Tennessee softball’s opening opponent for the 2026 SEC Tournament is set. On Tuesday evening, 13-seed Ole Miss defeated 12-seed South Carolina 2-0 in Lexington, Kentucky. Now, the 5-seed Lady Vols will meet the Rebels at 5 p.m. ET with the game airing on SEC Network.
Ole Miss defeated the Gamecocks behind spectacular pitching from Emilee Boyer. She threw a complete game, allowing just four hits, one walk and no runs, and striking out six batters.
Offensively, the Rebels struck first in the top of the first inning. This came on a solo shot from Persy Llamas. In the fifth, Taylor Malvin ripped a double to score the insurance run.
Ole Miss is 33-23 (6-18 SEC) on the season. The Rebels are likely going to make the NCAA Tournament field, especially with this win, but an upset of Tennessee could go a long way in seeding.
The programs already met for a series in Knoxville this season, as well. During that set, Tennessee lost the first two games, both by the score of 2-1. The Lady Vols avoided the sweep, though, winning game three 4-3.
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Tennessee is looking for its fourth-ever conference tournament title. The Lady Vols claimed championships in 2006, 2011 and most recently, 2023. It has won the regular season conference title in 2007, 2023 and 2024.
However, while UT would love to win the SEC championship, its focus is also set on making a deep NCAA Tournament run. Tennessee is currently on track to make its 22nd-straight postseason, a streak dating back to 2004.
The Lady Vols have gotten out of the regional stage to the super regionals 14 times. Nine times, Tennessee has won the supers and made an appearance in the Women’s College World Series. This includes last season and in 2023.
Twice, Tennessee has gone all the way to the championship series. However, in both 2007 and 2013, the Lady Vols fell short and finished as the runner-up.
