The Tennessee Lady Vols softball team was one strike away from advancing to the Super Regionals when senior Matty Moss, the team’s shutdown closer, called timeout. Her catcher came out to the mound, the two clasped hands, exchanged a few words, and laughed. The game ended with a strikeout two pitches later.

>> Subscribe to Sports Spectrum Magazine for more stories where sports and faith connect <<

So what strategy did the women discuss on the mound?

Tennessee pitcher Matty Moss was one strike away from sending @Vol_Softball to Super Regionals, when…

She called time, silenced the crowd, and… Prayed.

2 pitches later, she ended the game with a strikeout!@mattymoss11 @NCAAsoftball pic.twitter.com/UfhUR4je6B

— Caleb Noe (@wvltCaleb) May 20, 2019

“It was a prayer,” Vols co-head coach Karen Weekly explained to reporters after the game. “That’s what Matty does. When Matty needs to calm down she calls the catcher out and says, ‘Grab my hand.’ I don’t know who does the praying, if it’s out loud or silent because I’ve never been part of it, but it’s a prayer. That’s what Matty does … I love it. If that’s what gets Matty to calm down she can pray every pitch.”

Super feels 💯#GBO 🍊 #NCAASoftball pic.twitter.com/djGkMd7ZzR

— Tennessee Softball (@Vol_Softball) May 19, 2019

Whatever Matty is doing has worked this season. Moss has a 2.54 ERA and 112 over 104.2 innings, and was named an SEC Pitcher of the Week in March. Her 7.80 strikeout-to-walk ratio is 10th in the nation. Moss’s junior year was an inconsistent mix of brilliance and poor performances, but this season Moss has been one of the pillars of the Lady Vols’ run to their third consecutive Super Regional appearance.

Moss’s Instagram account reflects the role her faith plays in her life. The first word in her profile says simply “Jesus,” and Moss mentioned in 2017 how her faith in God leads her to a positive self-image:

View this post on Instagram

I always believed the lie that some people are more beautiful than others, and that I was not one of those lucky few. But I have realized that we all posses the same amount of physical beauty because we are all made in the Lord's image. Don't let the world dictate how you measure your value and the value of others #daughteroftheking

A post shared by Matty Moss (@mattymoss1) on May 10, 2017 at 7:40am PDT

No. 12 Tennessee’s next challenge is the fifth-seeded Florida Gators. The best-of-three series begins Friday in Gainesville, Fla., and the winner will advance to the Women’s College World Series, which Tennessee hasn’t reached since 2015.

RELATED STORIES:
– NEW PODCAST: Patty Gasso, Oklahoma Sooners Head Softball Coach
– Top-seeded Oklahoma softball team finds strength in Christ as NCAA Tournament begins
– Two-time national-champion softball player Justine McLean gets baptized
– NEW PODCAST: Janie Reed – USA Softball Player & Church on the Dirt VP