Inclement weather on Sunday morning forced the cancellation of the Lady Vol softball team’s game against Notre Dame to wrap up the Palm Springs Classic. No. 12 Tennessee improved its mark to 13-2 overall with a 2-1 showing in the tournament, including victories over Baylor (2-0) and Utah (4-1). The Orange and White’s setback came against top-ranked UCLA, 3-0. The reigning Women’s College World Series champions have burst out of the gates with a spotless 13-0 record.
“I think that this was a very good weekend for us,” said Co-Head Coach Ralph Weekly. “We played two of the three best teams in the world and did well against the United States Olympic Team for four innings. We tried to get a lot of players into that exhibition game and made several mental mistakes that resulted in four unearned runs in the fifth inning. That seems to be the norm, as Team USA defeated Notre Dame (10-0) and Alabama (11-3) prior to our game. As a former USA National Team coach, I can tell you that this American squad is a solid team that will represent our country on the field in Athens this summer. All in all, it was a positive experience for our kids because they saw first-hand what it takes to be the best.”
“I am convinced that both Baylor and Utah will be teams to be reckoned with as the season progresses, those were a pair of quality wins that will help us down the line. Karen and I were very pleased with our young team and they way they are maturing.”
“Stacey Jennings’ performance against No. 1 UCLA was outstanding in every aspect, as she only gave up one earned run versus the Bruins’ top-notch squad. Monica (Abbott) and Lindsay (Schutzler) both enjoyed outstanding weekends, while seniors Amber (Rhinehart), Angela (Brewer) and Lauren (Mattox) continue to be steadying influences who have come up with timely hits when the game is on the line. In addition, Sarah (Fekete) made an amazing catch falling over the fence to rob Olympian Lisa Fernandez of a home run last night. We just have to continue worker harder every time we step on the field because the Southeastern Conference will present huge challenges for us throughout the spring.”
Tennessee will kick off its home schedule at Tyson Park on Wednesday afternoon with a doubleheader against in-state rival East Tennessee State. The following day, Lady Vols will depart for the Baylor Compass Bank Invitational in Waco, Texas, that will run from Friday through Sunday.
The duo of senior Amber Rhinehart and freshman Lindsay Schutzler are tied atop the club’s offensive chart with identical .447 batting averages through 15 games. Sophomore Katherine Card led the way this weekend with a .600 (3-for-5) showing. Rookie left-hander Monica Abbott continued the blazing start to her collegiate career, as she is now 12-0 with a 0.66 earned run average, six solo shutouts and 146 strikeouts in 74.1 frames. In her two starts in the Golden State before her friends and family, the southpaw was 2-0 and gave up one earned run with 24 Ks in 14 innings.

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