Tennessee Lady Vols
Overall Rank: #11
Conference Rank: #3 SEC
Tennessee has been a regular participant in the Super Regionals and have now made 11 appearances in the Super Regional round, including in 2019 against Florida. The Lady Vols battled the Gators to the wire for three games before falling just short of a trip to the Women’s College World Series. Tennessee brings back a good chunk of their offense in 2021, a front-line ace in Ashley Rogers and some young recruits that will make the Lady Vols a tough out in the SEC race.
2019: 43-17, 14-10
2019 Postseason: NCAA
Coach: Ralph and Karen Weekly
Key Departed Players:
Aubrey Leach, INF, .411 BA, 2 HR, 23 RBI, 20 SB
Haley Bearden, OF, .313 BA, 15 HR, 47 RBI
Caylan Arnold, P, 2.26 ERA, 11-8 W/L, 102.0 IP, 39 BB, 102 SO
Matty Moss, P, 2.47 ERA, 11-2 W/L, 110.2 IP, 27 BB, 115 SO
Jenna Holcomb, OF, .329 BA, 0 HR, 11 RBI, 11 SB
Kaili Phillips, UTIL/C, .246 BA, 10 HR, 36 RBI
Key Returning Players:
Chelsea Seggern, INF, .366 BA, 6 HR, 46 RBI
Kaitlin Parsons, INF/OF, .340 BA, 1 HR, 7 RBI, 12 SB
Ally Shipman, C, .328 BA, 3 HR, 20 RBI
Amanda Ayala, OF, .304 BA, 2 HR, 33 RBI, 10 SB
Ashley Morgan, INF, .264 BA, 3 HR, 31 RBI
Cailin Hannon, OF, .277 BA, 4 HR, 24 RBI, 5 SB
Ashley Rogers, P, 1.94 ERA, 21-7 W/L, 173.1 IP, 42 BB, 209 SO
Projection:
Chelsea Seggern and Kaitlin Parsons will set the tone for the Tennessee offensively as they can put the ball in play and cause havoc on the bases. Kaili Phillips hit ten homeruns in 2019 and if she can boost her batting average by about 15 or so points that will be a big help for the Lady Vols. Ally Shipman’s return to full strength will also help this lineup as she hit. 328 with three homeruns and 20 runs batted in while doing a very good job of handling the pitching staff. Ashley Rogers had a stellar freshman season in the circle. She won 21 games, had a 1.94 earned run average and struck out 209 batters while walking only 42. The challenge for Rogers this season will be to make adjustments as teams will have a year and a half of tape on her to work off and will make their own adjustments. Tennessee should be in the mix to be a regional host spot, with a shot to sneak in as a national seed if their offense can stay consistent all year long and avoid any prolonged issues.
Projected Postseason: NCAA Softball Tournament
