#1/4 Tennessee Ready for Penultimate SEC Weekend at #16 Ole Miss

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – No. 1/4 Tennessee hits the road for the final time in SEC play as it travels to Oxford, Mississippi, for a three-game series against No. 16 Ole Miss.

Game times are set for 7 p.m. ET Friday and 3 p.m. on Saturday, with the series finale Sunday beginning at 2 p.m.

FOLLOW LIVE
This weekend’s games will be available for streaming on SEC Network+ and the WatchESPN app, with Jake Hromada (play-by-play) and Carly Hummel (analyst) calling the action.

Brian Rice, the Voice of the Lady Vols, will provide a free audio broadcast available via UTSports.com and the Tennessee Athletics app. Fans can also listen on AM 990. Links to the audio broadcast can be found on the Tennessee softball schedule page and on the @Vol_Softball social media accounts.

NOTABLE
RANKINGS
Tennessee is ranked in all four major polls heading into the weekend: No. 4 (NFCA), No. 1 (USASB), No. 3 (D1S) and No. 1 (SA).

AGAINST THE REBELS
Tennessee and Ole Miss meet on the penultimate of conference play with postseason seeding still up for grabs. The Lady Vols are 1.5 games out of first place in the SEC and look to secure a top-4 spot going into the league tournament. Ole Miss sits ninth in the conference but is just three games back of the top 4.

The Lady Vols and Rebels have split the last two series. UT swept Ole Miss in Knoxville in 2023, while the Rebels won the previous three-game set in Oxford 2-1 in 2022.

EASY PICKENS
Karlyn Pickens holds an 18-5 record with an ERA of 0.95 that ranks No. 3 nationally and leads the conference. Pickens also ranks 9th in Division I and first in the league with 193 strikeouts. Her K/7 mark is 17th in the nation and fourth in the SEC at 9.2.

The right-hander continues to dominate the national spotlight, earning three consecutive National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Pitcher of the Week awards from April 1-15. She was also named SEC Pitcher of the Week three consecutive weeks in the same timeframe.

With her third NFCA honor, Pickens made history as the first student-athlete to win either NFCA Player or Pitcher of the Week three consecutive times. Over her career on Rocky Top, Pickens has now earned three NFCA Pitcher of the Week honors and 10 SEC weekly awards.

SEC SUCCESS
Tennessee has been strong in conference play over the past couple of seasons, winning 21 of its last 23 league series with a record of 53-16. That run includes nine sweeps.

ROAD WARRIORS
The Lady Vols have gone 34-8 in true road games since 2023 with a run differential of +186 (262-76). That includes three conference sweeps – two in 2023 & one in 2024 – and series wins at Oklahoma & Texas this season.

LAST TIME OUT
Tennessee fell in midweek action at home to No. 19 Clemson on Tuesday night in a thrilling 4-3 nine-inning contest. In SEC play, the Lady Vols swept Auburn over Easter weekend, winning its fourth consecutive SEC series. Sage Mardjetko was dominant throughout the weekend, picking up two wins while allowing just five runs on eight hits with 13 strikeouts and only one walk.

SCOUTING OLE MISS
Head Coach (Record at Ole Miss): Jamie Trachsel (173-108)
2025 Record: 33-12, 9-9 SEC
Series Record: Tennessee leads, 52-12
In Knoxville: Tennessee leads, 27-1
In Oxford: Tennessee leads, 22-11
At Neutral Sites: Tennessee leads, 3-0
Last Meeting: Tennessee won 1-0 on March 11, 2023, in Knoxville

DUE UP
The Lady Vols will wrap up the regular season next weekend with a Thursday through Saturday series at home against Texas A&M. Tennessee will honor its five seniors before Game 3 on Saturday.