Momentum was building for the Tennessee Lady Vols softball as the regular season came to a close. After winning four straight SEC series, Karen Weekly's Lady Vols looked ready for a deep postseason run. But a 4-1 loss to Ole Miss in the opening round of the SEC Tournament suddenly slowed that momentum the Lady Vols worked so hard to build.
Lady Vols star Karlyn Pickens delivers historic moment for Tennessee softball
This sets the stage for the NCAA Tournament, with the Lady Vols taking on 26-23 Northern Kentucky, as Knoxville will host a regional for the 21st consecutive season. Tennessee also has Indiana and Virginia in its bracket, two teams that combine for 80 wins in two good conferences. The winner of the Knoxville region will take on the Athens Regional champion, which features Georgia, Charleston, Clemson, and UNC Greensboro. The good news is they are a top-eight seed, so they do get an advantage in the Super regions should they move on.
Tennessee given a tough draw in the NCAA Softball Tournament
Looking ahead, Tennessee drew a tough bracket in the tournament, having to play either Indiana, which is 14-3 in its last 17 games, or Virginia, which at one point in the season was ranked No. 12 in the nation. Inidna was thought to potentially be a team to move up to the No. 2 line as well.
Horizon League champions Northern Kentucky are no easy feat as well, as they draw a lot of walks and play solid defense. All in all, the Lady Vols. I have a big weekend ahead of them, as they will look to get back to Oklahoma City once again.
Karen Wekekly has coached her fair share of big games and knows that it doesn't always have to be pretty to get the job done. The main goal is to win at all costs. She said, "Just win. Just find a way. It doesn’t matter if you win ugly, as long as at the end of the game you’ve got the W, then you get to move on and keep playing.”
Weekly also stressed the importance of how anyone can be here in the tournament, no matter how good or bad their regular seaosn was./ She said, "If you struggled this year, it doesn’t mean you’re going to struggle in the playoffs. You can be the person that is the big game changer for us."
The Lady Vols definitely had their ups and downs this season, but once the postseason starts, anything is possible. If Tennessee stays focused and takes it game by game, they absolutely have the talent to make another run to the College World Series.
Add us as a preferred source on Google