University of Tennessee Athletics
Friday, February 24
Tampa, Fla.
3 p.m.
University of Tennessee
vs
Michigan State
Softball Preview: USF Invitational
February 23, 2023 | Softball
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The No. 9/12-ranked Tennessee softball team heads back to Tampa, Florida, this weekend as it prepares to play in the USF Invitational, Feb. 24-26 on the campus of South Florida. The Lady Vols will battle Michigan State, USF, No. 5 Clemson and UIC down in the Sunshine State.
UT plays twice on Friday at 3 p.m. ET against Michigan State and at 5:30 p.m. versus USF. On Saturday, the Orange & White play Clemson beginning at 11:30 a.m. and end the day with UIC at 4:30 p.m. The Lady Vols play UIC again on Sunday at 11:30 a.m. to close out the weekend.
FOLLOW LIVE
Live stats will be available for each game throughout the weekend and will be provided by USF. All stat links can be found by visiting the Tennessee softball schedule page on UTsports.com. Only UT's game against USF will be live streamed on ESPN+.
Video coordinator extraordinaire Hunter King will step up and fill in for Brian Rice on the airwaves as the Lady Vols play in Tampa. King is in his fifth season with the softball program but will be making his radio debut for the Vol Network. Radio links for all five games can be found on social media and the Tennessee softball schedule page.
LADY VOLS IN THE POLLS
Tennessee continues to be ranked in all four major polls going into the third week of the season. UT is ranked ninth by USA Softball, 11th in D1Softball's lists and is at No. 12 according to USA Today / NFCA and Softball America.
WEEKLY CHASING 1,000 WINS AT UT
Head coach Karen Weekly is four wins shy of 1,000 in her career at Tennessee. The second-winningest coach in athletic department history, Weekly has won 1,219 games over the course of her career - spanning five seasons at Chattanooga and now 22 years on Rocky Top.
TENNESSEE KNOWS OFFENSE
Teams at the University of Tennessee have become very familiar with high-scoring outputs, and Lady Vol softball is no different. UT currently ranks second in the nation and SEC in scoring, averaging 9.14 runs per game. Tennessee has scored six or more runs in five games this season - including a 21-1 victory over Howard on opening day. Through seven games, UT has outscored its opponents 64-9.
RIGHT WHERE SHE LEFT OFF
Lady Vol outfielder Kiki Milloy has fired out of the gates to begin the season, leading the Big Orange in OPS (1.698), runs (12), home runs (5), slugging percentage (1.217) and steals (4). She has reached base in all seven of UT's games this season. Additionally, Milloy is the SEC's active career leader in stolen bases with 81 - swiping four already this season. The mark ranks eighth in Lady Vol history and is four away from tying Lady Vol greats Sarah Fekete and India Chiles for sixth on UT's career list.
THE DONIHOO SHOW
Oklahoma transfer Mackenzie Donihoo has had a phenomenal debut as a Lady Vol, posting a team-best .524 average at the plate. She is currently 11-for-21 with eight runs scored, a team-high six doubles and eight runs batted in. Donihoo is tied with New Mexico State's Kendal Lunar for the NCAA lead in doubles per game at 0.86. Her six doubles are tied for the second most in the nation and she is tied with South Carolina's Marissa Gonzalez and Arkansas' Kacie Hoffman for the SEC lead in doubles.
SCOUTING THE FIELD
Michigan State
2023 Record: 5-4
Series Record: UT leads, 3-0
Last Meeting: Feb. 13, 2011 (W, 14-0 (5))
Key Player/Stat: The Spartans are fresh off a 2-2 weekend at the Elon Phoenix Invitational in which they defeated Elon and Fordham, while dropping games against 2022 Northeast Conference champion Saint Francis and James Madison. Entering the weekend, junior Ashley Miller ranks No. 3 in NCAA Division I in innings pitched (38.1), No. 6 in shutouts (2), No. 7 in strikeouts (49) and No. 9 in wins (4).
USF
2023 Record: 2-7
Series Record: UT leads, 12-10-1
Last Meeting: Feb. 23, 2020 (L, 2-3)
Key Player/Stat: USF enters the weekend 2-7 on the year and on a five-game skid. Offensively, Emilee Hanlon and Meghan Sheehan lead the squad as the only hitters batting over .300 - at .462 and .375, respectively.
No. 5 Clemson
2023 Record: 10-0
Series Record: Clemson leads, 1-0
Last Meeting: Feb. 18, 2022 (L, 3-4 (9))
Key Player/Stat: UT and Clemson played nine innings last season, with the Tigers edging out the win, 4-3. Kiki Milloy hit two home runs in the game - a two-run shot and a solo bomb.
UIC
2023 Record: 0-8
Series Record: Tennessee leads, 7-1
Last Meeting: Feb. 9, 2019 (W, 11-1 (5))
Key Player/Stat: Hailey Cowing, Anna Walker and Jazmyn Casas lead the offense with batting averages of .385, .350 and .316. The trio have combined for seven runs scored and four RBIs. Cowing has the only home run hit by a Flame this season.
UT plays twice on Friday at 3 p.m. ET against Michigan State and at 5:30 p.m. versus USF. On Saturday, the Orange & White play Clemson beginning at 11:30 a.m. and end the day with UIC at 4:30 p.m. The Lady Vols play UIC again on Sunday at 11:30 a.m. to close out the weekend.
FOLLOW LIVE
Live stats will be available for each game throughout the weekend and will be provided by USF. All stat links can be found by visiting the Tennessee softball schedule page on UTsports.com. Only UT's game against USF will be live streamed on ESPN+.
Video coordinator extraordinaire Hunter King will step up and fill in for Brian Rice on the airwaves as the Lady Vols play in Tampa. King is in his fifth season with the softball program but will be making his radio debut for the Vol Network. Radio links for all five games can be found on social media and the Tennessee softball schedule page.
LADY VOLS IN THE POLLS
Tennessee continues to be ranked in all four major polls going into the third week of the season. UT is ranked ninth by USA Softball, 11th in D1Softball's lists and is at No. 12 according to USA Today / NFCA and Softball America.
WEEKLY CHASING 1,000 WINS AT UT
Head coach Karen Weekly is four wins shy of 1,000 in her career at Tennessee. The second-winningest coach in athletic department history, Weekly has won 1,219 games over the course of her career - spanning five seasons at Chattanooga and now 22 years on Rocky Top.
TENNESSEE KNOWS OFFENSE
Teams at the University of Tennessee have become very familiar with high-scoring outputs, and Lady Vol softball is no different. UT currently ranks second in the nation and SEC in scoring, averaging 9.14 runs per game. Tennessee has scored six or more runs in five games this season - including a 21-1 victory over Howard on opening day. Through seven games, UT has outscored its opponents 64-9.
RIGHT WHERE SHE LEFT OFF
Lady Vol outfielder Kiki Milloy has fired out of the gates to begin the season, leading the Big Orange in OPS (1.698), runs (12), home runs (5), slugging percentage (1.217) and steals (4). She has reached base in all seven of UT's games this season. Additionally, Milloy is the SEC's active career leader in stolen bases with 81 - swiping four already this season. The mark ranks eighth in Lady Vol history and is four away from tying Lady Vol greats Sarah Fekete and India Chiles for sixth on UT's career list.
THE DONIHOO SHOW
Oklahoma transfer Mackenzie Donihoo has had a phenomenal debut as a Lady Vol, posting a team-best .524 average at the plate. She is currently 11-for-21 with eight runs scored, a team-high six doubles and eight runs batted in. Donihoo is tied with New Mexico State's Kendal Lunar for the NCAA lead in doubles per game at 0.86. Her six doubles are tied for the second most in the nation and she is tied with South Carolina's Marissa Gonzalez and Arkansas' Kacie Hoffman for the SEC lead in doubles.
SCOUTING THE FIELD
Michigan State
2023 Record: 5-4
Series Record: UT leads, 3-0
Last Meeting: Feb. 13, 2011 (W, 14-0 (5))
Key Player/Stat: The Spartans are fresh off a 2-2 weekend at the Elon Phoenix Invitational in which they defeated Elon and Fordham, while dropping games against 2022 Northeast Conference champion Saint Francis and James Madison. Entering the weekend, junior Ashley Miller ranks No. 3 in NCAA Division I in innings pitched (38.1), No. 6 in shutouts (2), No. 7 in strikeouts (49) and No. 9 in wins (4).
USF
2023 Record: 2-7
Series Record: UT leads, 12-10-1
Last Meeting: Feb. 23, 2020 (L, 2-3)
Key Player/Stat: USF enters the weekend 2-7 on the year and on a five-game skid. Offensively, Emilee Hanlon and Meghan Sheehan lead the squad as the only hitters batting over .300 - at .462 and .375, respectively.
No. 5 Clemson
2023 Record: 10-0
Series Record: Clemson leads, 1-0
Last Meeting: Feb. 18, 2022 (L, 3-4 (9))
Key Player/Stat: UT and Clemson played nine innings last season, with the Tigers edging out the win, 4-3. Kiki Milloy hit two home runs in the game - a two-run shot and a solo bomb.
UIC
2023 Record: 0-8
Series Record: Tennessee leads, 7-1
Last Meeting: Feb. 9, 2019 (W, 11-1 (5))
Key Player/Stat: Hailey Cowing, Anna Walker and Jazmyn Casas lead the offense with batting averages of .385, .350 and .316. The trio have combined for seven runs scored and four RBIs. Cowing has the only home run hit by a Flame this season.
Players Mentioned
INF/OF
/ Softball
OF
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