Even though the Tennessee softball team’s 18-game win streak is the longest active streak in the NCAA and the longest the Vols have enjoyed since their 19-game streak in 2013, the team does not talk about it very much.
“I can tell you we have never addressed the win-streak with our team and that’s because we know every game coming up in the future is a game that could end that win-streak real quick,” co-head coach Ralph Weekly said. “The players are well aware of the win-streak, but are trying to keep up the one day at a time mentality as they prepare to face some of the toughest teams on the schedule.”
The No. 9 Volunteers (39-5, 11-3 SEC) will put that winning streak on the line this weekend as they travel to face off against No. 16 LSU. This is after the Vols back-to-back walk-off wins against previously ninth-ranked Alabama.
“The win-streak is a good hype for us,” senior Megan Geer said. “But when it comes down to it, it’s just playing one pitch, one game at a time, taking advantage of when we’re doing well, and really just keep it rolling.”
Tennessee’s offense has been a huge strength this year as 18 of the Vols’ wins have been by way of the run-rule, but Tennessee’s pitching will have to be just as tough to keep the streak alive.
Led by freshman Caylan Arnold and sophomore Matty Moss, the Volunteers’ 1.59 ERA is good for fifth in the SEC. Moss (20-1) pitched a complete-game shutout last weekend against Alabama on a season-high 131 pitches, while Arnold (17-4) held the Crimson Tide to two runs on three hits in the series opener.
Arnold was named a Schutt Sports/NFCA Division I National Freshman of the Year Top 25 finalist by the National Fastpitch Coaches’ Association. She is the fourth Volunteer to be a finalist for the award since it was created in 2014 and joins Brooke Vines (2016), Meghan Gregg (2015) and Annie Aldrete (2014). Aldrete was the co-winner of the award in 2014.
While both Arnold and Moss have enjoyed run support, the offense will be facing much tougher pitching for the remainder of the season. LSU is third in the conference with a 1.47 ERA behind top-ranked Florida’s 0.76, and No. 4 Texas A&M, who the Vols will face on the road for their final series of the regular season.
LSU (33-12, 8-7 SEC) snapped a four-game losing streak with a 5-2 win over Northwestern State on Tuesday. Prior to that, the Tigers were swept by Ole Miss and dropped two of three to Alabama on the road.
The SEC is one of the toughest conferences across all sports though, so LSU’s recent struggles against conference opponents do not guarantee wins for Tennessee.
“The old biblical term is ‘iron forges iron, so we forge one another,’ and I think that’s what’s happening in the SEC,” Ralph Weekly said.
The series kicks off Friday night at 7 p.m. at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge and continues with afternoon games on Saturday at 4 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m.
