Cullowhee, N.C. – Western Carolina softball begins April with a trip to Rocky Top on Tuesday night for a midweek matchup against #9/10 Tennessee at Sherri Parker Lee Stadium in Knoxville. The single game against the Lady Volunteers is slated for a 6 p.m. first pitch and is the first of four straight from the Volunteer State for WCU, which heads to Chattanooga for three in conference play beginning Saturday afternoon.
 
The matchup between the Catamounts and Lady Vols will be shown on SECN+ (paid subscription required), and live stats will be available through CatamountSports.com. 
 
GAMEDAY CENTRAL
WHAT: Western Carolina (18-18, 2-4 SoCon) at #9/10 Tennessee (29-7, 5-4 SEC)
WHERE: Sherri Parker Lee Stadium (Knoxville, Tenn.)      
WHEN: Tuesday, April 1 - 6 p.m.
LIVE STATS: Stat Broadcast
LIVE VIDEO: SECN+
 
FOLLOW THE ACTION
TWITTER: @CatamountSB
GAME NOTES
 
About Western Carolina:
The Catamounts closed a season-long 13-game homestand with the continuation of SoCon play last weekend as Samford used 12 home runs to complete the three-game sweep of WCU.
 
Throughout the homestand, sophomore Lily Bell led the attack, hitting at a .442 clip (19-for-43) with two doubles, two triples, eight RBIs, and 13 runs scored. Classmate Sydney Dirks posted a .438 average (14-for-32) with seven runs and a team-high three homers. As a team, WCU hit.352 (118-for-335) with 13 doubles, two triples, and 11 homers.  
 
Bell begins a new month ranked atop the SoCon in batting average (.464) and is second in the league in stolen bases (17). She also ranks second in on-base percentage (.531), and leads the league in hits (51) with knocks in seven of the last nine games with a team-high 18 multi-hit games. She has also reached base safely in 33 of 36 games. Bell has tallied five multi-hit games in her last seven contests. Bell is among the nation's leaders in hits (13th), batting average (29th), and stolen bases (39th).
 
Sophomore Maya McPherson starts the week fourth in the league in runs batted in (34), including 20 RBIs in March alone. Dirks took the team lead in home runs with her seventh last Wednesday. She is tied for fourth in the league and ninth in RBIs at 24.
 
Freshman Amanda Fulton is third in the SoCon with eight complete games and is tied for fifth with eight victories. She also begins the week in a tie for fifth in strikeouts per seven innings (6.1), tied for sixth in walks allowed per seven innings (2.4), and fifth in strikeouts (68). Senior Tessa Juett is third in the league in strikeouts per seven innings (7.5), fourth in complete games (7), and third in total strikeouts (85).
 
As a team, WCU is second in the SoCon with a .302 batting average, fourth in runs scored (166), third in hits (277), tied for fourth in homers (24), third in RBIs (157), second in stolen bases (49), fourth in on-base percentage (.372), and fourth in slugging percentage (.434). On the pitching side, the Catamounts come in second in strikeouts (188), tied for third in shutouts (4), tied for second in strikeouts looking (50), and third in complete games (19).
 
Scouting the Opposition – #9/10 Tennessee Lady Volunteers:
#9/10 Tennessee (29-7, 5-4) comes into Tuesday's midweek action off of an eyebrow-raising series win over #2 Oklahoma in Norman. It's the first time the Lady Vols have earned a series win over a top 2 opponent on the road in program history – and is just the third team to win a series at Oklahoma since 2006. Tennessee has played a host of nationally-ranked opponents in 2025, including the Sooners, #19 Nebraska, #21 Northwestern, #19 Oregon, #4 UCLA, #13 Georgia, #16 Duke, and #14 Arkansas.
 
Redshirt sophomore Taylor Pannell leads the Tennessee offense with a .437 batting average, including a team-high 45 base hits with nine doubles, 12 homers, and 46 RBIs, which lead the way for the Lady Vols. Senior outfielder Kinsey Fiedler sits with a .386 batting average including a team-high seven triples, the third-most in the NCAA and tops among SEC hitters. Senior infielder Laura Mealer comes into play with a .344 average, tallying 33 hits, four doubles, and five homers. Freshman outfielder Saviya Morgan leads the squad with 20 steals, which is fourth in the conference.
 
Tennessee carries the top ERA in the nation into Tuesday's tilt, led by the reigning SEC Pitcher of the Year in junior Karlyn Pickens (13-4). She boasts a 1.03 ERA, sixth in the nation with 143 strikeouts, good enough for seventh in the country. The three-time consensus All-American a season ago has had six games with double-figure strikeouts. Sophomore transfer Sage Mardjetko holds an 8-2 record with 87 strikeouts in 63 innings of work. The Lady Vols also ranks third in the country in shutouts (13) and second in strikeouts per seven innings (8.91).

Tennessee was tabbed fourth in the 15-team SEC Preseason poll. Pickens and senior outfielder McKenna Gibson earned All-SEC Softball team honors before the start of the season. The Lady Volunteers are led by longtime head coach Karen Weekly, who's in her 24th season at UT and 29th overall in college softball. Weekly has accrued 1,337 wins in her career, which ranks third among active DI head softball coaches. Before her time in Knoxville, Weekly spent five seasons at Chattanooga, where she earned SoCon Coach of the Year honors in 1999 & 2001.
 
Series History vs Tennessee:
WCU and Tennessee meet for the ninth time in series history with the Lady Vols earning wins in the eight previous meetings. Tuesday's matchup is the first between the two teams in Knoxville since 2014. The Catamounts have faced eight of the current teams in the SEC, with Tennessee (8) being the second-most common opponent behind Georgia (11). In 2024, Lily Bell had a pair of hits and Taylor Waitley added a base knock in the home setback.
 
On Deck for Western Carolina:
The Catamounts continue their road swing in the Volunteer State on Saturday, April 5, with a trip to Chattanooga to continue SoCon play against the Mocs. The series is slated for a doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m. on Saturday before a 2 p.m. single game on Sunday to conclude the weekend in the Scenic City.
 
The series is scheduled to be shown on ESPN+ (paid subscription required), and live stats will be available through links on CatamountSports.com.
 
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