The Tennessee Lady Vols softball team has steamrolled through the postseason so far. Ace Karlyn Pickens has been dominating in the circle, and the bats have done enough to get Tennessee the hits and runs needed in the big-time moments. This team is firing on all cylinders at ther right time, and they look like they could bring Karen Weekly a title. It's been that good.
After taking down Northern Kentucky and sweeping Virginia in the Knoxville Regional, Tennessee followed it up with another dominant two-game sweep over Georgia in the Super Regional to secure a spot in Oklahoma City.
The Lady Vols now enter a challenging bracket featuring Texas, Texas Tech, and Mississippi State. Despite the dominance, Vegas is hardly giving Tennessee a shot to win it all.
Odds for the Tennessee Lady Vols to win the WCWS
Odds courtesy of Fanduel Sportsbook.
Tennessee comes in at +750, which is sixth of the eight teams to make the Women's College World Series.
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
Tennessee disrespected by Vegas
While Texas has unquestionably been elite throughout the season, the low placement of Tennessee still feels difficult to justify. Tennessee has surrendered more than one run only once during the postseason and dominated Georgia in a two-game sweep, despite Georgia being widely viewed as a team on equal footing with the Lady Vols entering the series.
While Texas has been excellent all season, they have still shown they are beatable. Texas had a scare against a solid Arizona State, and despite how talented they are, they are not unbeatable. Texas also lost a game to Georgia, a team that Tennessee just beat, and they lost a series to Alabama, whom Tennessee took two of three from earlier this year.
Tennessee absolutely has a chance to win its opening game, and if the Lady Vols face Mississippi State later in the bracket, Tennessee already took two of three against them this season as well. Overall, this bracket actually sets up fairly well for Tennessee.
Plus, I really like the matchup Tennessee has with Karlyn Pickens. She is as dominant as they come in the circle, and her ability to shut down a lineup could bode very well for the Lady Vols. Texas led the SEC in batting average at .352 this season, so if the Vols can contain their bats, they may only need a few runs to win.
Obviously, even if Tennessee loses to Texas once, they have a chance to redeem themselves. It won't be easy, but it's not impossible.
I know Tennessee had a rough patch earlier this year, and the SEC Tournament wasn’t great, but this team has erased a lot of doubts. The Vols are playing at a championship level right now. Now they just have to prove it on the diamond in Oklahoma City.
Add us as a preferred source on Google