By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director

As the University of Tennessee softball team competes in the Women’s College World Series currently, the Lady Vols have a “Southern Six” connection while they are in Oklahoma City.

Peyton Tanner is a freshman pitcher for UT, which stayed alive Friday with an 11-3 thumping of fellow Southeastern Conference member Florida Friday afternoon.

Tanner and her seventh-seeded Lady Vols face another elimination situation Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m., against UCLA, the ninth overall seed.

Her parents are graduates of South Mississippi high schools as her dad Heath is a 1990 George County High grad and her mom Emily (Breland) is a 1988 grad of Moss Point High.

She is carrying on a family tradition not only on the diamond, but in the Women’s College World Series as well. Her aunt Dalenah Tanner was a softball standout at GCHS and also went on to lead the University of Southern Mississippi to its first two appearances ever in the WCWS in the early 2000’s.

Heath Tanner, Dalenah’s big brother, was also a stalwart on the baseball field for the Rebels before moving on to start at Gulf Coast Community College in the early 1990’s. He also played in the Juco World Series as a member of the Bulldogs.

In addition, Dalenah’s son and Heath’s nephew (and Peyton’s cousin) Logan Tanner turned a successful baseball career at GCHS into a starting role as a catcher at Mississippi State where both Heath and Becky Tanner attended. Logan went on to be a key factor for the Bulldogs in their march to the only College World Series championship in school history four years ago.

Peyton Tanner was an All-State performer at Brazoswood High in Lake Jackson, Texas before signing a softball scholarship with Tennessee. She hasn’t wasted any time her freshman season making a name for herself in her first campaign on the collegiate level, as she is 3-0 with a 3.38 earned run average in nine appearances including two starts.

She recorded one complete game in those two starts, and it was a historic one as she hurled a perfect game against Delaware State on March 1st, striking out six of the 15 batters she faced in an 11-0 win.

That outing followed a no-hit performance from fellow Lady Vol pitcher Karlyn Pickens earlier in the day, in a 10-0 win over Tennessee -Martin. It marked the third time in program history—and the first since 2006—that Lady Vol pitchers have thrown no-hitters on the same day. It is also the first instance of a no-hitter and perfect game combo in Tennessee softball history.

Tanner also worked out of a two-on, one-out jam in the fourth against Ole Miss in late April in SEC play.

Tanner’s mom Emily was also a pitcher in high school at Moss Point.