University of Tennessee Athletics
Friday, March 20
Gainesville, FL
6 PM ET
University of Tennessee
at
Florida
SB Preview: #1 Tennessee Wades Into The Swamp Against #5 Florida
March 19, 2026 | Softball
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – No. 1-ranked Tennessee is back on the road in conference play March 20-22 for a three-game series in Gainesville, Florida, against the fifth-ranked Gators.
The Lady Vols' (27-1, 5-1 SEC) stay in Gainesville will close out an eight-game road swing that began on March 10.
Florida (29-1, 6-0 SEC) enters the weekend on an eight-game win streak that includes sweeps of Missouri and Kentucky to open SEC play.
BROADCAST INFO
Games 1 and 2 of the series will be available to stream on SEC Network+ or through the WatchESPN app. Ryan Urquhart (play-by-play) will be on the call with Aleshia Ocasio serving as the analyst. Sunday's contest will air nationally on ESPN2. Clay Matvick (play-by-play) and Michele Smith (analyst) will describe the action.
Fans can also listen to Charley Collier call the action via a free audio stream on UTSports.com and the Tennessee Athletics Gameday App. Streaming, live stats, and radio links are available on the Tennessee softball schedule page at UTSports.com.
UNANIMOUS NO. 1
Tennessee continues to hold the unanimous No. 1 ranking in all four major national polls for the fifth consecutive week. The Lady Vols remain the top team in the NFCA, USA Softball, D1Softball and Softball America polls after a 27-1 start to the season. It is the longest they have occupied the top spot in the NFCA poll since the 2007 season.
ROAD WARRIORS
Over the past three seasons, the Lady Vols have gone 42-11 in true road games and 47-14 at neutral sites. That run includes three conference sweeps at No. 10 LSU (2023), at No. 16 Kentucky (2023) and at No. 23 South Carolina (2024).
Since the beginning of SEC play in 2023, Tennessee has won 12 of 13 SEC road series, including nine straight. During the stretch, UT is 28-11 on the road in league play and averages 4.3 runs per game, while allowing an average of 1.9 runs per game.
Tennessee's last SEC road series loss was at Arkansas in 2023.
MAGIC NUMBER
Since the beginning of the 2023 season, the Lady Vols' magic number has been three (3). Tennessee is 157-9 when scoring three or more runs over that span.
SCOUTING FLORIDA
Head Coach (Record at UF): Tim Walton (1,059-256)
2026 Record: 29-1
Series Record: Florida leads, 54-36
In Knoxville: Tennessee leads, 18-17
In Gainesville: Florida leads, 31-11
At Neutral Sites: Tennessee leads, 7-6
Last Meeting: Tennessee won 11-3 (5) on May 30 at the Women's College World Series in Oklahoma City.
DUE UP
Tennessee returns home to Sherri Parker Lee Stadium on March 24 for a midweek game against in-state foe Tennessee Tech.
The Lady Vols' (27-1, 5-1 SEC) stay in Gainesville will close out an eight-game road swing that began on March 10.
Florida (29-1, 6-0 SEC) enters the weekend on an eight-game win streak that includes sweeps of Missouri and Kentucky to open SEC play.
BROADCAST INFO
Games 1 and 2 of the series will be available to stream on SEC Network+ or through the WatchESPN app. Ryan Urquhart (play-by-play) will be on the call with Aleshia Ocasio serving as the analyst. Sunday's contest will air nationally on ESPN2. Clay Matvick (play-by-play) and Michele Smith (analyst) will describe the action.
Fans can also listen to Charley Collier call the action via a free audio stream on UTSports.com and the Tennessee Athletics Gameday App. Streaming, live stats, and radio links are available on the Tennessee softball schedule page at UTSports.com.
UNANIMOUS NO. 1
Tennessee continues to hold the unanimous No. 1 ranking in all four major national polls for the fifth consecutive week. The Lady Vols remain the top team in the NFCA, USA Softball, D1Softball and Softball America polls after a 27-1 start to the season. It is the longest they have occupied the top spot in the NFCA poll since the 2007 season.
ROAD WARRIORS
Over the past three seasons, the Lady Vols have gone 42-11 in true road games and 47-14 at neutral sites. That run includes three conference sweeps at No. 10 LSU (2023), at No. 16 Kentucky (2023) and at No. 23 South Carolina (2024).
Since the beginning of SEC play in 2023, Tennessee has won 12 of 13 SEC road series, including nine straight. During the stretch, UT is 28-11 on the road in league play and averages 4.3 runs per game, while allowing an average of 1.9 runs per game.
Tennessee's last SEC road series loss was at Arkansas in 2023.
MAGIC NUMBER
Since the beginning of the 2023 season, the Lady Vols' magic number has been three (3). Tennessee is 157-9 when scoring three or more runs over that span.
SCOUTING FLORIDA
Head Coach (Record at UF): Tim Walton (1,059-256)
2026 Record: 29-1
Series Record: Florida leads, 54-36
In Knoxville: Tennessee leads, 18-17
In Gainesville: Florida leads, 31-11
At Neutral Sites: Tennessee leads, 7-6
Last Meeting: Tennessee won 11-3 (5) on May 30 at the Women's College World Series in Oklahoma City.
DUE UP
Tennessee returns home to Sherri Parker Lee Stadium on March 24 for a midweek game against in-state foe Tennessee Tech.
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