KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (April 1, 2008) - The ETSU softball team has played a rigorous non-conference schedule this season and on Wednesday night it will not get any easier as the Lady Bucs face 12^th-ranked Tennessee from Lee Softball Stadium. First pitch of the doubleheader is set for 5 p.m.

ETSU (16-22) is looking to snap its four-game losing streak after being swept by UNF and Jacksonville this past weekend. Wednesday's double-dip begins a stretch where the Softball Bucs play eight games in the next eight days. The road trip will also make stops in Nashville for critical series with Lipscomb (Friday) and Belmont (Saturday) and wraps up in Boone, N.C. at Appalachian State on April 9.

After playing 14 of its last 16 games at home, ETSU should be happy to leave the confines of Metro-Kiwanis Park. As a team, the Lady Buccaneers are hitting 43 points higher, while the pitching staff has almost cut their ERA in half away from Johnson City. Twenty-four of Cheniece Cason's (Moreno Valley, Calif.) 30 hits have come on the road - where she is batting .320. Freshman right-hander Ashley Boyd (Chattanooga) also enjoys pitching in hostile environments. Boyd's ERA on the road is 2.48 compared to her 3.99 mark at home, and she has earned three of her five wins away from ETSU.

Tennessee (31-7) is coming off back-to-back losses for only the second time this season after dropping two out of three at Auburn. The Lady Vols are currently ranked 12th in the most recent USA Today/NFCA Division I Top 25 Poll and have won 12 of their 13 home games on the year. UT is outscoring its opponents 32-1 in the second inning and have posted a 21-0 mark when leading after the third frame. Senior Tonya Callahan leads the club in hitting with her .437 average and senior Megan Rhodes and freshman Ashton Ward lead the attack in the circle. Rhodes is 14-4 with a 1.84 ERA and 135 strikeouts, while Ward is 17-3 with a 1.69 ERA.

Fans unable to make the trip to Knoxville can follow all the action through live stats, courtesy of Tennessee athletics.

For more information on Lady Buccaneer softball, visit www.ETSUBucs.com.