Softball Central: Tennessee at South Carolina

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KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The Lady Vols (30-1, 3-0 SEC) return to conference play after going 6-0 at the Bank of Hawai'i Rainbow Wahine Classic in Honolulu, Hawai'i. Tennessee takes on South Carolina for a three-game series from March 23-25 at Carolina Softball Stadium at Beckham Field in Columbia, South Carolina.

Meghan Gregg led the way offensively throughout the week, recording eight hits and 14 RBI's in the six games. UT moved up to No. 2 in the most recent USA Today/NFCA Coaches Poll and the ESPN.com/USA Softball Poll.

The Gamecocks (25-4, 2-1 SEC) come into the weekend on a high note, as they defeated Duke 6-1 on Tuesday in Columbia. South Carolina also won its first conference series by taking two of three games against Ole Miss last weekend.

GAME TIMES AND BROADCAST INFO

Opponent: South Carolina Gamecocks
Venue: Carolina Softball Stadium at Beckham Field
Game 1: Friday, March 23 – 6 p.m. ET (WATCH)
Game 2: Saturday, March 24 – 3 p.m. ET (WATCH)
Game 3: Sunday, March 25 – 1 p.m. ET (WATCH)
TV/Stream: SEC Network + (Friday/Sunday) / ESPN2 (Saturday)
Radio: WNML / UTSports.com
Live Stats: UTSports.com

Broadcast Info
Friday and Sunday's game will feature SEC Network+ (WatchESPN) broadcasts. Saturday's games will air live on ESPN2 with Mark Neely (PxP) and Jenny Dalton-Hill (color) calling the action.

Brain Rice will also be calling the game for radio on Sports Radio WNML (FM 991. / AM 990) and UTSports.com.

SERIES HISTORY VS. SOUTH CAROLINA
Overall: Tennessee leads, 29-18
In Knoxville: Tennessee leads, 21-8
In Columbia: Tennessee leads, 16-10
Neutral Site: Tennessee leads, 2-0
Last Meeting: W, 7-6 (3/12/17)

The Lady Vols have won seven of the last 10 meetings against South Carolina. This weekend will be Tennessee's first trip to Columbia since March 15, 2015, when UT lost the series 2-1. Tennessee took last year's series in Knoxville 2-1.

NEED TO KNOW

Tennessee went 6-0 at the Bank of Hawai'i Rainbow Wahine Classic last week.
Caylan Arnold went 2-0 with 24 strikeouts in five appearances and picked up two saves. For her work in Hawai'i, she earned SEC Pitcher of the Week honors for the second time this season.
The Lady Vols swept Missouri in their SEC opening weekend in Knoxville to take over first place in the SEC.
Meghan Gregg is just two RBIs (240) and two home runs (50) away from becoming the all-time leader in program history in both categories. Former Lady Vol great Tonya Callahan currently holds the program record for both RBIs (241) and home runs (51).
Gregg (49) and Chelsea Seggern (47) are ranked in first and second in the nation in RBIs this season.
Tennessee has moved up two spots in the latest rankings and is currently ranked No. 2 in the NFCA Coaches' Poll and No. 2 in the USA Softball Top 25.
Tennessee is currently 4-0 against teams ranked in the top 25 or receiving votes in the USA Today/NFCA and the ESPN/USA Softball polls.
Tennessee was picked to finish second in the SEC Preseason Coaches' Poll after finishing tied for third last season.
Tennessee pitchers have recorded 224 strikeouts this season, which is tied for third in the SEC.
UT's pitchers lead the SEC in strikeouts looking with 61. Caylan Arnold has led the way with 36.
Aubrey Leach leads the SEC in runs scored with 49 and hits with 46. She also has a .465 batting average with 14 RBIs.
This season, Seggern has recorded 17 RBIs when teams have decided to walk Gregg ahead of her.
South Carolina started the 2018 SEC schedule with a 2-1 series win over No. 23 Ole Miss in Oxford over the weekend.
South Carolina took the first two games of the set and outscored the Rebels 12-6 over the course of the weekend.

OPPONENT SCOUT
South Carolina Gamecocks

Record: 25-4 (2-1 SEC)
2017 Postseason: NCAA Regional
Picked to finish 12th in the SEC
Led by 8th year head coach Beverly Smith
Gamecocks are led by Mackenzie Boesel who has a .382 batting average.
South Carolina has a three-pitcher rotation that includes the following:
Dixie Raley: 1.13 ERA, 7-1 record and 51 Ks
Cayla Drotar: 1.37 ERA, 12-1 record and 33 Ks
Kelsey Oh: 1.53 ERA, 6-2 record and 44 Ks
Gamecocks have allowed just three home runs total this season.

WHAT'S NEXT?
The Lady Vols will return home and continue SEC play as they host Georgia for three games, starting on Saturday, March 31. First pitch on March 31 is set for 5 p.m. and all three games will have an SEC Network broadcast.