What Missouri series win means for Tennessee softball in SEC Tournament

TL;DR

Tennessee softball secured a series win against Missouri but lost the final game 4-3, ending the regular season with a record of 42-9. The Lady Vols head into the SEC Tournament with mixed momentum, having won the series but faltering in their last outing.

Key points

Tennessee softball won the series against Missouri.
The Lady Vols lost the final game 4-3.
Tennessee's regular season record is 42-9.
The SEC Tournament will take place from May 5-9.
The tournament is hosted at John Cropp Stadium in Lexington, Kentucky.

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What Missouri series win means for Tennessee softball in SEC Tournament

Tennessee softball was six outs away from taking a five-game winning streak into the postseason.

Then the No. 8 Lady Vols (42-9, 16-8 SEC) stumbled in the sixth inning against Missouri, which capitalized on their mistakes to retake the lead and win 4-3 in Game 3. Tennessee won the series, but ended the regular season on a sour note at Mizzou Softball Stadium on May 2.

Here's what the series means for the Lady Vols going into the SEC Tournament at John Cropp Stadium in Lexington, Kentucky, from May 5-9.

Tennessee loses out on No. 4 seed in SEC Tournament

If Tennessee had swept Missouri, it had a chance to be the No. 4 seed in the SEC Tournament, which gets a double bye. UT would have needed Texas A&M to lose both games of its doubleheader with Oklahoma.

But now, if the Aggies lose the second game May 2, the Lady Vols will be in a three-way tie with Texas A&M and Texas. They didn't face either in the regular season, which means the first three-way tiebreaker rule doesn't apply (total won-lost percentage of games played among the tied teams).

The second tiebreaker is the won-lost percentage of the tied teams versus the highest-seeded common opponent. The three teams had such different SEC schedules that the highest-seeded common opponent is South Carolina.

That would give Texas, which swept the Gamecocks, the No. 4 seed. Tennessee went 2-1 against South Carolina and would get the No. 5 seed and the Aggies, who lost 2-1 to USC, would get the No. 6 seed.

If Texas A&M wins its final game against Oklahoma, Tennessee will be in a tiebreaker with Texas, which the Longhorns will win with records against common opponents. The Lady Vols would be the No. 6 seed.

Offense starts hot, then hits a wall in Missouri

The Lady Vols' offense was rolling in the first two games of the series.

Tennessee had 10 hits in Game 1 and 11 in Game 2. Ideally, the Lady Vols would have scored more than seven combined runs in the two wins, but it was the first time in SEC play they had back-to-back games with double-digit hits.

Q&A

What was Tennessee softball's record after the Missouri series?

Tennessee softball finished the regular season with a record of 42-9.

How did Tennessee softball perform in the final game against Missouri?

Tennessee lost the final game against Missouri 4-3 after leading until the sixth inning.

When and where is the SEC Tournament for Tennessee softball?

The SEC Tournament is scheduled from May 5-9 at John Cropp Stadium in Lexington, Kentucky.

What does the Missouri series win mean for Tennessee's postseason chances?

Winning the series against Missouri gives Tennessee some confidence, but the loss in the final game raises concerns heading into the SEC Tournament.