one of the most impressive all-around performances by a Tennessee player as she hit .307 with 10 homers, nine doubles, one triple, 40 RBIs and 29 runs and went 21-15 with a 1.73 ERA and 117 strikeouts. On Feb. 3, 2003, Jennings threw the first perfect game in Tennessee history, holding UNLV to no hits and no baserunners and striking out six over seven shutout innings of a 3-0 UT win. For her career, she hit .279 with 14 homers, 22 doubles two triples, 88 RBIs, 78 runs and 20 stolen bases. She also compiled a 34-21 record, 1.82 ERA, 240 strikeouts, 26 complete games and 14 shutouts in the circle.

THROWBACK NOTES FROM HER BIO!
- Modeled her game after cousin Trena Peel, who was a three-time All-SEC selection and 2002 SEC Player of the Year at LSU
- Highest ambition is to help the Lady Vols reach the WCWS for the first time and win the national title

Looking Ahead...
#5 Taylor Koenig
2014-pres | IF | 5-10 | R/R | Mira Loma, Calif.

Koenig earned Freshman All-SEC accolades in 2014 and finished the year with a .305 batting average with two homers, eight doubles and 29 RBIs. Look for the power-hitting Mira Loma, Calif., native to make an impact in 2015!

THROWBACK NOTES FROM HER BIO!
- Favorite all-time athletes include Mike Trout and Babe Ruth
- Favorite musical group is Rascal Flatts
- Outside of softball, enjoys camping, boating and reading

BY THE NUMBERS