What a great season both the Lady Vols and Vols are having on the diamond this spring. Could Tennessee be more fortunate to have two of the best in the business coaches guiding the Tennessee programs? What Karen Weekly and Tony Vitello are doing is something all Tennessee fans need to recognize and enjoy as the current level of sustained success by both programs is nothing short of phenomenal. The Vols are 39-9 and the Lady Vols are 40-9 so far in 2024.
Karen Weekly has now racked up over 1300 wins in her 28-season career that includes eight Women’s College World Series appearances including 2023. The Lady Vols won both the 2023 SEC regular season and tournament titles for the first time in program history. The Lady Vols have now made twenty straight appearances in the SEC Tournament with Weekly as head coach or co-head coach dating back to the 2003 season. She is a three-time SEC Coach of the Year and has produced 86 All-SEC selections and 41 NFCA All-Americans. Karen along with her husband Ralph guided the Lady Vols to unprecedented success that Karen has continued since Ralph’s retirement following the 2021 season. Weekly is a tireless recruiter and has surrounded herself with an outstanding staff. It should be noted that Weekly graduated from law school and is an administrative law judge. She is also co-author with Ralph of a book entitled High Scoring Softball.
Tony Vitello is a youngster compared to Weekly as a head coach of a college program. Vitello is only in his 7th season as Tennessee’s head coach and has accumulated over 270 wins that includes four NCAA Tournament appearances and two Colege World Series appearances. Vitello was named national coach of the year in 2021. In what was probably Vitello’s best Tennessee team so far, the 2022 Vols won both the SEC Regular Season and tournament titles before being upset at home in the Super Regional. That team ended the season with a 57-9 record, 25-5 in the SEC, and was ranked #1 for much of the season and was the #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Vitello and staff have recruited elite talent to Tennessee and have demonstrated they can develop that talent into outstanding teams. 35 Vols have been drafted under Vitrello’s guidance including a national best of 28 players drafted since 2020.
It’s very clear that these are special times for the Tennessee Baseball and Softball programs. Both teams are in contention for SEC titles and College World Series appearances. Enjoy Vol fans, these programs are experiencing levels of success that are not to be taken for granted!!
