Tennessee softball's Laura Mealer gives perfect response about her feelings towards Alabama

Tennessee softball kicked off the Knoxville Super Regional on Friday with a 3-2 win over SEC rival Alabama. The Lady Vols had to rally late to overcome a two-run deficit after Alabama scored one run in the first and second innings of the game. 

Down two in the fifth inning, Laura Mealer stepped up to the plate and hit a three-run home run to give the Lady Vols the lead that would ultimately help them win the game and take a 1-0 lead in the super regional. 

Mealer has a history of creating some magic at the plate against Alabama in the postseason. Not only did she come through for the Lady Vols on Friday, but she also came through for MTSU last season in the Tuscaloosa regional. 

This sparked a question for Mealer about Alabama. Mealer is a Tennessean through and through. She's from Chapel Hill and mentioned she had been a Tennessee fan her entire life, so of course, she wants to bring a little extra to the plate when she faces Alabama. 

While at MTSU last season, she hit 3-for-10 against Alabama with two home runs and three RBIs. The Blue Raiders were only able to win one of the three games they played against Alabama and lost the regional championship game to end their season, but that doesn't discount Mealer's impact against the Tide. 

Lady Vols head coach Karen Weekly said in her post-game press conference that she challenged Mealer to bring some of her best to the plate against Alabama this week. She also mentioned that one of the reasons they wanted to bring Mealer to Knoxville was because of her ability to show up in big moments. 

"This week, I kind of challenged Laura [Mealer] a little bit to remember who she is. We wanted Laura here because of what we saw her do at MTSU against good competition. She tore up the [Tuscaloosa] regional down there last year at Alabama. I just said, Laura, that's who you are. It doesn't matter what happened last week or the last two weeks or anything. I need you to go up there with swagger and know you can do damage anytime the bat is in your hands."

The Lady Vols will look to clinch their spot in the Women's College World Series on Saturday with a win over Alabama. Lady Vols' first pitch will be at 3 PM ET at Sherri Parker Lee Stadium in Knoxville.