SOFTBALL CENTRAL: Lady Vols Host Four Teams in the Tennessee Classic

Please note that UT's Clear Bag Policy will be in effect for all games this weekend. Additionally, parking at the stadium is FREE. Click HERE to review Tennessee's Clear Bag Policy and parking instructions.

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Following a 3-2 outing at ESPN's St. Pete/Clearwater Elite Invitational, the No. 7/8 Tennessee softball team hosts four teams in the Tennessee Classic over the course of four days due to expected inclement weather this weekend.

In Week 2 of the regular season, the Lady Vols were led by dominant performances from Chelsea Seggern, Amanda Ayala and Aubrey Leach at the plate as the starters batted over .400. In the circle, all three of UT's pitchers collected wins and threw at least 10 strikeouts while facing opponents who were ranked or received votes in Week 1 polls.

Broadcast Info

Tennessee's weekend matchups can be followed on UTSports.com via live radio stream by visiting the schedule page and clicking the "Listen" link next to the game or going to the UT Gameday App. UT's game vs. Virginia on Monday will also be broadcast on SECN+/WatchESPN App. A live stats link will be available next to each game on the schedule page.

Need to Know

Dating back to 1996, UT is 22-1 in home openers. The lone loss came on March 10, 2000, against Kansas in the Lady Vol Spring Invitational. In 11 home opening tourneys, UT owns a 47-5 overall record.
The Lady Vols have hosted 12 Tennessee Classic tournaments, boasting a 48-6 record dating back to the inaugural 1996 season.
Five of Tennessee's six freshman have had their numbers called in the lineup as Kaitlin Parsons, Ally Shipman, Madison Pacini, Kaili Phillips and Ashley Rogers have all started at least four games this season.
Right-handed pitcher Matty Moss leads the nation with a 29.00 strikeout-to-walk ratio. The senior has issued just one walk through 17.2 innings of work. Overall, UT's strikeout-to-walk ratio of 7.00 ranks third in the SEC and fourth in the country.
Tennessee co-head coach Ralph Weekly tutored both Kansas head coach Jennifer McFalls and Louisville head coach Holly Aprile when he served as a coach for USA Softball Women's National Teams. Weekly served as the hitting coach and Team Leader for the 2000 U.S. Olympic team that featured McFalls. The team claimed its second-consecutive gold medal in Sydney, Australia, after McFalls scored the game-winning run in the USA's victory over Japan. Under Weekly's direction, USA Softball captured the gold medal at the 1994 Pan American Games qualifier in Guatemala. Aprile was a key member of the squad, fulfilling roles as both a pitcher and outfielder.
The Lady Vols are one of only two teams in Division I softball to boast a 1.000 fielding percentage through the first two weeks of the 2019 season. The other program is the Northeast Conference's Robert Morris. Tennessee has been error free with 17 players all seeing time on the field.

Scouting Report

KANSAS

Kansas (2-8) picked up its first two wins of the season vs. UMass and Providence in the Diamond 9 Citrus Blossom Invitational after starting the season 0-5.
Sophomore C/UTL Shelby Gayre leads the squad with a .393 batting average and 11 hits through nine starts. In the circle, senior P/UTL Brynn Minor has seen action in six games (five starts) and owns a 4.53 ERA through 29.1 innings of work.

All-Time Record vs. Kansas: 3-2

In Knoxville: Kansas leads, 1-0
Neutral Sites: UT leads, 3-1
Last Meeting: UT won, 4-2, (8) in Orlando (2/14/09)

VIRGINIA

Virginia posted a perfect 4-0 record at the Elon Softball February Classic last weekend after dropping their first five games of the season.
At the plate senior P/IF Lacy Smith leads the team with a .419 batting average, 13 hits, three homers, nine RBIs and a .744 slugging percentage. Erika Osherow boasts a 1.24 ERA through four starts in the circle while Allyson Frei leads the pitching staff with 26 strikeouts through 20.1 innings of work.

All-Time Record vs. Virginia: 7-2

In Knoxville: UT leads, 4-1
In Charlottesville: Series tied, 1-1
Neutral Sites: UT leads, 2-0
Last Meeting: UT won, 11-2, in Knoxville (5/22/10)

BRADLEY

Bradley (5-5) currently leads the nation in homers per game (2.20) through the first two weekends of the 2019 season. Junior Kealia Wysocki has belted six home runs on the season to rank second in the nation (through Feb. 17).
In the circle, three players have picked up wins with Julie Kestas and Emma Jackson each owning two victories. Grace French has a team-best 1.75 ERA through six games.

All-Time Record vs. Bradley: 3-0

In Knoxville: UT leads, 1-0
Neutral Sites: UT leads, 2-0
Last Meeting: UT won, 10-2, (5) in Knoxville (3/3/17)

LOUISVILLE

Last week in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, Louisville posted its first win over a ranked team this season when the Cards beat then-No. 15/17 Michigan 2-1.
Freshman Rebecca Chung leads the team with a batting average of .500 (6-for-12) with a double, a home run and a team-best seven RBIs. In the circle, Danielle Watson (2-3) owns a team-best 2.21 ERA with 26 strikeouts in 25.1 innings of work.

All-Time Record vs. Louisville: 5-0

In Knoxville: UT leads, 4-0
Neutral Sites: UT leads, 1-0
Last Meeting: UT won, 8-1, in Knoxville (5/2/12)

Revised Tournament Schedule (as of 2/23)

Sunday, Feb 24
9:00 a.m. Kansas vs Virginia
11:30 a.m. Bradley vs Kansas
2:30 p.m. Virginia vs Tennessee
5:00 p.m. Bradley vs Louisville

Monday, Feb 25
9:30 a.m. Virginia vs Bradley
12:00 p.m. Virginia vs Louisville
2:30 p.m. Louisville vs Tennessee

Home team is in bold and the team underlined will occupy the third base dugout.

TICKETING

Monday (2/25)
All tickets previously purchased for Friday's slate of games can be used for admission to Monday's games. If you need to purchase tickets, please visit AllVols.com. Tickets purchased for Saturday may be exchanged for Monday game tickets (based on availability).

Single-Game Ticket Purchasers
If you purchased single-game tickets for Saturday, you may exchange the tickets for admission to the games on Sunday or Monday (based on availability). If you are unable to attend the games on Monday, tickets can be exchanged for admission to any of the Tennessee Invitational dates (March 14-17). All exchanges will be based on availability.

For a refund, please call the ticket office at (865) 656-1200 during business hours on Monday.