Let’s talk Tennessee spring sports teams for a change. I suspect by now everyone is ready for a change of topic from Zach Edey camping out in the 3-second lane to the coaching search for a new Lady Vols basketball coach has ended with the hire of Kim Caldwell. Most Tennessee fans hopefully understand Tennessee has a very stout spring sports lineup. That’s a big reason that Tennessee Athletics has won the last two SEC All-Sports Trophies and are in the mix to make it a three-peat. Both the Tennessee men’s and women’s programs ranked first in the SEC for the 2022-23 sports year. Athletic Director Danny White has been at the forefront of Tennessee Athletics drive for excellence and we realistically should expect more success and championships for the Tennessee Vols and Lady Vols in the future.
For today, let’s talk Lady Vols softball. The Lady Vols started off the season ranked 2nd nationally, now 6th, and are projected to win the SEC under the leadership of Coach Karen Weekly and staff. The Lady Vols finished the 2023 season as SEC champions and ranked 3rd in the nation. Coach Weekly was named SEC Coach of the Year and pitcher Karlyn Pickens was named SEC Freshman of the Year. Tennessee received a bid to the 2023 NCAA Division 1 Softball Tournament where they lost in the second round by eventual National Champion Oklahoma and eliminated in the losers bracket by Florida State.
The Lady Vols have just finished winning a hard fought series against UGA taking Game 3 with a three run 6th inning in picking up a 3-1 win. Tennessee and UGA were picked to finish first and second in pre-season SEC polls. The 2024 Lady Vols are now 30-6 on the season that includes a 20-game win streak and an 18 game home winning streak. They are now 10-2 in the SEC and at the top of the league standings. Sophomore pitcher Karlyn Pickens has 15 wins on the season and has won SEC Pitcher of the Week twice so far in 2024. 2024 graduate Kiki Milloy is now the Lady Vols all-time career leader in home runs with 65.
The bottom line is the 2024 Lady Vols Softball team is good, plays an exciting game with a strong game of pitching and hitting and is extremely well coached. The Lady Vols are poised to win another SEC championship and once again advance to the national softball tournament. Two of their three weekend games against 3rd ranked UGA were broadcast. Several more will be broadcast this season so be on the outlook for upcoming games on TV or even better, get out to Sherri Parker Lee Stadium and enjoy this championship caliber Lady Vols team live.
