SOFTBALL CENTRAL: #9 Lady Vols vs. Tennessee State

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- The No. 9 Lady Vols host Tennessee State on Wednesday, April 24, at Sherri Parker Lee Stadium in UT's final midweek game of the regular season.

Tennessee is coming off a 2-2 week, having won at ETSU last Tuesday before taking one game from the Georgia Bulldogs in Athens on Saturday.

Broadcast Info

Wednesday, April 24 - Game 1

Time: 4 p.m. EST
Watch: SEC Network+/WatchESPN App
Listen: UTSports.com | Tennessee Gameday App | AM 990
Live Stats: UTSports.com

Wednesday, April 24 - Game 2

Time: 6:30 p.m. EST
Watch: SEC Network+/WatchESPN App
Listen: UTSports.com | Tennessee Gameday App | AM 990
Live Stats: UTSports.com

Need to Know

Tennessee's .313 batting average ranks third in the SEC and 24th in the nation while the squad's .979 fielding percentage is second and fifth, respectively.
The Lady Vols have 16 wins over opponents who were ranked or received votes in the USA Today/NFCA Coaches Poll and ESPN.com/USA Softball Poll entering the midweek game.
UT is outscoring opponents 278-102 through 44 games. The Lady Vols have thrown 11 shutouts total and have run-ruled opponents 15 times.
Senior Haley Bearden led Tennessee offensively last week, posting a .583 average (7-for-12) with five scored, one double, four home runs and 12 RBI. She recorded a team-best 1.667 slugging percentage through four games.
Bearden became the first Lady Vol in history to hit two grand slams in a game and the first player since Lauren Gibson in 2013 to record eight RBI in a single outing on April 16 at ETSU. UT has had two grand slams hit in the same game on three other occasions, but all were by different players.
During the ETSU game on April 16, senior Aubrey Leach walked four times to tie and then break the program record for career walks. She has 155 free passes for her career with 11 games left to play in the regular season. Leach is eight runs shy of breaking Tennessee's career record of 244 runs scored. She currently has 237 runs scored through 220 games.
Ashley Rogers and Matty Moss delivered the fifth combined no-hitter in UT history last Tuesday at ETSU. It's just the second combined no-hitter that LVFL Monica Abbott did not throw an inning in and the 49^th overall no-no in the record book. Rogers tossed 3.0 shutout innings, allowing just one batter to reach base via a walk. She struck out eight of her 10 batters faced and 30 of her 43 pitches were strikes. To start the fourth inning, Moss entered in relief and threw 19 pitches to close out the final two frames.
Rogers was named to the Schutt Sports/NFCA Division I National Freshman of the Year Top 25 List by the National Fastpitch Coaches' Association last Thursday. The right-hander is having a stellar freshman season for the Lady Vols with a 17-3 record, 1.87 ERA, two saves and 154 strikeouts. Her 17 victories are fourth in the SEC while her eight wins in conference play lead the league. Rogers' 154 punchouts are the most by a UT freshman since Ellen Renfroe had 259 in 2011.

Scouting Report

Tennessee State

2019 Overall Record: 10-24
2019 OVC Record: 3-13
Andrea Browning is in her second season as head coach at Tennessee State. The Tigers went 4-48 last season, winning one game in conference play.
Brie Vire leads TSU as one of two players with a batting average above .300. Vire also leads teh squad with 20 runs scored.
In the circle, Raven Loveless paces the pitching staff with a 3.27 ERA and eight wins.She's tossed 115.2 innings and thrown 54 strikeouts.

All-Time Record vs. TSU: 14-0

In Knoxville: UT leads, 11-0
In Nashville: UT leads, 3-0
Last Meeting: UT won, 3-0, in Knoxville (4/3/18)

On Deck

The Lady Vols head to Ole Miss for their final road SEC series of the season on April 26-28.

Broadcast Info

Need to Know

Scouting Report

On Deck

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Haley Bearden

Aubrey Leach

Matty Moss

Ashley Rogers

University of Tennessee Athletics