SOFTBALL CENTRAL: No. 7 Tennessee vs. No. 6 Georgia

Tennessee Notes | Georgia Notes

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The Lady Vols (30-4, 3-3 SEC) return home to conference play after going 0-3 on the road last week at No. 9 South Carolina. Tennessee takes on No. 6 Georgia for a three-game series starting Saturday and going through Monday at Sherri Parker Lee Stadium.

Aubrey Leach led the Big Orange over the weekend offensively, finishing with a .714 batting average, a 1.000 slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .833. She is in the midst of an 18-game hitting streak dating back to the game against Oregon.

The Bulldogs (30-3, 7-2 SEC) enter the weekend on a high note; they have won eight of their last 10 games, including a 4-1 win over Kennesaw State on Wednesday. Georgia also took two of the three games against No. 4 Florida.

GAME TIMES AND BROADCAST INFO

Opponent: Georgia Bulldogs
Venue: Sherri Parker Lee Stadium
Game 1: Saturday, March 31 – 5 p.m. ET (Watch)
Game 2: Sunday, April 1 – 6 p.m. ET (Watch)
Game 3: Monday, April 2 – 7 p.m. ET (Watch)
TV/Stream: SEC Network (Saturday – Monday)
Radio: WMNL AM 990/UTSports.com
Live Stats: UTSports.com

Broadcast Info
All three games will be air live on the SEC Network, with Courtney Lyle (PxP) and Jenny Dalton-Hill (color) on the call.

Brain Rice will also be calling the game for radio on Sports Ratio WNML (AM 990) and UTSports.com.

Series History vs. Georgia
Overall: Tennessee leads 39-30
In Knoxville: Tennessee leads 16-15
In Athens: Tennessee leads 18-13
Neutral Site: Tennessee leads 5-2
Last Meeting: L, 2-5 (April 18, 2016)

The Lady Vols have won nine of the last 10 meetings against Georgia. This weekend will be the Bulldogs' first trip to Parker Lee Stadium since March 30, 2015. Tennessee swept that series 3-0, and the Lady Vols won two of three in their last meeting in Athens, Ga.

NEED TO KNOW

Meghan Gregg is just one RBI and two home runs away from becoming the all-time UT leader in both categories. Tonya Callahan is the current leader in both categories.
Gregg and Chelsea Seggern are ranked in first and third in the nation in RBIs this season, with 50 and 49 total, respectfully.
Seggern has recorded 17 RBIs when teams have decided to walk Gregg ahead of her this season. That is one of the reasons she is ranked third in the nation.
Aubrey Leach leads the SEC in batting average (.481), runs scored (51), walks (27) and hits (51). She also has a .596 on-base percentage and a .575 slugging percentage.
Georgia on my Mind! The Lady Vols did not face the Bulldogs last season, and this will be the Dogs' first trip to Knoxville since the 2015 season.
Tennessee was ranked No. 7 in the NFCA Preseason Coaches' Poll and No. 10 in the USA Softball Preseason Top 25.
Tennessee is currently 4-3 against teams that have been ranked in the top 25 in either USA Today/NFCA or the ESPN/USA Softball poll.
Tennessee has recorded 233 strikeouts this season, which is fourth in the SEC.
Tennessee leads the SEC in strikeouts looking with 64, led by Caylan Arnold, who has 38. Arnold is also ranked 10^th in the nation in strikeouts.
Brooke Vines is back in the lineup for the Lady Vols. She has played in nine games for the Lady Vols, batting .429 with 12 hits and seven RBIs.
Tennessee will face their sixth ranked opponent this season and currently stand at 4-3 on the season in such contests.

OPPONENT SCOUT
Georgia Bulldogs

Record: 30-3 (7-3 SEC)
2017 Postseason: NCAA Regional
Picked to finish ninth in the SEC
Led by 18^th-year head coach Lu Harris-Champer
Georgia is led by Kendall Burton, who has a .433 batting average.
The Bulldogs have 10 players batting .300 or better.
The Bulldogs lead the SEC in batting average (.363), slugging percentage (.598), home runs (44) and total bases (508).
They lead the nation in slugging percentage and are ranked second in batting average and scoring.
Alyssa DiCarlo leads the team with 13 of Georgia's 44 home runs this season; she also leads the team with 43 RBIs.
The Bulldogs have seven pitchers who have seen action this season, and they have a team ERA of 1.08. Their top two pitchers are listed below:
Brittany Gray: 0.48 ERA, 15-0 record with 122 strikeouts.
Kyle Bass: 1.42 ERA. 9-1 record and 62 strikeouts.

What's Next?
The Lady Vols will host Tennessee State in non-conference action on Tuesday, April 3. Tennessee will put its 92-game win streak against in-state opponents on the line in the mid-week action.

TRAFFIC UPDATED
In an effort to improve traffic flow leaving Sherri Parker Lee Stadium, all fans departing this weekend's Tennessee-Georgia games will be required to go west on Neyland Drive. Officers will be continuously directing cars to only turn right from Joan Cronan Way.

GAMEDAY/STADIUM POLICIES & INFORMATION

Clear Bag Policy
In order to enhance safety and expedite fan entry at Tennessee athletic events, UT has implemented a clear bag policy at Lindsey Nelson Stadium and all other athletic facilities. Only one clear bag no larger than 12 inches by 6 inches by 12 inches (gallon size) per person is permitted. Fans are also allowed a small clutch purse not exceeding 4.5 inches by 6.5 inches.

Other Info
All of the information listed above and more can be found on the Tennessee Softball Gameday Information page HERE.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Caylan Arnold

Meghan Gregg

Aubrey Leach

Chelsea Seggern

Brooke Vines

University of Tennessee Athletics