University of Tennessee Athletics
Saturday, April 29
Fayetteville, Ark.
5 p.m.
University of Tennessee
at
Arkansas
Softball Preview: #3 Lady Vols on the Road at #12 Arkansas
April 28, 2023 | Softball
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The third-ranked Lady Vols are on the road this weekend, playing in their second consecutive Saturday through Monday series against 12th-ranked Arkansas at Bogle Park.
Tennessee (38-5, 16-2 SEC) swept No. 12 Florida last weekend – outscoring the Gators 30-17 over three games. Games two and three saw the Lady Vols erase deficits of six runs and four runs, respectively, en route to the sweep and series victory.
BROADCAST INFO
All three games this weekend will be televised, starting with Saturday's outing airing nationally on ESPNU. Sunday's game will be broadcast on ESPN2, followed by Monday's contests airing on SEC Network. Mark Neeley (play-by-play) and Amanda Scarborough (analyst) will call the action for all three games.
Fans can also listen to the Voice of Tennessee Softball, Brian Rice, call the action on the Vol Network via a free audio stream on UTSports.com and the Tennessee Athletics Gameday App.
NOTABLE
NATIONAL RANKINGS
Tennessee enters the matchup ranked No. 3 in the top five in all four major polls – Softball America, D1Softball, USA Softball and NFCA.
BOO GIBSON
Sophomore McKenna Gibson is having a breakout sophomore season - hitting .382 with a 1.316 OPS. Nicknamed "Boo" the Santa Clarita, California, native ranks second on the team in average, OPS, home runs (15) and leads the squad with 56 RBIs.
Gibson has recorded 13 multi-RBI games this year – ranking second on the squad.
Over the last 12 games, Gibson is hitting .444 with 13 runs, seven home runs and 23 RBIs with a 1.139 slugging and a .543 on-base percentage.
Z FOR ZAIDA
Junior Zaida Puni is heating up at the right time for the Lady Vols. Over the last 12 games, the third baseman is 15-for-36 (.417) at the plate with five doubles, two home runs and 11 RBIs.
CHASING HISTORY
Kiki Milloy is chasing down history as she is tied with Annie Aldrete and Lauren Gibson for the single-season home run record. Her next home run would be No. 20 on the year and would set a new single-season program record.
The senior has hit 50 homers in four seasons and is one away from tying Tonya Callahan for second in Lady Vol history. Milloy is just seven home runs shy of tying Meghan Gregg for No. 1 all-time in UT history.
SCORING PARTY
UT leads the SEC and ranks fifth nationally in scoring, averaging 7.47 runs per game. Tennessee has scored five or more runs 33 times this season and has scored double-digit runs 13 times – including in five of its last eight games.
PREVENTING BIG INNINGS
On the flip side, UT's pitching staff has been excellent at liming big innings for its opponents. The Lady Vols have allowed three or more runs in only four out of 276 innings pitched this season.
SCOUTING ARKANSAS
Head Coach (Record at Arkansas): Courtney Deifel (273-141)
2023 Record: 35-13 (11-7 SEC)
Series Record: Tennessee leads 41-19
Last Meeting: W, 6-2, on 3/20/2022 in Knoxville
Key Stat: The Razorbacks enter the weekend having won eight of their last 10 ballgames thanks to the hitting prowess of Reagan Johnson and Rylin Hedgecock. Johnson is hitting .486 with a .568 slugging percentage and .500 on-base percentage with 18 hits, 19 runs scored, 10 RBI, 21 total bases and four stolen bases. Hedgecock is batting .393 with 11 hits, 11 RBI, five home runs and eight runs scored along with a 1.000 slugging percentage and .500 on-base percentage over the last 10 games.
In the circle, Chenise Delce holds a minuscule 0.92 ERA and a 4-0 record with a save across 30.1 innings pitched. Delce has recorded 39 strikeouts and limited opponents to four runs on 22 hits.
UP NEXT
The Lady Vols return home to SPL for their final regular season weekend, playing host to South Carolina May 5-7. Saturday's game will feature a pregame ceremony for Tennessee's seniors.
Tennessee (38-5, 16-2 SEC) swept No. 12 Florida last weekend – outscoring the Gators 30-17 over three games. Games two and three saw the Lady Vols erase deficits of six runs and four runs, respectively, en route to the sweep and series victory.
BROADCAST INFO
All three games this weekend will be televised, starting with Saturday's outing airing nationally on ESPNU. Sunday's game will be broadcast on ESPN2, followed by Monday's contests airing on SEC Network. Mark Neeley (play-by-play) and Amanda Scarborough (analyst) will call the action for all three games.
Fans can also listen to the Voice of Tennessee Softball, Brian Rice, call the action on the Vol Network via a free audio stream on UTSports.com and the Tennessee Athletics Gameday App.
NOTABLE
NATIONAL RANKINGS
Tennessee enters the matchup ranked No. 3 in the top five in all four major polls – Softball America, D1Softball, USA Softball and NFCA.
BOO GIBSON
Sophomore McKenna Gibson is having a breakout sophomore season - hitting .382 with a 1.316 OPS. Nicknamed "Boo" the Santa Clarita, California, native ranks second on the team in average, OPS, home runs (15) and leads the squad with 56 RBIs.
Gibson has recorded 13 multi-RBI games this year – ranking second on the squad.
Over the last 12 games, Gibson is hitting .444 with 13 runs, seven home runs and 23 RBIs with a 1.139 slugging and a .543 on-base percentage.
Z FOR ZAIDA
Junior Zaida Puni is heating up at the right time for the Lady Vols. Over the last 12 games, the third baseman is 15-for-36 (.417) at the plate with five doubles, two home runs and 11 RBIs.
CHASING HISTORY
Kiki Milloy is chasing down history as she is tied with Annie Aldrete and Lauren Gibson for the single-season home run record. Her next home run would be No. 20 on the year and would set a new single-season program record.
The senior has hit 50 homers in four seasons and is one away from tying Tonya Callahan for second in Lady Vol history. Milloy is just seven home runs shy of tying Meghan Gregg for No. 1 all-time in UT history.
SCORING PARTY
UT leads the SEC and ranks fifth nationally in scoring, averaging 7.47 runs per game. Tennessee has scored five or more runs 33 times this season and has scored double-digit runs 13 times – including in five of its last eight games.
PREVENTING BIG INNINGS
On the flip side, UT's pitching staff has been excellent at liming big innings for its opponents. The Lady Vols have allowed three or more runs in only four out of 276 innings pitched this season.
SCOUTING ARKANSAS
Head Coach (Record at Arkansas): Courtney Deifel (273-141)
2023 Record: 35-13 (11-7 SEC)
Series Record: Tennessee leads 41-19
Last Meeting: W, 6-2, on 3/20/2022 in Knoxville
Key Stat: The Razorbacks enter the weekend having won eight of their last 10 ballgames thanks to the hitting prowess of Reagan Johnson and Rylin Hedgecock. Johnson is hitting .486 with a .568 slugging percentage and .500 on-base percentage with 18 hits, 19 runs scored, 10 RBI, 21 total bases and four stolen bases. Hedgecock is batting .393 with 11 hits, 11 RBI, five home runs and eight runs scored along with a 1.000 slugging percentage and .500 on-base percentage over the last 10 games.
In the circle, Chenise Delce holds a minuscule 0.92 ERA and a 4-0 record with a save across 30.1 innings pitched. Delce has recorded 39 strikeouts and limited opponents to four runs on 22 hits.
UP NEXT
The Lady Vols return home to SPL for their final regular season weekend, playing host to South Carolina May 5-7. Saturday's game will feature a pregame ceremony for Tennessee's seniors.
Players Mentioned
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