OKLAHOMA CITY – No. 4 Tennessee returns to the game’s biggest stage in college softball for the first time in eight years as it begins its Women’s College World Series run Thursday at 12 p.m. ET against fifth-seeded Alabama at EOG Energy Field.
The NCAA Tournament’s No. 4 overall seed, the Lady Vols (49-8) made it to Oklahoma City by way of going a combined 5-0 in the Knoxville Regional and the Knoxville Super Regional.
Last weekend at Sherri Parker Lee Stadium, Tennessee tallied two wins over No. 13 seed Texas to punch its ticket to OKC for the eighth time in program history.
WOMEN’S COLLEGE WORLD SERIES SCHEDULE (ALL TIMES EASTERN)
June 1
Game 1 | No. 4 Tennessee vs. No. 5 Alabama | 12 p.m. | ESPN
Game 2 | No. 1 Oklahoma vs. No. 9 Stanford | 2:30 p.m. | ESPN
Game 3 | No. 3 Florida State vs. No. 6 Oklahoma State | 7 p.m. | ESPN
Game 4 | No. 7 Washington vs. No. 15 Utah | 9:30 p.m. | ESPN
June 2
Game 5 | Loser of Game 1 vs. Loser of Game 2 | 7 p.m. | ESPN
Game 6 | Loser of Game 1 vs. Loser of Game 2 | 9:30 p.m. | ESPN
June 3
Game 7 | Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2 | 3 p.m. | ABC
Game 8 | Winner of Game 3 vs. Winner of Game 4 | 7 p.m. | ESPN
June 4
Game 9 | Winner of Game 5 vs. Loser of Game 8 | 3 p.m. | ABC
Game 10 | Winner of Game 6 vs. Loser of Game 7 | 7 p.m. | ESPN2
June 5
Game 11 | Winner of Game 7 vs. Winner of Game 9 | 12 p.m. | ESPN
Game 12 (if necessary) | 2:30 p.m. | ESPN
Game 13 | Winner of Game 8 vs. Winner of Game 10 | 7 p.m. | ESPN
Game 14 (if necessary) | 9:30 p.m. | ESPN
June 7-June 9 (Championship Finals — Best of 3)
Final 1 | 8 p.m. | ESPN
Final 2 | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN
Final 3 (if necessary) | 8 p.m. | ESPN
BROADCAST INFO
On call for Tennessee’s WCWS opener will be Kevin Brown (PxP), Amanda Scarborough (Analyst) and Courtney Lyle (Sideline). The game will be televised on ESPN.
Fans can also listen to the official Vol Network radio broadcast from the Voice of Tennessee Softball Brian Rice on Sports Radio WNML (AM 990) as well as UTSports.com and the UT Gameday app.
WOMEN’S COLLEGE WORLD SERIES HISTORY
Appearances: 8 (2005, 2006, 2007, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2023)
World Series All-Time Record: 15-14
2005: 3-2 (3rd Place)
2006: 3-2 (3rd Place)
2007: 4-2 (Runner-Up)
2010: 2-2 (3rd Place)
2012: 0-2 (8th Place)
2013: 3-2 (Runner-Up)
2015: 0-2 (8th Place)
NOTABLE
NFCA ALL-AMERICANS
Kiki Milloy, Ashley Rogers and McKenna Gibson were named NFCA All-Americans on Wednesday with Milloy and Rogers being tabbed first-team and Gibson earning second-team recognition.
The nation’s leader in home runs, Milloy has been named NFCA All-America for the second time in her Tennessee career. Hitting 25 homers this season, her mark is a single-season school record. The senior outfielder ranks top five in the nation in on-base percentage (.574), runs per game (1.46) and slugging percentage (.987).
Tennessee’s ace in the circle, Rogers has been named NFCA All-Americaa for the second time in her career. Rogers is 18-1 this season with the nation’s second-best ERA at 0.75. Appearing in 25 games, she tossed 131.1 innings on the year with 12 complete games and six shutouts. The righty fanned 173 batters and held opponents to a .128 batting average.
Tennessee’s starting first baseman all season, Gibson is a first-time NFCA All-American. She hit .369 on the year with 15 home runs and a team-leading 59 RBIs. Nicknamed Boo, she enters the WCWS with an OPS of 1.242.
BACK TO THE WORLD SERIES
UT is back in the Women’s College World Series for the first time in eight years. The Lady Vols’ trip to Oklahoma City for the WCWS marks the eighth time in program history and the first since 2015. Tennessee owns an 85-44 record in the postseason showcase and is in the NCAA Tournament for the 20th time.
ELECTRIC IN THE CIRCLE
As a pitching staff, Tennessee holds the second-best ERA in the nation at 1.48, have allowed just 54 extra-base hits, 94 runs, 113 walks and have totaled 423 strikeouts. The staff WHIP stands at .86. UT has recorded 23 shutouts over 57 games – tied for first in the SEC and third in the NCAA. In league play, the Lady Vols have dished out five shutouts.
-UT Athletics
