SOFTBALL CENTRAL: Liberty (3/19) & North Carolina (3/20)

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- The No. 6/5 Lady Vols (22-4) take on Liberty in Lynchburg, Va., and North Carolina in Chapel Hill, N.C., in back-to-back midweek games on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Tennessee is coming off a 3-1 weekend as host of the Tennessee Invitational. The Orange and White defeated BYU twice and split two games with No. 11/13 Texas.

Broadcast Info

Tuesday, March 19

Time: 5 p.m. ET
Radio: UTSports.com | UT Gameday App
Live Stats: UTSports.com
Broadcast: ESPN+

Wednesday, March 20

Time: 2:30 p.m. ET
Radio: UTSports.com | UT Gameday App | AM 990
Live Stats: UTSports.com
Broadcast: ACC Network Extra

Need to Know

Tennessee owns a 22-1 combined record against Liberty and North Carolina. The lone loss came (0-13 in six innings) to UNC on 2/17/01 in Raleigh, N.C.
Tennessee leads the Southeastern Conference with a .355 batting average and ranks second in fielding percentage (.987). The Lady Vols' average at the plate ranks fifth in the nation while their FLD % is second.
In the SEC, UT comes in at second in on-base percentage (.444). It sits in third with an average of 7.42 run scored per game, a 4.76 strikeout-to-walk ratio and 0.846 W/L percentage.
Kaili Phillips is the first Lady Vol since Madison Shipman in 2014 to hit homers in four straight games. From 2/28-3/9, Phillip's notched eight hits with six home runs in 14 at-bats.
Aubrey Leach is 20 runs shy of breaking Tennessee's career record for runs scored. She currently has 124 runs scored through 206 games. The record of 244 was set by Raven Chavanne from 2010-13. Leach also sits in third place in career walks with 141. Tonya Callahan (2005-08) holds the record of 154.
The Lady Vols have outscored their opponents 193-46 so far this season. In the first inning alone, UT has scored 53 runs compared to its opponents who have only scored six.

Scouting Report

LIBERTY

Reigning Big South Coach of the Year, Dot Richardson guided the Lady Flames to a 49-14 season record and 18-3 mark in Big South play in 2018. Liberty won its first two games at the NCAA Columbia Regional, upsetting No. 24/24 Hofstra and No. 10/11 South Carolina to advance to the Regional final.
Liberty is 10-0 at home this season and has won 28 straight home games, dating back to March 10, 2018. That is the second-longest active home winning streak in NCAA Division I softball, trailing only Oklahoma's 41 games.
Autumn Bishop leads the Lady Flames offensively, batting .370 with a .510 on-base percentage and 21 walks. Amber Bishop paces th team with 20 runs scored, 34 hits, seven doubles, six home runs and 14 RBI.
In the circle, Liberty is led by Julia Dimartino who owns a 1.16 ERA and 9-5 record through 22 appearances. She also boasts the staff's only two saves and 73 strikeouts.

All-Time Record vs. LU: 18-0

In Lynchburg: UT leads, 2-0
In Knoxville: UT leads, 15-0
At Neutral Sites: UT leads, 1-0
Last Meeting: UT won, 6-0 on 3/28/17 in Knoxville

NORTH CAROLINA

Under head coach Donna J. Papa, the Tar Heels broke their stolen base record for the third consecutive season thanks to five players with double-digit stolen bases in 2018.
North Carolina has won four games vs. ranked opponents this season, including a 4-0 shutout of #9 South Carolina on Feb. 10 and a 3-1 victory over #8 Georgia on March 13.
Offensively, UNC is paced by Kiani Ramsey with a .413 batting average, 33 hits, three doubles, three triples and a .563 slugging percentage.
Brittany Pickett has seen the most time in the circle (78.0 IP) and owns an 8-4 record and team-best ERA (1.62). Opposing batters are hitting just .202 off of her.

All-Time Record vs. UNC: 4-1

In Chapel Hill: UT leads, 1-0
In Knoxville: UT leads, 2-0
At Neutral Sites: Series tied, 1-1
Last Meeting: UT won, 9-2, on 3/22/17 in Knoxville

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