Tennessee Lady Volunteers softball | |
---|---|
2023 Tennessee Lady Volunteers softball team | |
Founded | 1996 |
University | University of Tennessee |
Athletic director | Danny White |
Head coach | Karen Weekly (22nd season) |
Conference | SEC |
Location | Knoxville, TN |
Home stadium | Sherri Parker Lee Stadium (Capacity: 2,200; Record: 2,549) |
Nickname | Lady Volunteers |
Colors | Orange and white [1] |
NCAA WCWS runner-up | |
2007, 2013 | |
NCAA WCWS appearances | |
2005, 2006, 2007, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2023 | |
NCAA Super Regional appearances | |
2005, 2006, 2007, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2023 | |
NCAA Tournament appearances | |
1999, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023 | |
Conference Tournament championships | |
2006, 2011, 2023 | |
Regular Season Conference championships | |
2007, 2023 | |
Conference Division champions | |
1999, 2004, 2007, 2012 |
The Tennessee Lady Volunteers softball team represents the University of Tennessee (UT) in Knoxville, Tennessee in NCAA Division I women's softball competition. Coached by Karen Weekly, the team has become a consistently top tier team in the Southeastern Conference (SEC), appearing in every NCAA tournament since 2004, and qualifying for 8 Women's College World Series.
Along with all other UT women's sports teams, it used the nickname "Lady Volunteers" (or the short form "Lady Vols") until the 2015–16 school year, when the school dropped the "Lady" prefix from the nicknames of all women's teams except in basketball. [2] In September 2017, the “Lady Volunteers” name was reinstated for all women’s athletics teams. [3]
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The Lady Vols first fielded a softball team in 1996 with Jim Beitia as head coach. [4] [5] In 2002, Tennessee hired the husband and wife team and former Chattanooga coaches Ralph and Karen Weekly as co-head coaches. Since 2004, the team has reached the NCAA Tournament every year and the Women's College World Series eight times. [6] Under the Weekly's, Tennessee has been one of only two programs (the other is Alabama) to be a NCAA Top-16 seed every year since the current format was adopted in 2005. One particularly notable season came in 2007 when the Lady Vols managed to make history, finishing 63–8 for the program's best winning percentage of .887. [7] The 2007 season culminated in a third-straight trip to the WCWS where Tennessee became the first SEC program to reach the best-of-three NCAA Championship Series, before falling to champion Arizona. [8] That year, the team managed two wins over No. 4 Arizona, in addition to other triumphs against No. 6 Northwestern and No. 7 Texas A&M. These results propelled the Lady Vols to a record 11 consecutive weeks at No. 1 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball poll, [9] becoming the first SEC school to reach the top ranking in the league's softball history. [6] Tennessee would again reach the national championship series in 2013 as the No. 7 seed, where they ultimately fell to No. 1 Oklahoma. [10]
The Sherri Parker Lee Stadium is the home venue for the Lady Vols, replacing Tyson Park. Opened in 2008, the stadium can seat 1,614 spectators as well as three press boxes, four VIP suites and an observation deck for television crews. [11] In addition to Tennessee home games, Lee Stadium has hosted the SEC softball tournament (in 2009 and 2017) and exhibition games involving the US national team (2008) and the Dutch national team (2011, 2012).
Situated next to the stadium, the Volunteers clubhouse is approximately 7,000 square feet (650 m2) and features a team room, whirlpools, training area and conference room. Its other amenities include a kitchen, 30-seat theater, trophy room and a recreation room with a big-screen television, pool table, video games and comfortable furniture for the student-athletes. The locker room is also equipped with full laundry facilities, a mud room, 24 large lockers, shower and bathroom facilities. Also next to the clubhouse is one of the largest batting cage facilities in the nation. It contains four 16-by-60-foot (18 m) cages which are designed to provide plenty of room to walk or film between each. All four cages are covered from the weather and possess high-quality Astroturf. [11]
In 2011 the field was recognized as the NFCA/Stabilizer Solutions Field of the Year. [12]
In 2017 general admission outfield bleachers were added to the stadium.
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Karen Weekly took over as sole head coach in 2021, having previously served as co-head coach alongside her husband Ralph Weekly since 2002. [13] [14]
Since Ralph and Karen Weekly took over the Lady Vols they have guided the program from a team struggling to make a name for themselves in the SEC[ by whom? – Discuss ] to a team that has garnered world recognition for their success.[ by whom? – Discuss ] The National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) has chosen to honor Ralph for his efforts throughout a distinguished, three-decade career, that has spanned from his time in the U.S. Air Force through stops at Pacific Lutheran, Chattanooga and now Tennessee, with a 2011 induction into the NFCA Hall of Fame.
Voted in by his coaching peers and with the organization consisting of just 49 previous inclusions, Ralph Weekly will join Ithaca head coach Deb Pallozzi in ceremonies to be held at the annual NFCA Convention.[ when? ][ citation needed ] Ralph and Karen have taken the Vols to their first Southeastern Conference regular season and tournament championships as well as the team's first Women's College World Series appearance.[ when? ][ citation needed ]
Their overall record at Tennessee is 465–150–2[ when? ] and, in 2005, they recorded the programs most wins in a season with 67, an NCAA record at the time..[ citation needed ] Ralph and Karen have also authored a book, High-Scoring Softball. [15] [6]
Season | Record | SEC Finish | SEC tournament results | National Seed | NCAA tournament results | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Overall | Conference | |||||
1996 | 54–14 | – | – | – | – | – |
1997 | 45–22 | 20–7 | 2nd (East) | L 0–2 vs. Auburn L 1–2 vs. Florida | – | – |
1998 | 37–31 | 13–15 | 3rd (East) | L 1–2 vs. Alabama W 2–1 vs. Arkansas L 0–8 vs. No. 12 LSU | – | – |
1999 | 44–27 | 17–11 | T–1st (East) | W 11–3 vs. Florida W 4–2 vs. Mississippi State L 2–3 vs. Arkansas L 1–3 vs. Arkansas | – | Regional L 1–12 vs. Cal State Fullerton L 1–12 vs. Washington |
2000 | 29–34 | 5–22 | 5th (East) | – | – | – |
2001 | 24–35 | 9–20 | 5th (East) | – | – | – |
2002 | 35–25–1 | 8–17 | 4th (East) | – | – | – |
2003 | 45–25 | 14–15 | 4th (East) | L 0–1 vs. No. 12 LSU W 4–3 vs. Auburn W 5–3 vs. No. 7 Georgia L 4–3 vs. No. 16 Alabama | – | – |
2004 | 55–16 | 20–8 | 1st (East) | L 2–8 vs. Mississippi State W 7–5 vs. No. 23 Florida W 1–0 vs. No. 15 Alabama L 0–4 vs. No. 10 Georgia | – | Regional W 10–0 vs. Illinois-Chicago L 0–4 vs. Oregon State W 4–0 vs. DePaul L 5–6 vs. Illinois-Chicago |
Start of National Seeding | ||||||
2005 | 67–15 | 20–8 | 2nd (East) | W 4–0 vs. No. 23 Florida L 3–5 vs. No. 8 Georgia W 3–0 vs. Mississippi State W 3–1 vs. No. 9 Alabama L 0–3 vs. No. 9 Alabama | No. 11 | Regional W 9–0 vs. Miami (Ohio) W 4–0 vs. College of Charleston W 2–0 vs. College of Charleston Super Regional WCWS |
2006 | 61–12 | 21–9 | 2nd (East) | 2006 SEC Tournament W 6–0 vs. Florida W 2–1 vs. No. 4 Alabama W 3–0 vs. No. 12 LSU Tournament Champions | No. 8 | Regional W 6–4 vs. Tennessee Tech W 9–1 vs. Virginia Tech W 8–1 vs. Louisville Super Regional WCWS |
2007 | 63–8 | 23–4 | Champions | 2007 SEC Tournament W 6–0 vs. Ole Miss L 0–1 vs. No. 19 Florida | No. 5 | Regional W 8–0 vs. Furman W 2–0 vs. North Carolina W 7–0 vs. Winthrop Super Regional WCWS National Championship |
2008 | 50–16 | 14–2 | 2nd (East) | 2008 SEC Tournament W 5–2 vs. No. 25 Georgia L 1–6 vs. No. 1 Florida | No. 13 | Regional W 3–0 vs. Winthrop L 0–4 vs. Virginia Tech W 8–1 vs. Louisville W 7–1 vs. Virginia Tech L 2–4 vs. Virginia Tech |
2009 | 40–18–1 | 12–12–1 | 3rd (East) | 2009 SEC Tournament W 6–5 vs. No. 20 LSU L 3–11 vs. No. 1 Florida | No. 13 | Regional W 4–3 vs. James Madison W 5–2 vs. Nebraska L 1–6 vs. Jacksonville State L 1–2 vs. Jacksonville State |
2010 | 49–15 | 17–8 | 3rd (East) | 2010 SEC Tournament W 6–4 vs. No. 9 Georgia L 3–4 vs. No. 4 Alabama | No. 15 | Regional W 5–0 vs. Ball State W 11–2 vs. Virginia W 3–1 vs. Louisville Super Regional WCWS |
2011 | 49–12 | 20–8 | 2nd (East) | 2011 SEC Tournament W 4–1 vs. No. 20 Kentucky W 2–1 vs. No. 24 Auburn W 6–5 vs. No. 9 Georgia Tournament Champions | No. 14 | Regional W 8–0 vs. Liberty L 1–6 vs. Oklahoma State W 7–0 vs. Georgia Tech L 5–6 vs. Oklahoma State |
2012 | 52–14 | 22–6 | 1st (East) | 2012 SEC Tournament W 2–1 vs. Auburn L 1–2 vs. No. 7 Florida | No. 7 | Regional L 0–1 vs. Miami (OH) W 8–0 vs. UAB W 8–0 vs. Miami (OH) W 2–1 vs. Virginia Tech W 10–2 vs. Virginia Tech Super Regional |
2013 | 52–12 | 16–6 | 1st (East) | 2013 SEC Tournament W 5–0 vs. South Carolina L 0–3 vs. No. 8 Missouri | No. 7 | Regional W 9–0 vs. Longwood W 1–0 vs. NC State W 7–0 vs. NC State Super Regional WCWS National Championship |
2014 | 46–12 | 17–8 | 2nd | 2014 SEC Tournament L 2–0 vs. No. 15 Kentucky | No. 10 | Regional W 12–3 vs. Charleston Southern W 12–0 vs. Virginia Tech W 2–0 vs. Lipscomb Super Regional |
2015 | 47–17 | 15–9 | 5th | 2015 SEC Tournament W 5–4 vs. No. 24 Kentucky W 7–5 vs. No. 8 LSU W 2–1 vs. No. 1 Florida L 5–6 vs. No. 5 Auburn | No. 8 | Regional W 2–0 vs. Longwood W 9–1 vs. Utah W 3–1 vs. Utah Super Regional |
2016 | 43–16 | 16–7 | 3rd | 2016 SEC Tournament W 5–1 vs. South Carolina L 1–3 vs. No. 13 LSU | No. 13 | Regional W 10–2 vs. Marist L 0–4 vs. Arizona W 10–1 vs. Ohio State L 3–4 vs. Arizona |
2017 | 48–12 | 16–7 | 3rd | 2017 SEC Tournament L 2–6 vs. No. 21 LSU | No. 8 | Regional W 5–0 vs. Longwood W 7–3 vs. USC Upstate W 3–0 vs. Longwood Super Regional |
2018 | 48–14 | 14–10 | 4th | 2018 SEC Tournament W 1–0 vs. No. 11 LSU L 2–10 vs. No. 4 Florida | No. 10 | Regional W 9–0 vs. Monmouth W 12–3 vs. James Madison W 5–1 vs. Ohio Super Regional |
2019 | 43–17 | 14–10 | 2nd | 2019 SEC Tournament L 0–2 vs. No. 24 Auburn | No. 12 | Regional W 8–0 vs. Longwood W 12–4 vs. Ohio State L 0–1 vs. North Carolina W 2–0 vs. North Carolina Super Regional |
2020 | 14–9 | 0–0 | – | Cancelled (Covid-19) | – | Cancelled (Covid-19) |
2021 | 42–15 | 12–11 | 7th | 2021 SEC Tournament W 3–2 vs. Texas A&M W 1–0 vs. No. 6 Arkansas L 5–6 vs. No. 3 Alabama | No. 9 | Regional W 8–1 vs. Eastern Kentucky L 1–3 vs. James Madison L 4–6 vs. Liberty |
2022 | 41–18 | 15–8 | 3rd | 2022 SEC Tournament W 1–0 vs. Mississippi State L 0–3 vs. No. 22 Missouri | No. 11 | Regional W 9–1 vs. Campbell W 3–0 vs. Oregon State L 3–8 vs. Oregon State L 1–3 vs. Oregon State |
2023 | 51–10 | 19–5 | Champions | 2023 SEC Tournament W 4–0 No. 21 Florida W 7–6 No. 13 Alabama W 3–1 South Carolina Tournament Champions | No. 4 | Regional W 12–0 vs. Northern Kentucky W 9–1 vs. Indiana W 7–3 vs. Indiana Super Regional WCWS |
National seeding began in 2005. The Tennessee Volunteers are one of only two teams to have a national seed every year, along with Alabama.
Years → | '05 | '06 | '07 | '08 | '09 | '10 | '11 | '12 | '13 | '14 | '15 | '16 | '17 | '18 | '19 | '21 | '22 | '23 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Seeds → | 11 | 8 | 5 | 13 | 13 | 15 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 8 | 13 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 9 | 11 | 4 |
The Tennessee Volunteers softball program has garnered 36 Louisville Slugger/NFCA All-American honors.
The Tennessee Volunteers and Lady Volunteers are the 20 male and female varsity intercollegiate athletics programs that represent the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee. The Volunteers compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) as a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). In January 2021, Danny White was introduced as the Volunteers' Director of Athletics.
Monica Cecilia Abbott is a retired American professional softball player. Abbott was an All-American pitcher for the Tennessee Lady Volunteers in college before starting a professional career in the NPF and in the Japan Softball League. In international competition, she has played for Team USA from 2005 including the national softball team winning a silver medal at the 2008 and 2020 Summer Olympics. Abbott is the NCAA Division I leader in wins, strikeouts, shutouts and innings.
The Tennessee Volunteers men's basketball team is the collegiate men's basketball program for the University of Tennessee–Knoxville. The Volunteers compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The Volunteers play their home games in Thompson–Boling Arena, on a court nicknamed "the Summitt", after former Tennessee Lady Vols basketball coach Pat Summitt. With a current capacity of 21,678, Tennessee has consistently ranked in the top 15 in the nation in terms of volume of attendance, averaging 14,817 attendance from 1988 through 2006, and averaging 17,194 attendance from 2007 through 2018 after reducing seating capacity prior to the 2007 season. Historically, Tennessee ranks third in the SEC in all-time wins. Many notable players have played collegiately at Tennessee—players such as Bernard King, Dale Ellis, Allan Houston, Tobias Harris, and Chris Lofton who all play(ed) in the NBA.
The 2008–09 Tennessee Volunteers basketball team represented the University of Tennessee in the 2008-09 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. This was the fourth season for Bruce Pearl as the Volunteers' head coach. The team, a member of the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference, played its home games at Thompson-Boling Arena.
The Tennessee Volunteers women's volleyball team represents the University of Tennessee located in Knoxville, Tennessee. The Volunteers compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) and the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The Volunteers play their home matches in the Thompson–Boling Arena on the university's campus, and are currently led by 3rd-year head coach Eve Rackham.
The Tennessee Volunteers men's cross country program represents the University of Tennessee located in Knoxville, Tennessee. The men's program competes in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I and the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The men's cross country team officially started in 1924.
The Tennessee Volunteers women's cross country program represents the University of Tennessee (UT) located in Knoxville, Tennessee. The women's program competes in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I and the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The women's cross country team officially started in 1974.
The Tennessee Volunteers women's rowing team is the most recently added sport at the University of Tennessee (UT). The team began in 1995 and since then has grown to new heights. Since 2014, the team has competed in the Big 12 Conference, which took over the rowing league formerly operated by Conference USA. UT is joined in Big 12 rowing by one of its historic rivals in its all-sports league, the Southeastern Conference, in Alabama. The Volunteers, then known as Lady Volunteers, won their first conference championship in 2010.
The Tennessee Volunteers men's Swimming and Diving program represents the University of Tennessee located in Knoxville, Tennessee. The Volunteers are currently coached by Matt Kredich. The Vols host their swim meets in the Allan Jones Intercollegiate Aquatic Center which was newly built in 2008. The Vols compete in the SEC where they have won 10 SEC team titles, 173 individual titles and 45 relay crowns. Over the past 75 years of competition the Vols have produced numerous All-Americans, 24 Olympians, scored in 53 consecutive NCAA Championship meets, won 45 individual NCAA titles and won 1 NCAA National Title.
The Tennessee Volunteers women's soccer team represents the University of Tennessee (UT) in Knoxville, Tennessee in NCAA Division I women's soccer competition as a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC).
The Tennessee Volunteers women's track and field program represents the University of Tennessee in the sport of track and field. The indoor and outdoor programs compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The Lady Vols host their home outdoor meets at the newly renovated Tom Black Track at LaPorte Stadium, located on the university's Knoxville, Tennessee campus. They formally held meets indoors at Stokely Athletic Center until the arenas demolition in 2012, but will soon have a new indoor track facility sometime in the 2020s. The team is led by current head coach Duane Ross who took over the program after the firing of Beth Alford-Sullivan in May 2022.
Ellen Ruth Reed née Renfroe is an American, former collegiate All-American, right-handed softball pitcher originally from Jackson, Tennessee.
The Tennessee Volunteers women's golf team represents the University of Tennessee located in Knoxville, Tennessee. The Vols compete at the Division I level of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The Vols currently rotate between 16 different golf courses located in the state of Tennessee. The current coach for the Lady Volunteer's is Diana Cantu who began in 2022. Until the 2022 season, the Lady Vols had appeared in an NCAA regional every year since the program began in 1993, and they were one of only 9 NCAA Division 1 teams to compete in every NCAA regional since the championship’s format was established. Overall the Lady Vols have competed in 29 NCAA Regionals and 14 NCAA Championships.
Ralph Weekly is an American softball coach who, along with his wife Karen, was the co-head coach at Tennessee from 2002 until his retirement in 2021.
Karen Weekly is an American softball coach who is the current head coach at Tennessee. Weekly has previously been the co-head softball coach at Chattanooga from 1997–2001. She served as an assistant at both Chattanooga (1995–1996) and Pacific Lutheran (1987–1994).
Madison Shipman is an American former professional softball player. She played college softball at Tennessee.
The 2007 NCAA Division I softball season, play of college softball in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division I level, began in February 2007. The season progressed through the regular season, many conference tournaments and championship series, and concluded with the 2007 NCAA Division I softball tournament and 2007 Women's College World Series. The Women's College World Series, consisting of the eight remaining teams in the NCAA Tournament and held in held in Oklahoma City at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium, ended on June 6, 2007.
The Tennessee Volunteers women's Swimming and Diving program represents the University of Tennessee located in Knoxville, Tennessee. The Volunteers are currently coached by Matt Kredich. The Lady Vols host their swim home meets in Allan Jones Intercollegiate Aquatic Center which was newly built in 2008. The Lady compete in the SEC where they have won 2 SEC team titles, 84 individual, relay, and diving titles. Additionally, the program is one of only 3 that have scored in all 41 NCAA meets, and it has produced 8 NCAA individual and relay titles, 16 Olympians, and 3 Olympic medalists.
The Tennessee Volunteers women's tennis team represents the University of Tennessee, in Knoxville, TN. The program has qualified for 30 NCAA Tournaments, including 20 straight from 1995 to 2014. They are led by former player and current 6th year head coach Alison Ojeda.
The 2023 Tennessee Lady Volunteers softball team is an American softball team, representing the University of Tennessee during the 2023 Southeastern Conference softball season and the 2023 NCAA Division I softball season. The team plays their home games at Sherri Parker Lee Stadium in Knoxville, Tennessee, and is coached by Karen Weekly in her 21st season. The team won the Southeastern Conference regular season and tournament, which earned them an automatic bid to the NCAA Division I tournament.
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