Tennessee Softball 2026

[TnVFl24]

This is the problem. There’s really nowhere to put her. The only option is to move Clarke back to 3rd and put Butt back at 1st. Rutan is good at 3rd but her bat is really struggling. Clarke is better playing 1st than 3rd. But you hate not getting Butt more at bats because she does produce. Tough call for Karen.

You see, that’s the thing. The keyword in all this is “Produce” and minus a few stretches throughout the season, Mackenzie has stepped up time and time again when called upon. Don’t get me wrong, nothing against Rutan, the kid gives great energy, is a good teammate and I love what she brings in the circle. But.. she’s not playing such stellar defense (Ala Bella Faw) this year that you absolutely can’t play Emma at 3rd and Mackenzie at 1st. Our bigggest achilles heel throughout the postseason has always been known to be hitting. One of the few threats in our lineup cannot be sitting in the dugout this time of y

 

[IBlvNTmWrk]

This is the problem. There’s really nowhere to put her. The only option is to move Clarke back to 3rd and put Butt back at 1st. Rutan is good at 3rd but her bat is really struggling. Clarke is better playing 1st than 3rd. But you hate not getting Butt more at bats because she does produce. Tough call for Karen.

With the Lady Vols pitching leading the nation with the lowest ERA, I'd go with the option that improves run production... because that's where we're lacking.

 

[Volfan2012]

 

[Volfan2012]

 

[orangemadam]

Is that 5:00 central time?


NM - just saw it on another thread. 5 ET

 

[DonDiego]

utdailybeacon.com/212111/sports/we-just-didnt-make-adjustments-why-tennessee-softball-couldnt-get-over-sec-tournament-hump/

I know I'm pretty stupid when it comes to basketball...and extremely stupid when it comes to women...or women's basketball. But, is it just me or does it seem this woman over-coaches? It seems to be all about her and her decisions. We have a great pitcher who struggles with one or two batters---then there she is, pulling them out. I don't know...something just doesn't seem right. I just know, it's been a crappy year in UT sports.

 

[RumpleVolskin]

utdailybeacon.com/212111/sports/we-just-didnt-make-adjustments-why-tennessee-softball-couldnt-get-over-sec-tournament-hump/

I know I'm pretty stupid when it comes to basketball...and extremely stupid when it comes to women...or women's basketball. But, is it just me or does it seem this woman over-coaches? It seems to be all about her and her decisions. We have a great pitcher who struggles with one or two batters---then there she is, pulling them out. I don't know...something just doesn't seem right. I just know, it's been a crappy year in UT sports.

Oh softball in basketball threw me for a sec....Karen Weekly knows what she's doing. Been doing this for a little while. Has a good pitching coach as well. Tough loss so onto nc2a. Now back to our hoops discussion if they should change the color of the ball..film at 11.

 

[ScreamingEagleVol]

Oh softball in basketball threw me for a sec....Karen Weekly knows what she's doing. Been doing this for a little while. Has a good pitching coach as well. Tough loss so onto nc2a. Now back to our hoops discussion if they should change the color of the ball..film at 11.

Karen has had years and arguably some of the very best pitchers and players. She’s been doing it for more than just a little while. Since Karen received an extension for mediocrity as usual, wouldn’t surprise me if Danny boy gives Kim one next year even if she finishes one game better.

 

[RumpleVolskin]

Karen has had years and arguably some of the very best pitchers and players. She’s been doing it for more than just a little while. Since Karen received an extension for mediocrity as usual, wouldn’t surprise me if Danny boy gives Kim one next year even if she finishes one game better.

Thanks for not assuming I didn't know. I ve been watching since Buffy was a pitcher. I ve met the Weeklys twice in person and know the history of coming west coast to here. I wouldn't classify/label as "mediocrity ". Just say you don't like her and move on to our pickleball team not in nc2a tourney as next gripe thread. Oh BTW in spite of testy post have a nice day even if you don't want to.

 

[ScreamingEagleVol]

Thanks for not assuming I didn't know. I ve been watching since Buffy was a pitcher. I ve met the Weeklys twice in person and know the history of coming west coast to here. I wouldn't classify/label as "mediocrity ". Just say you don't like her and move on to our pickleball team not in nc2a tourney as next gripe thread. Oh BTW in spite of testy post have a nice day even if you don't want to.

You can bow down to Karen all you want just as some are bowing to Kim. Neither have done anything to deserve extension of their contract but ol’ Karen…she’ll give you a bowl of crap and have you believing it’s the best thing ever.

 

[Volfan2012]

Hitting has always kept Tennessee from winning a National Championship. Ole Miss has one of the worst pitching staffs in the SEC and we can't muster but one run against them. Not just this year it is almost every year and any team that scores 4 runs on our pitching is almost certainly guaranteed to win.
I thought it was going to be different this season team starting out hitting like Pros and then suddenly totally lost it. The bottom two in our order do virtually nothing except Faw was the only one to drive home a run yesterday.

 

[WVU05UT09]

Hitting has always kept Tennessee from winning a National Championship. Ole Miss has one of the worst pitching staffs in the SEC and we can't muster but one run against them. Not just this year it is almost every year and any team that scores 4 runs on our pitching is almost certainly guaranteed to win.
I thought it was going to be different this season team starting out hitting like Pros and then suddenly totally lost it. The bottom two in our order do virtually nothing except Faw was the only one to drive home a run yesterday.

Did yall know Nancy Evans, who used to be at Arizona, was the pitching coach at Ole Miss?

Girl has made a living off terrorizing Tennessee in the post season.

I didn't realize it until yesterday.

 

[EZE]

Hitting has always kept Tennessee from winning a National Championship.

The discussion can start and end right here. LVs had 8 years of two of the greatest to ever pitch, along with many other excellent pitchers, and cannot get over the hump.

I don’t know if it’s more recruiting or development of hitters…but it’s some mixture of both. The fact is that we simply do not produce in the clutch in the biggest moments at a good enough rate.

 

[William_77]

You can bow down to Karen all you want just as some are bowing to Kim. Neither have done anything to deserve extension of their contract but ol’ Karen…she’ll give you a bowl of crap and have you believing it’s the best thing ever.

I understand the frustration, but Karen is not in the same league as KC. Even if it doesn’t seem like it after yesterday, there are hardly any candidates that are better for the job. At any rate, none of them would be leaving their current situations. Regardless, hitting has to improve in the postseason or it’ll be short. I think we can all agree on that! That said, we looked terrible last year at the SEC tournament and made the national semis so hoping for a similar outcome. Really need some help from our previous opponents to keep the top 8 seed alive. Need FSU to move into the top 10 and South Carolina to stay in the top 25 with some help from Virginia. I think we can still host both rounds if we make it.

 

[knoxvol52]

I think Duke gets the #8 National seed while we get the #9 or #10 seed.

 

[lvocd]

William_77, I believe one thing the Lady Vols have going for them as far as getting a chance to host is the Karlyn Pickens storyline. I could see a situation where maybe there are a handful of teams (including Tennessee) that are vying for that final nod to host and, because there might be some folks at ESPN already working on Pickens content for the tournament broadcasts, those folks might put a little pressure on the committee to let Tennessee host. It helps that Karlyn recently went first in the draft, not to mention going from recording the fastest pitch in softball history to suffering her first ever injury that set her back. It comes off as a little less unfair to dedicate a lot of pre-planned air time to a player on a team that is hosting.

 

[ScreamingEagleVol]

I understand the frustration, but Karen is not in the same league as KC. Even if it doesn’t seem like it after yesterday, there are hardly any candidates that are better for the job. At any rate, none of them would be leaving their current situations. Regardless, hitting has to improve in the postseason or it’ll be short. I think we can all agree on that! That said, we looked terrible last year at the SEC tournament and made the national semis so hoping for a similar outcome. Really need some help from our previous opponents to keep the top 8 seed alive. Need FSU to move into the top 10 and South Carolina to stay in the top 25 with some help from Virginia. I think we can still host both rounds if we make it.

So, you’re ok with an extension of her contract?? I’m just trying to understand why an extension is warranted for not even winning the regular SEC title. Wait and see, Kim will get an extension, even if she’s only one win better than last season.

 

[DonDiego]

Oh softball in basketball threw me for a sec....Karen Weekly knows what she's doing. Been doing this for a little while. Has a good pitching coach as well. Tough loss so onto nc2a. Now back to our hoops discussion if they should change the color of the ball..film at 11.

Sorry, don't know where women's basketball got in there. I guess I just had crappy on my mind.

 

[William_77]

So, you’re ok with an extension of her contract?? I’m just trying to understand why an extension is warranted for not even winning the regular SEC title. Wait and see, Kim will get an extension, even if she’s only one win better than last season.

For Karen - yes. I have no skin in the game with KC so can’t really speak to that. But I think it’s the same thing with KC - or for example, the Malveauxs. Auburn brought them in as hitting gurus who are younger, with new energy and they have arguably had the worst season in almost a decade and a half. It doesn’t seem to be easy to find a replacement for Karen. She made the semis last year and will probably be hosting supers again. She is a top 5 recruiter in the game. And when looking at the softball and NCAA landscape I just don’t know how much weight is put on winning a natty in this sport. Only a handful of active coaches have nattys and they aren’t going anywhere unless an unprecedented amount of money (that we don’t have) is presented. Like I said earlier, I don’t know who you’ll be able to get. I wholeheartedly agree though, she should reflect majorly on the hitting approach and whether that is being influenced by her, Snider, or whatever factor it may be. It needs to be remedied ASAP and I think everyone here agrees.

 

[lvocd]

So, you’re ok with an extension of her contract?? I’m just trying to understand why an extension is warranted for not even winning the regular SEC title. Wait and see, Kim will get an extension, even if she’s only one win better than last season.

In reality, many (possibly even most) contract extensions are given not as a reward for excellent performance, but as a means to keep a coach from leaving for another program.

Karen Weekly is NOT a flight risk, so DW doesn’t have to keep raising her salary or extending her contract to keep her at Tennessee.

 

[EZE]

So, you’re ok with an extension of her contract?? I’m just trying to understand why an extension is warranted for not even winning the regular SEC title. Wait and see, Kim will get an extension, even if she’s only one win better than last season.

CKW has consistently won at a high clip, including regular season and tournament conference championships. In a league as competitive as the SEC, she has produced well in the past five seasons.

The only thing she hasn’t won is a natty.

And if that is your standard for firing coaches, you will have a turnstile in every sport. Because those are rare. Only one team wins that each season.

I’m frustrated by this years team, too, but let’s use some rational thinking here.

 

[RumpleVolskin]

You can bow down to Karen all you want just as some are bowing to Kim. Neither have done anything to deserve extension of their contract but ol’ Karen…she’ll give you a bowl of crap and have you believing it’s the best thing ever.

First off aren't you a ray of sunshine! Secondly we aren't "bowing down to Karen". You may be the server of a bowl of negativity.

 

[WVU05UT09]

View attachment 830715


CKW has consistently won at a high clip, including regular season and tournament conference championships. In a league as competitive as the SEC, she has produced well in the past five seasons.

The only thing she hasn’t won is a natty.

And if that is your standard for firing coaches, you will have a turnstile in every sport. Because those are rare. Only one team wins that each season.

I’m frustrated by this years team, too, but let’s use some rational thinking here.

I think you have to think of this in the context of the industry and department as well. Whether you like or not people in profession (Trish Ford excluded lol) generally have a positive view of Ralph and Karen. The Tennessee job would become instantly toxic in the eyes of the industry. That's not to say it wouldn't get filled--it would. But by who. Also remember this would be the second questionable firing at Tennessee in a 5 year period--both involving women.

In the context of the department, it hasn't been a banner year for Tennessee sports. There are bubbling problems this coming year in 2 of the major sports on campus (football, baseball) and another scorching hot with womens basketball. No one with a brain is starting a fire unnecessarily when there is gasoline already on the floor.

 

[arkyvol]

Why does a three run deficit look like K-2 to this team?

 

[knoxvol52]

This Florida vs Auburn game is nuts...no pitching,all offense.

Top of 7th Florida leads 10-8