Gretchen Aucoin, who transferred from Texas Tech, is in her first year with the Tennessee Lady Volunteer softball team. In her inaugural season at UT, her team role hasn’t been confined to one position. She is one of four starting pitchers for the Vols and also hits in the middle of the lineup, providing some power with the bat.
She plays a pivotal role off the field as well.
Aucoin is one of six upperclassmen on the Lady Vols softball team. With 12 freshman and sophomore players on the team, veteran leadership is extremely important. Co-head coach Karen Weekly said her time spent in the Big 12 has served her and the team well.
“She has been around the block in the Big 12,” Weekly said. “Seen a lot of things and pitched a lot of big ballgames for Texas Tech, I think that helps.”
In two seasons with the Red Raiders, she hit .299 with eight home runs and 40 RBIs. On the mound, she went 20-12 with an ERA of 2.72, 217 strike outs and only 69 walks.
At the plate, though, is where she deals most of her damage.
This season for Tennessee, she is hitting .357 with seven home runs and 22 RBIs. In her role as a pitcher, her ERA is 3.33 with 70 strikeouts to just 47 walks and a 9-2 record on the season.
Weekly said the most noticeable aspect of Aucoin’s softball skills is her ability to separate different aspects of her game. Even if she has a bad time on the mound, she is able to block that out and still have a good at-bat. She is able to help the team by getting a timely hit and a big hit. Weekly said the way Aucoin manages the game mentally is a huge boost not only to herself, but also a boost to the team.
Being mentally strong has helped her transition from Big 12 competition to SEC competition. When the preseason polls were released, on Jan. 27, the SEC had nine teams ranked in the top 25 while the Big 12 had three.
“I think it’s a challenge anytime you transfer and you change programs and you have to learn a new system,” Weekly said. “Especially coming into the SEC cause the SEC is a really, really tough league. I think that’s the thing she is finding out is there are no breaks in this league and it’s a step up in her game. I think she has learned a lot and she has grown a lot from this year, and I think she is gonna get better and better as time goes on.”
When Aucoin was in the midst of the transfer process, she said at the time she was picking schools based on her major. When she narrowed down her list, only three schools were left.
“Tennessee was at the top of my list,” Aucoin said. “Just because of how well this program is built. I only have two more years to play, right, I wanna go pretty far into postseason. I knew we could do it with Tennessee regardless of who was leaving and who was coming in. I knew we could get it done and we have a lot of talent.
“I put a lot of faith in this program, and I’m excited I got to be here and be a part of it.”
Aucoin knew she wanted to be in the SEC because she knew she could compete at the high level the SEC demands.
She then acknowledged that her favorite part of the game isn’t necessarily the pitching and hitting, but instead the challenge it provides. Aucoin said when she is hitting, she feels like she has the upper hand. Also, facing different pitchers provides an enjoyable challenge.
On the mound, she tries to unpredictably mix pitches in an effort to best attack hitters.
“Whenever I am in the circle and a challenge with the batter, it’s me and my catcher,” Aucoin said. “We work well together and as long as we are on the same page that’s where I focus in.
“Whenever it comes to hitting I breathe in and I tune into the other pitcher,” Aucoin said. “She’s my competitor, it’s basically a war zone between me and her. Once we make the transition from infield to offense, that’s whenever I start changing the mindset. It’s really just a tune into who it is I’m competing with and that’s the biggest thing that I focus in on.”
On a recent road trip to Auburn, Aucoin realized what it is she loves best about Tennessee.
“The fans, the fans are the greatest part,” Aucoin said. “They bring so much energy. When we were at Auburn it was such a shell shocker because we played at home for like two weeks. We didn’t realize how much we really relied on them, and that kinda kicked us into gear, like, we gotta get our own energy going. That’s been an aspect I haven’t seen anywhere—is how great the fans are here.”
