KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The No. 8 Lady Vols will wrap up the 2026 regular season this weekend in Columbia, Missouri, as they battle the Tigers in a three-game series Thursday-Saturday, April 30-May 2.
Tennessee (40-8, 14-7 SEC) is coming off a series win over No. 3 Alabama, while Missouri (27-26, 8-13 SEC) is fighting to stay above .500 to be eligible for the NCAA Tournament.
BROADCAST INFO
Thursday and Friday’s games will be available to stream on SEC Network+ or through the WatchESPN app. Max Thoma (play-by-play) and Ashley Moore (analyst) will be on the call for the first two games of the weekend. Game 3 will air on SEC Network with Tiffany Greene (play-by-play) and Erin Miller (analyst) describing the action.
Fans can also listen to Voice of the Lady Vols Brian Rice call the action via a free audio stream on UTSports.com and the Tennessee Athletics Gameday App. Streaming, live stats, and radio links are available on the Tennessee softball schedule page at UTSports.com.
STEPPING UP
True freshman Taelyn Holley has found her groove over the last 10 games. She leads the team with a .520 batting average, with seven doubles and seven RBIs. Holley is slugging .800 and has a .594 on-base percentage and has added five stolen bases.
SEC SUCCESS
Tennessee has been one of the best teams in the SEC since the beginning of the 2023 season, winning 26 of 31 series. That run includes 10 sweeps, with one coming against Missouri in 2024. This weekend will mark UT’s first visit to Columbia since March of 2022. That series was hampered by snow and the teams played just a two-game series with the Lady Vols winning both contests.
ROAD WARRIORS
Over the past three seasons, the Lady Vols have gone 46-14 in true road games and 47-14 at neutral sites. That run includes four conference sweeps at No. 10 LSU (2023), at No. 16 Kentucky (2023), at No. 23 South Carolina (2024) and at Kentucky (2026).
Since the beginning of SEC play in 2023, Tennessee has won 13 of 15 SEC road series. During the stretch, UT is 32-13 on the road in league play.
MAGIC NUMBER
Since the beginning of the 2023 season, the Lady Vols’ magic number has been three (3). Tennessee is 167-10 when scoring three or more runs over that span.
RING OF FIRE
The Lady Vols have adopted a staff approach to pitching since 2023 and this wseason is no different. Five different pitchers started in the circle – Mardjetko (16), Nuwer (14), Pickens (13), Rutan (3) and Hardenburger (2). Pickens leads the staff with 24 total appearances. The staff has combined for 379 strikeouts over 310 innings of work with an ERA of 1.31. They have allowed 77 runs in 48 games with 18 shutouts.
SCOUTING MISSOURI
Head Coach (Record at MIZ): Larissa Anderson (269-172)
2026 Record: 27-26, 8-13 SEC
Series Record: Tennessee leads, 15-10
In Knoxville: Tennessee leads, 9-3
In Columbia: Tennessee leads, 6-5
At Neutral Sites: Missouri leads, 2-0
Last Meeting: Tennessee won 4-0 on March 17, 2024, in Knoxville.
DUE UP
Postseason play opens with the 2026 SEC Tournament hosted by Kentucky. The league showcase runs May 5-9 at John Cropp Stadium in Lexington.
