University of Tennessee Athletics
University of Tennessee
#19/15 Oklahoma State
Softball Central: Tennessee at Michele Smith Invitational
February 15, 2018 | Softball
Tournament Central | Game NotesÂ
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee softball team is back in action this weekend when it heads to Clearwater, Fla. for the Michele Smith Pediatric Cancer Invitational Tournament.
The Lady Vols will play a five-game slate over three days, starting with a top-25 matchup against No. 19 Oklahoma State at 11 a.m. on Friday. UT will also take on UMass Lowell, Florida Atlantic, tournament host South Florida and Marshall. All games will be played at the Eddie C. Moore Softball Complex.
Tennessee comes into the Michele Smith Invitational with a 6-0 record after sweeping last weekend's Kajikawa Classic in Tempe, Ariz. The Lady Vols are ranked No. 10 in both the USA Today/NFCA Coaches' Poll and the ESPN.com/USA Softball Top 25.Â
Tournament Schedule
All five of Tennessee's games this week can be followed on UTSports.com via live streaming by visiting the schedule page and clicking the "Live Stats" link for each game.Â
View UT's full tournament schedule below. All times listed are EST.
Friday, Feb. 16
Tennessee (H) vs. Oklahoma State | 11 a.m.
Tennessee (V) vs. UMass Lowell | 1:30 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 17
Tennessee (H) vs. Florida Atlantic | 12:30 p.m.Â
Tennessee (V) at South Florida | 5:30 p.m.Â
Sunday, Feb. 18
Tennessee (V) vs. Marshall | 9 a.m.
Need to Know
Tennessee is coming off its 14th consecutive NCAA tournament appearance and returns 17 letterwinners from last season, including seven position starters. UT also brings back five players who earned SEC postseason honors last season with Meghan Gregg, Matty Moss, Brooke Vines, Caylan Arnold and Chelsea Seggern. Gregg was named SEC Player of the Year while Arnold was named SEC Freshman of the Year. Â
Vols in the Polls
Tennessee moved up to No. 10 in the NFCA Coaches' Poll and the ESPN.com/USA Softball Top 25 this week. The Lady Vols have now been ranked for 906 consecutive games, a streak that began on Feb. 17, 2004. UT has a 714-192 record during that span.
Senior Studs
Lady Vols seniors Meghan Gregg, Scarlet McSwain and CJ McClain led the way at the Kajikawa classic last weekend. As a group, they scored 14 runs and had 16 hits over the six games. They also combined for five home runs and 17 RBI's to help guide Tennessee to a 6-0 record.
History Against the Field
The Lady Vols went 4-1 in their lone appearance at the Michele Smith Invitational in 2016, with their loss coming to James Madison.Â
Scouting Report
Oklahoma State
No. 19/15 Oklahoma State opened the season with a 4-1 record at the Kajikawa Classic, including a victory over No. 7 Arizona. Senior Vanessa Shippy was an offensive powerhouse in Tempe, finishing the tournament with a .846 batting average and six RBI's.Â
UT's All-Time Record vs. Oklahoma State: 2-2
The Lady Vols and the Cowgirls last met on Feb. 19, 2016, when UT came away with a 14-5 victory in five innings.
UMass Lowell
The River Hawks were picked to finish second in the America East preseason poll. Sophomore Courtney Cashman is coming off a strong 2017 campaign when she led the conference with a .430 batting average. UMass Lowell signed seven freshman during the offseason.
UT's All-Time Record Vs. UMass Lowell: First MeetingÂ
Friday's matchup will be the first meeting between the Lady Vols and the River Hawks in the two programs' history.
Florida Atlantic
The Owls went 4-2 as the host of the Florida Atlantic University "First Pitch" Classic last weekend. Senior pitcher Tatum Buckley had a strong showing in the tournament, posting a 3-0 record. FAU is projected to finish third in the Conference USA Preseason Poll.
UT's All-Time Record vs. Florida Atlantic: 3-2
Saturday's game will be the first time Tennessee and FAU play each other in over 16 years. Florida Atlantic claimed a 1-0 victory in the last meeting on Feb. 1, 2002.
South Florida
The Bulls opened the season with a 3-2 mark at the USF-Wilson DeMarini Tournament in Tampa, Fla., including a statement win over No. 18 Michigan. On Saturday, Feb. 10, USF coach Ken Eriksen earned his 900th career win, a 6-3 victory over UAB. The Bulls returned eight starters from a season ago.
UT's All-Time Record vs. USF: 11-8-1
The Lady Vols defeated the Bulls, 6-4, in their last meeting on Feb. 20, 2016 at the Michele Smith Invitational.
Marshall
Jen Steele takes over as head coach of the Thundering Herd this season after spending the past three years at Jacksonville University. Marshall was picked to finish fifth in the Conference USA preseason poll after posting a 42-12 record in 2017.Â
UT's All-Time Record vs. Marshall: 6-1
Tennessee and Marshall played twice at 2016 Easton Bama Bash in Tuscaloosa, Ala., with the Lady Vols winning both matchups by scores of 5-1 and 18-0 (five innings).Â
What's Next?
The Lady Vols continue their travel-packed start to the 2018 season with a trip to Cathedral City, Calif., for the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic on Feb. 22-24. UT will play six games in the tournament, taking on BYU, Bethune-Cookman, UC Davis, Oregon State, No. 3 Oregon and Northwestern.
