Softball Preview: #14 Lady Vols vs. #10 Arkansas

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Off to a 2-0 start to conference play and riding a 10-game winning streak, the No. 14/15 Lady Vol softball team returns to Sherri Parker Lee Stadium this weekend for its SEC home opening series against No. 10/12 Arkansas. Friday's series opener is scheduled for 6 p.m. ET, while Saturday and Sunday's games are set for 1 p.m. and 1:30 p.m., respectively.

Single-game tickets are available at AllVols.com and can also be purchased at the Sherri Parker Lee ticket office when gates open to the public one hour prior to first pitch. Parking is free for all Tennessee home softball games in lots S14 and C25 adjacent to Sherri Parker Lee Stadium and Regal Soccer Stadium, and fans should note that Tennessee Athletics' clear bag policy will be in effect.

Fans are encouraged to visit the Tennessee softball gameday information page before making their way to Sherri Parker Lee to familiarize themselves with gameday policies and procedures.

BROADCAST INFO: All three games will be streamed online via SEC Network+, available at ESPN.com/watch and the ESPN app. A free online audio broadcast featuring the voice of the Lady Vol softball team Brian Rice will be streamed live on UTSports.com.

Links to each broadcast can be found on the 2022 Tennessee softball schedule page.

LAST TIME OUT: The Lady Vols erased a four-run deficit and scored eight unanswered on the way to an 8-4 victory over Memphis at the Midstate Classic in Columbia, Tennessee. Amanda Ayala went 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBIs to help UT pick up its 10th straight victory.

Lady Vol lefty Erin Edmoundson entered the circle in the second and tossed six scoreless innings to claim her third win in as many games for the Big Orange. The graduate pitcher from Deer Park, Texas, tallied five strikeouts and allowed just one hit on Tuesday, improving her record to 12-1 on the season and lowering her season ERA to 1.02.

UNDEFEATED START TO SEC PLAY: The Lady Vols opened conference play on the road last weekend at No. 8/14 Missouri. The series was altered due to weather, and the teams played a doubleheader on Sunday, March 13. The Lady Vols dominated the Tigers, 14-3, in game one before holding on for a 5-4 victory to round out the opening weekend of SEC play at Mizzou Softball Stadium.

Graduate pitcher Erin Edmoundson picked up her 10th and 11th wins of the season for the Lady Vols in the circle, totaling 9.0 innings pitched on the day with seven strikeouts and one earned run. Sophomore 3B Zaida Puni was UT's most productive player offensively, hitting 4-for-6 between the two contests with two home runs and four RBIs.

MILESTONE VICTORY: With its second win over Missouri on Sunday, UT became the seventh SEC team to eclipse 1,200 program victories and the fourth fastest SEC team to reach the milestone.

THE EDMOUNDSON SHOW: Graduate transfer pitcher Erin Edmoundson has had a phenomenal start to her Lady Vol career, posting a team-best 12-1 record in 16 appearances with a 1.02 ERA and 64 strikeouts in 75.2 innings. Her 12 victories rank second in the SEC and fourth in the country, while her 1.02 ERA sits fourth in the SEC and 26th in the NCAA this season.

Edmoundson's 12 wins in her first 13 decisions as a Lady Vol mark the best start by a UT pitcher since Erin Gabriel began her career 14-1 from 2013-15. In a single season, it's the best start by a Lady Vol since Cat Hosfield began her freshman season 14-1 in 2009.

MILLOY MANIA: Junior outfielder Kiki Milloy has undoubtedly been UT's top performer at the plate, leading the Big Orange in batting average (.367), runs (27), hits (29), homers (10), RBIs (27), HBP (9) & steals (14).

Since moving into the leadoff spot on Feb. 17, Milloy has been remarkably productive in the first inning for the Lady Vols. As UT's first batter in the opening frame, Milloy hits .375 (6-for-16) with a .524 OBP (11-for-21) and has crushed an SEC-best three leadoff bombs this season.

Milloy has reached on 11-of-21 leadoff plate appearances and has scored nine runs in the first inning this season. UT is 7-2 when she scores in the opening frame.

MASHING IT: The Lady Vols have combined for 39 home runs through the first 25 games of the season. UT's 1.56 HRs/game rank fourth in the SEC and 13th in the country.

Tennessee has two or more home runs in 12 games already this season, compared to 16 all of last year. The Lady Vols are 11-1 in games in which they record two-plus homers.

Junior outfielder Kiki Milloy has been UT's top threat via the long ball with 10 home runs this season. Her 10 bombs rank second in the SEC and 7th in the NCAA.

RANKINGS UPDATE: After picking up two wins at Mizzou, the Lady Vols moved up to No. 14 in both the ESPN.com/USA Softball and D1Softball.com national rankings. Tennessee checks in at No. 15 nationally in the USA Today/NFCA and Softball America top 25 polls.

NOTING THE OPPONENT: Arkansas enters the weekend 17-4 overall in its seventh year under head coach Courtney Deifel and brings a nine-game winning streak to Knoxville.

Arkansas (17-4)

Head Coach: Courtney Deifel (Record at ARK: 207-121)
Series Record: Tennessee leads, 40-17
Last Meeting: 19th-ranked and 7th-seeded Tennessee took down No. 6 and 2nd-seeded Arkansas 1-0 on May 13, 2021, to advance to the SEC Tournament semifinals. Ashley Rogers twirled a one-hit shutout with 12 strikeouts to knock off the SEC regular season co-champions.
Key Player/Stat: Arkansas boasts the SEC's top scoring offense, averaging 8.52 runs per game. Redshirt senior infielder Danielle Gibson leads the conference with a .525 batting average, while sophomore utility Hannah Gammill tops the league leaderboard with a 1.180 slugging percentage.

UP NEXT: Tennessee will hit the road for another SEC series at Florida, taking on the Gators in a three-game set March 25-27. Friday and Saturday's contests will be streamed on SEC Network+, while the series finale will be nationally televised on ESPNU.

For the most up-to-date information on Tennessee softball, follow @Vol_Softball on Twitter and Instagram.

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Players Mentioned

Amanda Ayala

Erin Edmoundson

Kiki Milloy

Zaida Puni

Ashley Rogers

University of Tennessee Athletics