SB Preview: #5 Lady Vols Open SEC Tournament Against #7 Arkansas

  • Thursday, May 8, 2025
  • UT Sports
The fifth-ranked and fourth-seeded Lady Vols will play No. 7 and fifth-seeded Arkansas on Thursday at approximately 2 p.m. ET as they begin their journey at the 2025 SEC Tournament.

FOLLOW LIVE
Thursday's game will be televised on SEC Network with Kevin Brown (play-by-play), Amanda Scarborough (analyst) and Taylor McGregor (sideline) calling the action.

Brian Rice, the Voice of the Lady Vols, will provide a free audio broadcast available via UTSports.com and the Tennessee Athletics app.
Fans can also listen on AM 990. Links to the audio broadcast can be found on the Tennessee softball schedule page and on @Vol_Softball social media accounts.

NOTABLE
RANKINGS
Tennessee is ranked in all four major polls heading into the weekend: No. 5 (NFCA), No. 3 (USASB), No. 5 (D1S) and No. 5 (SA). The Lady Vols currently sit No. 10 in the RPI and at No. 9 in the KPI.

SEC TOURNAMENT SUCCESS
This season marks the 25th time Tennessee has played in the SEC Softball Tournament. It holds a 33-27 record all-time and claims the fourth-highest winning percentage – trailing LSU, Alabama and Florida who each enter the tournament for the 28th time in 2025.

CONFERENCE FORCE
Tennessee has been a force in conference play over the past three regular seasons, winning 22 of its last 25 league series with a record of 56-19. That run includes nine sweeps.

AGAINST THE HOGS
The Lady Vols will face Arkansas for the fourth time this season, following their three-game series in Knoxville from March 22–24. The Razorbacks won that series on Rocky Top, taking two out of three games. Since the start of the 2023 season, Tennessee has dropped just three SEC series—two of those losses have come against Arkansas.

LAST TIME OUT
Tennessee dropped its second conference series of the season to No. 2 Texas A&M, splitting games one and two before falling in the rubber match. It is the first time since 2022 that the Lady Vols have lost more than one SEC series. UT won all eight of its league contests in 2024 and dropped just one series in 2023.

SCOUTING ARKANSAS
Head Coach (Record at Arkansas): Courtney Deifel (353-176)
2025 Record: 38-11, 14-10 SEC
Series Record: Tennessee leads, 43-23
In Knoxville: Tennessee leads, 25-7
In Fayetteville: Tennessee leads, 16-14
At Neutral Sites: Series tied, 2-2
Last Meeting: Tennessee won 3-2 on March 24, 2025, in Knoxville, Tennessee
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