Tennessee softball improves to 25-0, best start in program history

Tennessee softball is off to a historic start to the 2026 season.

The No. 1 Lady Vols notched a 25th-straight win when they beat Lipscomb 12-0 in five innings on March 12, and the 25-0 start set the program record for the best start to a season. The previous record was a 24-0 start by the 2006 team, which was led by legendary pitcher Monica Abbott.

Tennessee pitching coach Megan Rhodes Smith was also a pitcher on that team, which finished the season 61-12 with a third-place finish at the Women's College World Series.

Tennessee went up 10-0 over Lipscomb on March 11 before the game was postponed to March 12 due to weather in Nashville. Gabby Leach hit a three-run homer in the first inning, and Emma Clarke and Maddi Rutan both logged RBIs before the first was over. The Lady Vols added five more runs in the second inning before the game was delayed.

Freshman Peyton Hardenburger (1-0) got the start and was one out away from pitching a perfect game in five innings. With two outs in the fifth inning, Hardenburger gave up a single and a walk. She threw seven strikeouts in the win.

The Lady Vols have been nothing short of dominant in their undefeated start. They notched six ranked wins in nonconference play before sweeping then-No. 17 LSU to open SEC play. Tennessee has notched eight run-rule wins and have outscored opponents 188-22.

UT's deep pitching staff has fueled its success to start the season. Tennessee ranks second in the nation in team ERA (0.90), and its top three pitchers all rank in the top 10 in individual ERA. Senior ace Karlyn Pickens is No. 4 (0.60), junior Sage Mardjetko is No. 8 (0.83) and sophomore Erin Nuwer is No. 9 (0.89).

When Tennessee was without Pickens out due to an arm strain for the SEC opener, the offense carried UT to two straight comeback wins. The Lady Vols won 11-6 in Game 2 and 8-5 on a walk-off home run in Game 3.

Cora Hall is the University of Tennessee women's athletics reporter for Knox News. Email: cora.hall@knoxnews.com; X: @corahalll; Bluesky: @corahall.bsky.social. Support strong local journalism and unlock premium perks: subscribe.knoxnews.com/offers

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Tennessee softball goes undefeated 25-0, best start in program history