SOFTBALL CENTRAL: #8/12 Tennessee at #11/13 Auburn

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Knoxville, Tenn. – The Lady Vols (32-6, 4-5 SEC) are coming off a 3-0 home win over Tennessee State on Tuesday and will travel to Auburn, Alabama to face the No. 11/13 Auburn Tigers at Jane B. Moore Field down on the plains for a three-game series this weekend.

The Tigers (34-7, 7-5 SEC) come into this weekend's games on a high note; they have won nine of their last 10 games, including a 2-1 win over Kennesaw State on Wednesday. Auburn also has series wins over Alabama, Kentucky and Ole Miss this season.

GAME TIMES AND BROADCAST INFO

Opponent: Auburn Tigers
Venue: Jane B. Moore Field
Game 1: Friday, April 6 – 6:30 p.m. ET (Watch)
Game 2: Saturday, April 7 – 3 p.m. ET (Watch)
Game 3: Sunday, April 8 – 3 p.m. ET (Watch)
TV/Stream: ESPNU (Friday), ESPN2 (Saturday) and SEC Network+/WatchESPN (Sunday)
Radio: WMNL AM 990/UTSports.com
Live Stats: UTSports.com

Broadcast Info
The game on Friday will be live on ESPNU with the Saturday broadcast being carried live on ESPN2, with Tiffany Greene (PxP) and Erin Miller (color) on the call of the weekend.

Brian Rice will be calling the game on the airways on Sports Radio WMNL (AM 990) and UTSports.com.

Series History vs. Auburn
Overall: Tennessee leads 36-22
In Knoxville: Tennessee leads 20-7
In Auburn: Tennessee leads 13-12
Neutral Site: Series tied 3-3
Last Meeting: May 1, 2016 (W, 8-0 (5))

Despite the two team not playing last year the Lady Vols are on a two game winning streak and have won six of the last 10 meetings. Tennessee has won six of the last nine meetings down on the plains.

NEED TO KNOW

Aubrey Leach continues to play well for UT as she leads the nation in runs per game with 1.38 a game. She is also ranked ninth in batting average, fifth in hits, and fourth in on base percentage.
Leach leads the SEC in batting average (.461), runs scored (52), walks (30), on base percentage (.584) and hits (53).
Meghan Gregg is not Tennessee's all-time leader in RBIs with 242 and two home runs away from becoming the all-time leader.
Gregg and Chelsea Seggern are currently ranked second and third in the nation in RBIs with 51 and 50.
The Lady Vols are currently 5-5 against teams that have been ranked in the top 25 in either the USA Today/NFCA and/or the ESPN/USA Softball poll.
Tennessee as a team leads the SEC in hits (349), batters strikeout looking (72) and saves (7).
Tennessee leads the all-time series 36-22 against Auburn. Tennessee is 13-12 while playing in Auburn all-time. The two teams last played in Knoxville in 2016.
Caylan Arnold became a member of the 300 strikeout club over the past week in the seven strikeouts she threw against Tennessee State.
Seggern has recorded 17 of her 50 RBIs when teams have decided to walk Gregg ahead of her.

OPPONENT SCOUT
Auburn Tigers

Record: 34-7 (7-5 SEC)
2017 Postseason: NCAA Super Regionals
Picked to finish sixth in SEC Preseason Poll
Head coach Mickey Dean is in his first year with the program.
The Tigers have six players batting .300 or better.
Auburn is fueled by a balanced offense, as a different player leads the team in batting average, hits, home runs and RBIs.
The Tigers are fourth in the SEC in runs scored (234) and RBIs (205) and third in hits (316).
The Tigers are 5-1 this season when playing against teams in the Top 25.
Auburn leads the conference in Earned Run Average (0.94) this season. The Tigers boast a pair of pitchers who have had strong starts to 2018:
Kaylee Carlson: 0.63 ERA, 16-1 record with 89 strikeouts
Makayla Martin: 1.21 ERA, 13-3 record with 77 strikeouts

What's Next?
The Lady Vols return to the Volunteer State for an in-state matchup against Memphis on Tuesday, April 10 in Columbia, Tenn. UT will then welcome LSU to Sherri Parker Lee Stadium for a three-game series next weekend.