Yesterday, the Lady Vols pulled off a huge upset by taking down No. 2 Texas in the opening game of the Women’s College World Series. Karen Weekly deserves a ton of credit for the way she managed the game, especially the decision to start Sage Mardjetko in the circle. Mike White and Texas were clearly expecting to see Karlyn Pickens, but Weekly completely caught them off guard, and the move worked perfectly.
Karen Weekly also added a motivational touch before the game, reading the team a verse from the Book of Timothy in the Bible. Weekly said:
"This morning, we talked about 2 Timothy: God does not give you a spirit of being timid. Instead, God gives you a spirit of power and love and self-discipline."
"This morning, we talked about 2 Timothy: God does not give you a spirit of being timid. Instead, God gives you a spirit of power and love and self-discipline."
— Emilie Rae Cochrane (@EmCochranetv) May 28, 2026
Before the WCWS win against Texas, Karen Weekly shared this verse with the #LadyVols. pic.twitter.com/F6HPWxq5yl
Karen Weekly used the book of Timothy to motivate Tennessee
Karen Weekly used that Bible message to motivate Tennessee, and the team clearly responded. The Lady Vols didn’t look intimidated by Texas at all and came out swinging early. In the second inning, Tennessee exploded for three runs thanks to a huge three-run homer from Elsa Morrison that was absolutely crushed. It felt like a scene from a movie. The freshman from Knoxville, in her first World Series game, hits the deciding play in a huge moment. You can't help but feel happy for the freshman catcher.
Even after the fast start, Tennessee still had a lot of big moments left in the game. When Karlyn Pickens came in, she wasn’t quite her usual dominant self and gave up two earned runs, but she battled through it and never let the game spiral. The Lady Vols also kept producing offensively. Elsa Morrison added a double later in the game, and Karen Weekly made another smart move by pinch-running for her, which helped lead to another run. Overall, it was a great team effort and a really strong coaching job by Weekly. I loved it. This was easily my favorite win of the year. Tennessee overcame all the doubt and proved they can win this tournament.
The No. 1 overall seed, Alabama, already lost two of three against Tennessee earlier this year. The Lady Vols have proven they are capable of making a run and can beat any of the eight teams in Oklahoma City. Now it comes down to execution and making plays.
I don’t know what Karen Weekly has planned for tomorrow night against Texas Tech, but hopefully, she has another surprise ready because Tennessee is going to need it. Maybe Weekly will go with something from the iconic Philippians to motivate the team or something from the book of Galatians.
Texas Tech has only lost seven games all season and has already run-ruled three teams in this tournament. Tennessee cannot come out flat on Saturday night.
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