University of Tennessee Athletics
Tennessee Softball Unveils 2015 Schedule
December 03, 2014 | Softball
2015 Schedule | 2015 Schedule PDF
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Tennessee softball co-head coaches Ralph Weekly and Karen Weekly released UT's 2015 schedule on Wednesday. UT has 34 games against teams that played in the 2014 NCAA Tournament.
"This will be a challenging schedule for a team with one senior," Tennessee co-head coach Ralph Weekly said. "We are excited about the season and anticipate playing a lot of freshmen and sophomores. As iron forges iron, hopefully we will forge one another."
Tennessee went 46-12 in 2014, making its seventh NCAA Super Regional in the last 10 seasons. The Big Orange has won at least 40 games in each of its last 12 seasons. Tennessee will celebrate its 20th year of softball in 2015. NFCA All-American and 2014 NFCA Co-Freshman of the Year Annie Aldrete is among UT's nine returning veterans. The Lady Vols also feature eight exciting newcomers for the upcoming 2015 campaign. Tennessee has made six Women's College World Series appearances in the last 10 years with five finishes in the top three.
The 2015 television schedule will be announced at a later date.
Season ticket renewals for the 2015 season will be sent out in early January to all 2014 season ticket holders. Season tickets will also go on sale to the public at this time. There will be more information regarding tickets at a later date.
The 2015 season will mark the 20th year of softball at Tennessee. UT has a rich softball history with six Women's College World Series appearances in the last 10 seasons. Tennessee is 897-363-2 (.712) all-time and has produced 30 NFCA All-America selections, 22 CoSIDA/Capital One Academic All-America selections, four SEC Players of the Year, a three-time SEC Pitcher of the Year, four Capital One Academic All-Americans of the Year, two Honda Sports Award for Softball winners, one Senior CLASS Award winner, one NFCA National Freshman of the Year and one USA Softball National Collegiate Player of the Year.
THE SCHEDULE
Tennessee opens the 2015 season with four games the Kennesaw State Tournament from Feb. 6-8 in Kennesaw, Ga. UT takes on Ohio and Dayton on Feb. 6. Ohio went 32-26 in 2014, a season that ended in the NCAA Lexington Regional. Dayton went 27-29 last year and returns senior slugger Tiffany Ricks (.375 BA, 12 homers, 44 RBIs). The Big Orange plays tournament host Kennesaw State (24-29) on Feb. 7 and Northern Kentucky (5-45) on Feb. 8.
UT heads down to Tampa, Fla., for the third-straight year to compete in the USF Invitational from Feb. 13-15. On Feb. 13, the Lady Vols play Fordham and Florida Gulf Coast. Fordham went 36-20 in 2014 with an NCAA Regional appearance. FGCU went 33-26 last season and bring back slugger Kelsey Carpenter (.432 BA, 10 HRs, 51 RBIs). On Feb. 14, UT takes on tournament host USF, which went 43-17 and played four games in the 2014 Tallahassee Regional. Tennessee closes out its stay in Tampa against Detroit (7-42) on Feb. 14 and St. John's (28-23) on Feb. 15.
Tennessee next plays in the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic in Cathedral City, Calif., for the eighth consecutive year. From Feb. 19-21, UT will play its toughest five-game non-conference stretch of the regular season. On Feb. 19, UT plays a tough doubleheader against the two teams that played in the ACC Tournament championship game, Notre Dame and Florida State. Notre Dame went 41-13 last season, played in the Los Angeles Regional and returns a trio of All-Americans in Micaela Arizmendi (.382 BA, 15 HRs), Karley Wester (.455 BA, 26 SBs) and Emilee Koerner (.433 BA, 11 HRs). Florida State was the 2014 ACC champion and a 2014 Women's College World Series team and the Seminoles (55-9) return All-American shortstop Maddie O'Brien (.424 BA, 24 HRs, 83 RBIs). Tennessee plays California on Feb. 20, taking on a Golden Bears squad that went 23-29 last year and return its top two sluggers in Cheyenne Cordes (.401 BA, 13 HRs) and Danielle Henderson (.345 BA, 12 HRs). The Big Orange closes out its stay on the Golden Coast on Feb. 21 against Utah (31-24) and 2014 Tuscaloosa Super Regional team Nebraska (44-18).
UT opens its 2015 home slate a Sherri Parker Lee Stadium on Feb. 24 against Georgia Tech. The Yellow Jackets went 23-24 last year.
Tennessee hosts the first of its two non-conference home tournaments Feb.27 to March 1, welcoming Murray State, Furman and Bradley to Knoxville for format that includes three set games, a semifinal round and championship and third-place games. Last season, Murray State went 32-23 and Furman went 29-26. Bradley went 27-32 but won the Missouri Valley Conference tournament to earn a berth in the 2014 Columbia Regional.
The Big Orange heads up to Blacksburg, Va., on March 3 to face a familiar foe in Virginia Tech. The Hokies went 36-23 last year and played in the Knoxville Regional, where they fell to Tennessee, 12-0, in five frames. VT returns its pitching duo of Maggie Tyler and Kelly Heinz, as well as its top hitters in Kylie McGoldrick (.345 BA, 8 HRs), Vanessa Gonzalez (.341 BA, 8 HRs), Lauren Gaskill (.324 BA, 6 HRs) and Katey Smith (.317 BA, 9 HRs).
Tennessee hosts a four-day non-conference tournament from March 5-8. UT faces Indiana State (27-26) on March 5 and North Dakota State (6-39) on March 6. The Lady Vols play a pair of games on March 7, taking on Northern Iowa (28-20) before facing a BYU squad that went 34-23 last season and played in the Seattle Regional. UT closes out play in the tournament on March 8 against Purdue, which went 27-28-1 in 2014 and returns slugger Ashley Burkhardt (.346 BA, 10 HRs).
Following a midweek game against Illinois State (25-27) on March 10, Tennessee opens its 2015 SEC schedule on the road against South Carolina from March 13-15 in Columbia, S.C. The Lady Vols swept the Gamecocks in three games in Knoxville last year and hold a 35-15 edge in the all-time series. South Carolina went 36-22 in 2014 and played in the Tallahassee Regional. The Gamecocks bring back their pitching duo of Julie Sarratt and Nickie Blue and slugger Sarah Mooney (.300 BA, 12 HRs).
UT hosts Western Kentucky (33-24-1 last season) in midweek action on March 17 before its first SEC home series of the year against Missouri from March 20-22. Tennessee and Missouri last played in 2013 when the Tigers took two games in a rainy Columbia series at the end of the regular season and then defeated the Lady Vols, 3-0, in the SEC Tournament semifinals. The Tigers went 43-18 in 2014 and hosted the Columbia Regional, where they fell to Nebraska. Mizzou returns its ace in Tori Finucane (1.73 ERA, 21-6) and its top five hitters in Taylor Gadbois (.421 BA, 47 SBs), Corrin Genovese (.410 BA, 5 HRs), Emily Crane (.389 BA, 10 2Bs), Angela Randazzo (.349 BA, 7 HRs) and Sami Fagan (.342 BA, 10 2Bs). Missouri holds a 3-1 edge in the all-time series, which heads to Knoxville for the first time.
Tennessee heads to Johnson City, Tenn., on March 24 to play ETSU in its lone midweek non-conference road contest of the SEC portion of its season. The teams will play again on April 14 in Knoxville. UT is 15-0 all-time against ETSU and the teams have not played each other since 2012.
Tennessee hosts Georgia from March 28-30. The Lady Vols have won their last four against the Bulldogs but the teams have not played each other since 2013. Georgia went 49-15 in 2014 and fell to Baylor in the Athens Regional. The Bulldogs return All-Americans Alex Hugo (.341 BA, 25 HRs) and Chelsea Wilkinson (2.10 ERA, 33-10) as well as power hitters Paige Wilson (.387 BA, 11 HRs), Tina Iosefa (.344 BA, 10 HRs) and Anna Swafford (.327 BA, 12 HRs). Tennessee leads the all-time series, 34-29.
Following a midweek home matchup against Appalachian State (19-32) on April 1, UT faces Auburn on the road from April 2-4. The Tigers went 42-19-1 and played in the Minneapolis Regional in their first season under head coach Clint Myers. Auburn returns its top three sluggers in Kasey Cooper (.418 BA, 18 HRs), Branndi Melero (.404 BA, 15 HRs) and Emily Carosone (.392 BA, 9 HRs). The teams last played in 2013 and Tennessee holds a 33-18 edge in the all-time series.
On April 7, UT hosts an Eastern Kentucky squad that went 29-22 in 2014 and returns its ace in Leanna Pittsenbarger (1.35 ERA, 20-11).
LSU comes to Knoxville for a three-game series from April 10-12. The Tigers took two out of three last year in Baton Rouge en route to a 38-24 season and an appearance in the Tucson Regional. LSU brings back sluggers Sahvannah Jaquish (.341 BA, 17 HRs) and Bianka Bell (.337 BA, 14 HRs) as well as speedster A.J. Andrews (.329 BA, 38 SBs). Tennessee holds a 26-22-1 edge against LSU in the all-time series.
After UT's second game against ETSU on April 14, the Lady Vols head down to Starkville, Miss., to play Mississippi State from April 17-19. The Bulldogs went 39-21 in 2014 and fell to Texas in the Lafayette Regional. MSU returns its top hitter in Caroline Seitz (.340 BA, 8 HRs). Mississippi State took two out of three in Knoxville last season, but UT leads the all-time series 31-17.
Tennessee's final non-conference midweek game of the regular season is against Kennesaw State on April 21.
The Lady Vols close out the regular season against two 2014 Women's College World Series teams. UT heads to Tuscaloosa, Ala., for a three games at Alabama from April 23-25 and returns home to host Kentucky for three games from May 1-3. Alabama was the national runner-up in 2014, going 53-13 and falling to Florida in two games of the WCWS Championship Series. The Crimson Tide returns slugger Jadyn Spencer (.339 BA, 13 HRs) and pitchers Sydney Littlejohn (1.49 ERA, 11-2) and Leslie Jury (2.81 ERA, 16-6). Tennessee has not played Alabama since defeating the Crimson Tide in the 2013 Knoxville Super Regional. Alabama leads the all-time series 33-20.
Kentucky is coming off its best season in program history. The Wildcats went 50-19 and made their first-ever appearance in the Women's College World Series. UK returns ace Kelsey Nunley (1.88 ERA, 30-11) and slugger Griffin Joiner (.309 BA, 10 HRs). Tennessee went 2-2 against the Wildcats in 2014, taking two in the regular-season series in Lexington and falling to UK in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals. UT holds a 37-14 edge in the all-time series.
The 2015 SEC Tournament runs from May 6-9 and will be held at Tiger Park in Baton Rouge, La.
NCAA Regionals will be held May 15-17 with Super Regionals the following week from May 21-24. The 2015 Women's College World Series will be held May 28 to June 3 at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium - Oge Energy Field in Oklahoma City, Okla.
