Tennessee softball vs Alabama is matchup of two best SEC pitching staffs

Tennessee softball vs Alabama is matchup of two best SEC pitching staffs

Tennessee softball will face one of the only pitching staffs in the country that could rival its own.

The No. 8 Lady Vols (38-7, 12-6 SEC) lead the nation with a 1.23 ERA, and No. 3 Alabama (43-4, 15-3) is No. 3 at 1.66, which ranks second in the SEC. The two teams lead the nation in hits allowed per seven innings, too, Tennessee at No. 1 (3.18) and Alabama at No. 2 (4.22).

The series is also Tennessee's last opportunity to shake up the top of the SEC standings with Alabama tied at No. 1 with Oklahoma.

Where the Lady Vols often have the advantage over teams with their pitching depth, Alabama is just as deep. The Tide's top three pitchers have about the same innings distribution as Tennessee's.

"It starts with Jocelyn Briski, one of the best in the country," Tennessee coach Karen Weekly said April 21. "They're deep because they can go to all quadrants of the zone, they do it with (velocity). They're really sharp in their locations. They change speeds well. And if you get to one, here comes another one that's equally as good.

"You don't do what they've done and you're not sitting atop the SEC without having great pitching. I think their offense is a whole lot more versatile and dynamic this year than it's been in the past few years."

Briski is second in the nation in strikeout-to-walk ratio (10.85) and leads Alabama's staff with a 1.50 ERA. Kaitlyn Pallozzi is second with a 1.64 ERA and Vic Moten is third with a 1.69 ERA.

Moten is also the only Alabama pitcher to rank in the top 10 nationally in hits allowed per seven innings at No. 6 (3.55), whereas all three of Tennessee's pitchers rank in the top five. Karlyn Pickens leads the country (2.70), Erin Nuwer ranks second (2.82) and Sage Mardjetko is fourth (3.51).

The series will be a pivotal moment in the season for Tennessee's offense, which has had its ups and downs throughout the season. After seemingly turning a corner when they swept Kentucky, the Lady Vols struggled in a midweek matchup at Duke.

Tennessee didn't have a hit until the fourth inning and didn't score until the fifth inning after going down 5-0 in the third inning, and UT lost 6-3.