University of Tennessee Athletics
Tennessee Softball: 2016 Season Recap
June 02, 2016 | Softball
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- As the 2016 Women's College World Series gets ready to begin today, let's take a look back at the 2016 season for the Tennessee Volunteers. Although the Vols ultimately fell short of their quest to make the program's eighth WCWS appearance, they definitely had another successful season in 2016, making their 13th consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance and winning 40-plus games for the 14th straight year.
Despite being eliminated by Arizona in the NCAA Regionals, UT showed that they were among the nation's top teams, posting 11 wins over ranked opponents while going 4-3 against the four SEC teams that advanced to this year's WCWS. UT took two of three games from Georgia on the road and became the first team to run-rule Auburn in back-to-back games since Kentucky did it in 2009. The Vols also held a lead heading into the seventh inning early in the season at Alabama and took LSU to extra innings in the SEC Tournament semifinals despite missing NFCA All-American Rainey Gaffin.
Postseason Accolades
Tennessee had a handful of players earn postseason honors after having phenomenal seasons. Gaffin earned NFCA Third-Team All-America honors, becoming the 10th player in program history to gain All-America status multiple times. Five Vols earned SEC postseason recognition, led by Meghan Gregg, who was named first-team All-SEC. Gaffin also earned All-SEC honors for the first time in her career after being named a second-team selection. Matty Moss, Brooke Vines and Aubrey Leach were all named to the SEC All-Freshman Team as well.
UT tied a program record with five players being named to the NFCA All-Southeast Region team. Gaffin earned first-team All-Region recognition while Gregg, Vines, Lexi Overstreet and Megan Geer all garnered third-team All-Region honors.
SEC Success
The Vols overachieved in Southeastern Conference play, finishing third in the league with a 16-7 record after being picked to finish fifth in the preseason coaches' poll. It was the seventh straight year that the Big Orange posted at least 15 victories in conference play. After being swept by top-ranked Florida in mid-March, the Vols went on a tear by winning 13 of their final 17 SEC games, including 11 victories over ranked foes. UT earned the No. 3 seed and advanced to the SEC Tournament semifinals before being eliminated by LSU in extra innings.
Home Sweet Home
Tennessee was a force to be reckon with at Sherri Parker Lee Stadium this season. The Vols finished the regular season with an NCAA best 22-1 record at home. The Vols finished the year with a 24-3 home mark and outscored their opponents 225-63 while posting 16 wins by run-rule. UT's 2016 senior class finished their careers with a 91-13 overall record at home.
High-Powered Offense
The Big Orange were one of the top offensive teams in the country throughout the season. The Vols entered postseason play ranked among the top 25 nationally in scoring (eighth), batting average (14th), on-base percentage (fourth), slugging percentage (12th), and triples per game (21st). UT also ranked among the top five in the SEC in 12 offensive categories. Tennessee's 426 runs scored were the most since the 2006 team scored 437. UT also set a new program record with a .446 on-base percentage and blasted 57 home runs, marking the fourth straight year eclipsing the 50-homer plateau.
Win Streak Over In-State Opponents
The Vols went 4-0 against opponents from the state of Tennessee to extend its win streak over in-state opponents to 88 consecutive games. UT is now 83-0 against teams from the Volunteer state since Ralph and Karen Weekly took over the program in 2002 and 117-3 all-time against in-state foes.
Looking Ahead
Tennessee will return 15 players from this year's team, including three NFCA All-Region selections and four players who earned SEC postseason accolades. UT's freshman trio of Moss, Vines and Leach had standout debut seasons and will be expected to play even larger roles next season along with veteran returnees Gregg, Geer and Geathers, among others. The Vols will also welcome in another top-ranked recruiting class that will have the ability to make an immediate impact.
To stay up-to-date on everything Tennessee softball throughout the offseason, follow the Vols on Twitter (@Vol_Softball), Instagram (Vol_Softball) and Facebook (Tennessee Softball).
