Tag: Zaida Puni

Lady Vols shut out Virginia to win Knoxville Regional

Tennessee shuts out Virginia softball to win the Knoxville Regional.

No. 3 overall seed Tennessee (43-10, 19-5 SEC) defeated Virginia (34-20, 15-9 ACC), 6-0, to win the NCAA Tournament Knoxville Regional on Sunday at Sherri Parker Lee Stadium.

The victory over the Cavaliers clinched the Lady Vols’ 13th appearance in the NCAA Tournament Super Regional.

The Lady Vols will host No. 14 overall seed Alabama in next week’s best-of-three Knoxville Super Regional.

Rylie West went 3-for-4 for Tennessee on Sunday She recorded one solo home run, one double, three runs and five RBIs.

Karlyn Pickens (21-6) pitched seven innings against the Cavaliers. She allowed two hits and one walk, while recording seven strikeouts. Pickens recorded 74 pitches, including 50 strikes.

Randy Sartin/USA TODAY Network

Lady Vols run-rule Virginia to advance to Knoxville Regional championship game

Tennessee softball hits three home runs in run-rule victory against Virginia.

No. 3 overall seed Tennessee (42-10, 19-5 SEC) defeated Virginia (33-19, 15-9 ACC), 12-0 in five innings, in the NCAA Tournament Knoxville Regional on Saturday at Sherri Parker Lee Stadium.

Kiki Milloy went 2-for-2 and hit a solo home run. She recorded three runs, two walks and one RBI for Tennessee.

Taylor Pannell also went 2-for-3 and hit a solo home run for the Lady Vols. She totaled two runs, one double and one RBI.

Rylie West also hit a three-run home run in the contest.

Payton Gottshall (20-4) pitched a five-inning complete game. She allowed three hits and recorded five strikeouts against Virginia.

Tennessee will next play on Sunday at noon EDT in the Knoxville Regional championship game.

Karen Weekly named SEC Coach of the Year

Tennessee head coach Karen Weekly named SEC Coach of the Year for a second consecutive season.

Tennessee head coach Karen Weekly was named Southeastern Conference Coach of the Year by the league’s softball head coaches.

Weekly guided the Lady Vols (40-10, 19-5 SEC) to a second consecutive regular-season conference title in 2024. She earned SEC Coach of the Year honors for a second consecutive season and for the fourth time during her tenure at Tennessee.

The Lady Vols were eliminated by LSU in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals Thursday.

Tennessee, ranked No. 2 nationally, will learn its NCAA Tournament opponent and destination on Sunday.

Lady Vols’ sophomore Karlyn Pickens was named SEC Pitcher of the Year. She joins Monica Abbott as the only Tennessee player to earn the award.

Tennessee players were also recognized as First-Team All-SEC standouts including Pickens, Payton Gottshall, McKenna Gibson, Taylor Pannell and Rylie West.

Kiki Milloy, Sophia Nugent and Zaida Puni all received Second-Team All-SEC honors for the Lady Vols.

Photo by Dan Harralson, Vols Wire

Lady Vols win series opener at Alabama

Tennessee shuts out Alabama softball to open SEC series.

No. 3 Tennessee (36-8, 15-4 SEC) defeated Alabama (31-13, 8-11), 5-0, Friday at Rhoads Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

Tennessee won its third consecutive game. The Lady Vols recorded 10 hits in the contest against Alabama.

Kiki Milloy went 2-for-3. She recoded three runs, one double and one stolen base for Tennessee. Zaida Puni went 3-for-4. She recoded one home run, two RBIs and one run.

Payton Gottshall (17-3) pitched seven innings for the Lady Vols. She allowed three hits and two walks, while recording four strikeouts. Gottshall totaled 99 pitches, including 61 strikes.

Game No. 2 between the Lady Vols and Crimson Tide on Saturday is slated for 7 p.m. EDT and will be televised by ESPN2.

Lady Vols defeat Georgia to open SEC series

Tennessee softball defeats Georgia to open SEC series.

No. 6 Tennessee (29-5, 9-1 SEC) defeated No. 3 Georgia (30-7, 6-4 SEC), 5-1, Friday at Sherri Parker Lee Stadium.

The Lady Vols remain undefeated at home and have won 13 games this season at Sherri Parker Lee Stadium.

McKenna Gibson went 3-for-4 for the Lady Vols. She recorded a two-run home run, one double, one run and two RBIs, while Zaida Puni went 1-for-4. Puni recorded one double and two RBIs.

Rylie West went 1-for-4 and scored two runs, while Sophia Nugent went 1-for-2. Nugent recorded one RBI and one walk in the contest.

Karlyn Pickens (15-2) pitched seven innings for the Lady Vols. She allowed six hits, one run and two walks, while recording six strikeouts.

Lady Vols win series at Auburn

Tennessee softball wins 20th consecutive game.

No. 4 Tennessee (28-4, 8-0 SEC) defeated Auburn (15-11-1, 2-9 SEC), 8-4, on Saturday at Jane B. Moore Field in Auburn, Alabama.

Tennessee won its 20th consecutive game and clinched a third straight series win.

Giulia Koutsoyanopulos went 2-for-4 and recorded one home run, two RBIs and one run for the Lady Vols.

McKenna Gibson went 2-for-4 and recorded one home run, two RBIs and one run, while Zaida Puni went 2-for-4 and totaled one home run, two runs and one RBI for Tennessee.

Taylor Pannell also hit a home run for Tennessee.

Tenessee will conclude its three-game series at Auburn on Sunday. First pitch is slated for 2 p.m. EDT (SEC Network+).

Lady Vols sweep South Carolina

Tennessee run-rules Gamecocks to sweep SEC series.

No. 7 Tennessee (26-4, 6-0 SEC) defeated No. 23 South Carolina (22-10, 0-6 SEC), 8-0 in six innings, at Carolina Softball Stadium in Columbia, South Carolina.

The Lady Vols remain as the only undefeated team in Southeastern Conference play. Tennessee also extended its win streak to 19 games.

Tennessee scored five runs in the sixth inning for a run-rule victory.

Zaida Puni went 1-for-3, recording one home run, three RBIs and one run, for Tennessee. Destiny Rodriguez went 2-for-3, recoding one double, one RBI and one run.

Laura Mealer went 3-for-3. She recoded one double, three RBIs and one run, while Sophia Nugent went 2-for-2. She recorded two RBIs and two doubles,

Taylor Pannell went 2-for-3 and recorded two runs.

Karlyn Pickens (14-2) pitched six innings. She allowed three hits and two walks, while recording 10 strikeouts.

Lady Vols win series against South Carolina

Tennessee shuts out Gamecocks to win SEC series.

No. 7 Tennessee (25-4, 5-0 SEC) defeated South Carolina (22-9, 0-5 SEC), 7-0, Sunday at Carolina Softball Stadium in Columbia, South Carolina.

The Lady Vols won the series and is the only remaining undefeated team in the Southeastern Conference.

Tennessee has won 17 consecutive games.

Rylie West went 1-for-2. She recorded a two-run home run, a sacrifice fly, three RBIs and one run for Tennessee.

Laura Mealer went 1-for-2 and hit a two-run home run for the Lady Vols. McKenna Gibson went 2-for-4. She recorded one run and one RBI.

Kiki Milloy’s 18-game hit streak ended as she went 0-for-3. She recoded two walks and one run.

Payton Gottshall (11-2) pitched a complete game for Tennessee. She pitched seven innings and allowed three hits and four walks, while recording seven strikeouts.

Lady Vols defeat Missouri State, South Dakota in Tennessee Invitational

Laura Mealer hits four home runs as Tennessee defeats Bears and Coyotes in Tennessee Invitational.

No. 8 Tennessee (16-4) opened play in the Tennessee Invitational Friday at Sherri Parker Lee Stadium.

The Lady Vols run-ruled Missouri State (3-11), 16-0 in five innings. Tennessee also defeated South Dakota (10-11), 6-0, in game No. 2.

Laura Mealer went 3-for-3, recording three home runs and five RBIs, while Kiki Milloy went 3-for-4 with four runs and one RBI for Tennessee.

McKenna Gibson went 3-for-3, recording one double, four RBIs and two runs, while Zaida Puni went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run for the Lady Vols.

Tennessee’s Payton Gottshall (6-2) pitched four innings, recording five strikeouts. Charli Orsini pitched one inning and recorded one strikeout.

In game No. 2, Mealer and Puni each hit one home run, while Milloy went 2-for-4, recording one double, one RBI, one run and one stolen base.

Karlyn Pickens pitched a complete game for Tennessee, recording 13 strikeouts.

Lady Vols end play in Tennessee Classic with shutout win

Lady Vols softball ends play in the Tennessee Classic with a shutout win.

No. 9 Tennessee (13-4) defeated Longwood (6-11), 7-0, on Monday to conclude play in the Tennessee Classic at Sherri Parker Lee Stadium.

Monday’s win is the fifth consecutive for the Lady Vols. Tennessee hit four home runs against Longwood.

Kiki Milloy went 2-for-4, recording one home run, two RBIs, two runs and one stolen base for Tennessee.

Rylie West went 2-for-4, recording one home run, two RBIs, two runs and one stolen base, while Zaida Puni went 2-for-3 with one home run, one double, one run and two RBIs.

Laura Meeler hit two extra-base hits, including one home run and one double, for Tennessee. She also recorded two RBIs.

Tennessee sophomore Karlyn Pickens pitched a complete game. She allowed one hit and two walks, while recording ten strikeouts.