The UConn softball team (13-8) is set to journey to Knoxville, Tenn., this weekend as they will match up against the No. 7 Tennessee Lady Volunteers in a three-game series. These contests will mark the first time that Connecticut has ever played Tennessee in softball. The first game will take place on Friday, March 14 at 6 p.m., and the second will begin at 2 p.m. on Saturday, March 15. Finally, the series will wrap up with a noon contest on Sunday, March 16.
Connecticut heads into the series with some momentum under their belts after a gritty series win over Villanova last weekend, in which they stormed back from a four-run deficit in the last game to win 9-8 and improve their record to 13-8.
In the games against Tennessee, the Huskies will likely lean on an explosive offense that has several excellent hitters. One of them is Grace Jenkins, the junior catcher, who boasts a .409 batting average, six home runs and 26 runs batted in, all of which are these stats are all team-highs. Other important contributors to the offense include Rosie Garcia and pitcher Hope Jenkins, the twin sister of Grace. Garcia, a senior infielder, has a batting average of exactly .400 and 16 RBIs on 26 hits. H. Jenkins has racked up 14 RBIs, third-most on the team, while also providing steady pitching in the circle with a 5.02 ERA and a 4-1 win-loss record.
Tennessee enters the series on a two-game winning streak, having beaten the No. 13 Georgia Bulldogs and the No. 16 Duke Blue Devils in the past few days to boast a 22-4 record. Their last loss came against Georgia in a close extra-innings matchup that was eventually decided 4-3 in favor of the Bulldogs.
On offense, Tennessee’s largest contributor by far is redshirt sophomore Taylor Pannell, who plays in the outfield. Pannell has ripped through opponents’ pitching to the tune of a .500 batting average, 10 home runs and 42 RBIs. In the Lady Volunteers’ previous win versus Duke, Pannell provided an early solo shot that wound up securing the victory. Kinsey Fiedler and Sophia Nugent have also provided some firepower, both amassing more than 20 RBIs.
Tennessee might be even better in the circle. Every member of the pitching staff has an earned run average of 1.11 or lower, and two have an ERA well below one: freshman Erin Nuwer and junior Karlyn Pickens. Nuwer has gone 4-0, has made seven appearances so far and has allowed just four runs on twelve hits for a .49 ERA. Meanwhile, Pickens has made 12 appearances, 10 of them starts, on her way to a .68 ERA and a 7-3 record.
If Husky fans want to tune into these matchups against Tennessee, all three games will be televised on the ESPN SEC Network.