Tennessee Volunteers
Overall Rank: #11
Conference Rank: #4 SEC
Tennessee once again reached the NCAA Tournament in 2017. They have not missed out since 2003 and this year that streak should continue. The Volunteers return pitchers Matty Moss and Caylan Arnold. Moss went 26-3 with a 176 ERA during her sophomore season. She started 27 games, went the distance in 14 of them and struck out 193 batters in 194.2 innings of work. Caylan had a great freshman campaign and has the potential to push Moss for the top spot in the rotation. As a freshman last year she was 20-9 with a 2.01 ERA. No matter who spends more time on the mound, the Volunteers have two proven options.
2017: 48-12, 16-7
2017 Postseason: NCAA
Coach: Ralph and Karen Weekly
Key Departed Players:
Megan Geer, OF, .276 BA, 6 HR, 34 RBI
Key Returning Players:
Meghan Gregg, IF, .437 BA, 15 HR, 79 RBI
Brooke Vines, IF/OF, .385 BA, 4 HR, 59 RBI
Jenna Holcomb, OF, .365 BA, 0 HR, 18 RBI
CJ McClain, OF, .362 BA, 0 HR, 7 RBI, 27 SB
Aubrey Leach, IF, .333 BA, 2 HR, 17 RBI
Matty Moss, P, 1.76 ERA, 26-3 W-L, 194.2 IP, 193 SO
Caylan Arnold, P, 2.01 ERA, 20-9 W-L, 156.2 IP, 144 SO
Projection:
The hitting should be very good too. Meghan Gregg is one of the best in the country. Last year she hit .437 with 15 homeruns and 79 RBIs. With Gregg leading the way, Tennessee will have a very dangerous offense. Gregg will get some help from Brooke Vines, Jenna Holcomb and CJ McClain. They all hit over .350 and it will again be extremely difficult to keep this team off the bases. With the talent in the circle, Tennessee does not need to score too many runs on most occasions, but in the SEC it certainly does not hurt. This group may not be consistent enough to win the SEC, but they will not be too far off and the Volunteers should be in the mix for another top eight seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Projected Postseason: NCAA Softball Tournament
Madness 2018 Draft Rankings:
#6 Meghan Gregg
