May 3, 2011

By Brian Davis, Assistant Media Relations Director

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - Already selected as the new Southeastern Conference Player and Lady Vol Athlete of the Week (May 2), you can now add National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Division I Co-National Player of the Week to the ever-expanding list of accomplishments for No. 3 Tennessee softball's Raven Chavanne as the sophomore was tabbed alongside Fordham's Jen Mineau as a recipient of the weekly honor for her efforts during games over April 25-May 1.

A two-time top 25 national finalist for the prestigious USA Softball National Collegiate Player of the Year trophy (2010, 2011), Chavanne hit at a staggering .857 (6-of-7) clip at the plate during a dominant three-game sweep of Arkansas while extending her hitting streak to a career-best 14 games. Against the Razorbacks, she reached base safely nine of the 10 times she stepped to the dish with four doubles, three walks and two singles and posted a string of reaching successfully in seven straight plate appearances. Over her 14-game hitting skein Chavanne is hitting at a .609 (29-of-48) rate, raising her overall average for 2011 to a SEC-leading .479. She posted a perfect 2-for-2 performance during each of the opening two match-ups in the series against Arkansas and was 2-for-3 in the finale with a bases-clearing, three-run double that proved the major blow in UT's five-run second inning.

Chavanne is already making her presence felt throughout the Tennessee career record books despite having not yet completed two full seasons clad in the Orange & White. The 5-8 outfielder currently holds the top batting average in UT history at .463, well ahead of the mark put up by former Lady Vol All-American India Chiles (.417), and is the program leader in career on-base percentage at .526. Chavanne rates sixth all-time in slugging percentage (.572), seventh in stolen bases (66) and sits just outside the top 10 in both hits (173) and runs scored (123).

Fordham's Mineau was incredible last week for the Rams, tallying a 5-0 record from the circle with a 0.00 ERA, 49 strikeouts and five shutouts. Included in her efforts was the fourth perfect game of her career during a win over Saint Peter's.

The SEC regular season title and top-seeding for the upcoming SEC Tournament is on the line this weekend in Gainesville, Fla., as No. 6/5 Tennessee ventures to face No. 5/7 Florida in a huge three-game series at Pressly Stadium. All three contests are slated for TV coverage: the opener will be broadcast via FOX Sports Florida at 4:30 p.m. ET, Saturday's contest is slated for live broadcast on ESPN at Noon ET and Sunday's series finale will be shown on ESPNU at 3 p.m. ET. Check both http://twitter.com/LadyVol_Sftball and http://twitter.com/LadyVol_Sports for the most up-to-date information on Tennessee softball.