Tennessee Projected as SEC Runner-Up

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - Lady Vols softball was voted to finish second in the SEC by league coaches, the conference announced Wednesday.

Tennessee, which finished second in conference in 2019 after a 14-10 record in league play, received two first-place votes on the preseason poll.

The Lady Vols finished behind Alabama which was picked to finish at the top of the SEC after advancing to the Women's College World Series semifinals last season.

UT made its 11^th appearance in the NCAA Super Regional before falling in extra innings in a rubber match to Florida, which is projected to finish fifth in 2020. Tennessee finished the season ranked 11^th/12^th nationally after recording a 43-17 record.

Despite losing All-American Aubrey Leach and senior pitcher Matty Moss, the Lady Vols bring back 70 percent of their scoring and sophomore ace and All-SEC first team honoree Ashley Rogers, whose 209 strikeouts ranked second in conference and 36^th nationally. With the return of sophomore catcher Ally Shipman, who was sidelined due to an injury midway through last season, the team expects an additional offensive boost.

UT also expects significant contributions from its freshman class, which was ranked sixth by Softball America.

The Lady Vols open the program's 25^th season on Feb. 8 in Tempe, Ariz., at the Kajikawa Classic against Northwestern. SEC play starts on March 13 for the Lady Vols in College Station, Texas against Texas A&M.

2020 SEC Softball Preseason Coaches' Poll
(First-Place Votes in Parentheses)

Place	School	Points
1.	Alabama (11)	143
2.	Tennessee (2)	129
3.	LSU	117
4.	Kentucky	101
5.	Florida	92
6.	Georgia	84
7.	Arkansas	80
8.	Ole Miss	62
9.	South Carolina	56
10.	Missouri	54
11.	Auburn	52
12.	Mississippi State	22
	Texas A&M	22

University of Tennessee Athletics

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Players Mentioned

Aubrey Leach

Matty Moss

Ashley Rogers

Ally Shipman

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