The Tennessee Lady Volunteers softball is the team that represents the University of Tennessee (UT) in Knoxville, Tennessee in NCAA Division I women's softball competition. They are currently coached by Karen Weekly, as the team has become a consistently top-tier team within the Southeastern Conference (SEC), appearing in every NCAA tournament that has been held since 2004, and qualifying for ten 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. In September 2017, the "Lady Volunteers" name was reinstated for all women's athletics teams.

Overview

The Lady Vols first fielded a softball team in 1996 with Jim Beitia as head coach. 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 ten times. Under the Weekly's, Tennessee has been one of only two programs (the other is Alabama) to be an 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. 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. 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, becoming the first SEC school to reach the top ranking in the league's softball history. Tennessee would again reach the national championship series in 2013 as the No. 7 seed, where they ultimately fell to No. 1 Oklahoma.

Sherri Parker Lee Stadium

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. 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 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- 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.

In 2011 the field was recognized as the NFCA/Stabilizer Solutions Field of the Year.

In 2017 general admission outfield bleachers were added to the stadium.

Head coach

Karen Weekly took over as sole head coach in 2021, having previously served as co-head coach alongside her husband Ralph Weekly since 2002.

Since Ralph and Karen Weekly started coaching the Lady Vols, the program's record and standing in the SEC have improved to a team is recognised for their success. 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. 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.

Their overall record at Tennessee is 465–150–2 and, in 2005, they recorded the programs most wins in a season with 67, an NCAA record at the time.. Ralph and Karen have also authored a book, High-Scoring Softball.

Coaching staff Karen Weekly Head Coach 26th Megan Rhodes Smith Associate Head Coach 1st Ehren Earleywine Associate Head Coach 1st Aubrey Leach Assistant Coach 1stReference:

Year-by-year results

Sources Season Record SECFinishSEC tournament resultsNationalSeedNCAA tournament results Overall Conference 1996 54–14 – – – –– 1997 45–22 20–7 2nd (East) L 0–2 vs. AuburnL 1–2 vs. Florida –– 1998 37–31 13–15 3rd (East) L 1–2 vs. AlabamaW 2–1 vs. ArkansasL 0–8 vs. No. 12 LSU–– 1999 44–27 17–11 T–1st (East) W 11–3 vs. FloridaW 4–2 vs. Mississippi StateL 2–3 vs. ArkansasL 1–3 vs. Arkansas–RegionalL 1–12 vs. Cal State FullertonL 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 LSUW 4–3 vs. AuburnW 5–3 vs. No. 7 GeorgiaL 4–3 vs. No. 16 Alabama–– 2004 55–16 20–8 1st (East) L 2–8 vs. Mississippi StateW 7–5 vs. No. 23 FloridaW 1–0 vs. No. 15 AlabamaL 0–4 vs. No. 10 Georgia–RegionalW 10–0 vs. Illinois-ChicagoL 0–4 vs. Oregon StateW 4–0 vs. DePaulL 5–6 vs. Illinois-ChicagoStart of National Seeding 2005 67–15 20–8 2nd (East) W 4–0 vs. No. 23 FloridaL 3–5 vs. No. 8 GeorgiaW 3–0 vs. Mississippi StateW 3–1 vs. No. 9 AlabamaL 0–3 vs. No. 9 Alabama No. 11RegionalW 9–0 vs. Miami (Ohio)W 4–0 vs. College of CharlestonW 2–0 vs. College of Charleston Super RegionalW 2–0 vs. No. 6 StanfordW 6–0 vs. No. 6 Stanford

WCWSW 1–0 vs. No. 3 ArizonaL 1–3 vs. No. 7 UCLAW 4–0 vs. No. 12 AlabamaW 2–0 vs. No. 1 MichiganL 2–3 vs. No. 1 Michigan 2006 61–12 21–9 2nd (East) 2006 SEC TournamentW 6–0 vs. FloridaW 2–1 vs. No. 4 AlabamaW 3–0 vs. No. 12 LSU Tournament Champions No. 8RegionalW 6–4 vs. Tennessee TechW 9–1 vs. Virginia TechW 8–1 vs. Louisville Super RegionalW 5–3 vs. No. 9 MichiganL 1–5 vs. No. 9 MichiganW 1–0 vs. No. 9 Michigan

WCWSW 4–3 vs. No. 1 UCLAL 0–2 vs. No. 4 NorthwesternW 3–1 vs. No. 6 Arizona StateW 1–0 vs. No. 2 ArizonaL 0–6 vs. No. 2 Arizona 2007 63–8 23–4 Champions 2007 SEC TournamentW 6–0 vs. Ole MissL 0–1 vs. No. 19 Florida No. 5RegionalW 8–0 vs. FurmanW 2–0 vs. North CarolinaW 7–0 vs. Winthrop Super RegionalW 9–0 vs. HawaiiL 6–9 vs. HawaiiW 7–1 vs. Hawaii

WCWSW 2–0 vs. No. 4 Texas A&MW 1–0 vs. No. 1 ArizonaW 3–0 vs. No. 2 Northwestern

National ChampionshipW 3–0 vs. No. 1 ArizonaL 0–1 vs. No. 1 ArizonaL 0–5 vs. No. 1 Arizona 2008 50–16 14–2 2nd (East) 2008 SEC TournamentW 5–2 vs. No. 25 GeorgiaL 1–6 vs. No. 1 Florida No. 13RegionalW 3–0 vs. WinthropL 0–4 vs. Virginia TechW 8–1 vs. LouisvilleW 7–1 vs. Virginia TechL 2–4 vs. Virginia Tech 2009 40–18–1 12–12–1 3rd (East) 2009 SEC TournamentW 6–5 vs. No. 20 LSUL 3–11 vs. No. 1 Florida No. 13RegionalW 4–3 vs. James MadisonW 5–2 vs. NebraskaL 1–6 vs. Jacksonville StateL 1–2 vs. Jacksonville State 2010 49–15 17–8 3rd (East) 2010 SEC TournamentW 6–4 vs. No. 9 GeorgiaL 3–4 vs. No. 4 Alabama No. 15RegionalW 5–0 vs. Ball StateW 11–2 vs. VirginiaW 3–1 vs. Louisville Super RegionalW 5–0 vs. No. 2 MichiganW 4–3 vs. No. 2 Michigan

WCWSW 9–0 vs. No. 10 ArizonaW 7–5 vs. No. 6 GeorgiaL 0–8 vs. No. 10 ArizonaL 2–5 vs. No. 10 Arizona 2011 49–12 20–8 2nd (East) 2011 SEC TournamentW 4–1 vs. No. 20 KentuckyW 2–1 vs. No. 24 AuburnW 6–5 vs. No. 9 GeorgiaTournament Champions No. 14RegionalW 8–0 vs. LibertyL 1–6 vs. Oklahoma StateW 7–0 vs. Georgia TechL 5–6 vs. Oklahoma State 2012 52–14 22–6 1st (East) 2012 SEC TournamentW 2–1 vs. AuburnL 1–2 vs. No. 7 Florida No. 7RegionalL 0–1 vs. Miami (OH)W 8–0 vs. UABW 8–0 vs. Miami (OH)W 2–1 vs. Virginia TechW 10–2 vs. Virginia Tech Super RegionalW 3–2 vs. No. 10 GeorgiaL 0–1 vs. No. 10 GeorgiaW 2–1 vs. No. 10 Georgia

WCWSL 3–5 vs. No. 2 AlabamaL 1–3 vs. No. 11 Oregon 2013 52–12 16–6 1st (East) 2013 SEC TournamentW 5–0 vs. South CarolinaL 0–3 vs. No. 8 Missouri No. 7RegionalW 9–0 vs. LongwoodW 1–0 vs. NC StateW 7–0 vs. NC State Super RegionalW 3–2 vs. No. 10 AlabamaW 5–3 vs. No. 10 Alabama

WCWSW 9–2 vs. No. 2 FloridaW 1–0 vs. No. 11 WashingtonW 2–1 vs. No. 4 Texas

National ChampionshipL 3–5 vs. No. 1 OklahomaL 0–4 vs. No. 1 Oklahoma 2014 46–12 17–8 2nd2014 SEC TournamentL 2–0 vs. No. 15 KentuckyNo. 10RegionalW 12–3 vs. Charleston SouthernW 12–0 vs. Virginia TechW 2–0 vs. Lipscomb Super RegionalL 1–8 vs. No. 7 OklahomaW 4–0 vs. No. 7 OklahomaL 2–8 vs. No. 7 Oklahoma 2015 47–17 15–9 5th 2015 SEC TournamentW 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. 8RegionalW 2–0 vs. LongwoodW 9–1 vs. UtahW 3–1 vs. Utah Super RegionalW 3–2 vs. No. 9 Florida St.L 1–6 vs. No. 9 Florida St.W 2–1 vs. No. 9 Florida St.

WCWSL 2–7 vs. No. 1 FloridaL 2–4 vs. No. 4 Auburn 2016 43–16 16–7 3rd 2016 SEC TournamentW 5–1 vs. South Carolina L 1–3 vs. No. 13 LSU No. 13RegionalW 10–2 vs. MaristL 0–4 vs. ArizonaW 10–1 vs. Ohio StateL 3–4 vs. Arizona 2017 48–12 16–7 3rd 2017 SEC TournamentL 2–6 vs. No. 21 LSU No. 8RegionalW 5–0 vs. LongwoodW 7–3 vs. USC UpstateW 3–0 vs. Longwood Super RegionalW 8–1 vs. No. 9 Texas A&ML 5–6 vs. No. 9 Texas A&ML 3–5 vs. No. 9 Texas A&M 2018 48–14 14–10 4th 2018 SEC TournamentW 1–0 vs. No. 11 LSU L 2–10 vs. No. 4 Florida No. 10RegionalW 9–0 vs. MonmouthW 12–3 vs. James MadisonW 5–1 vs. Ohio Super RegionalL 3–4 vs. No. 7 GeorgiaL 1–2 vs. No. 7 Georgia 2019 43–17 14–10 2nd 2019 SEC TournamentL 0–2 vs. No. 24 Auburn No. 12RegionalW 8–0 vs. LongwoodW 12–4 vs. Ohio StateL 0–1 vs. North CarolinaW 2–0 vs. North Carolina Super RegionalL 0–3 vs. No. 5 FloridaW 3–2 vs. No. 5 FloridaL 1–2 vs. No. 5 Florida 2020 14–9 0–0 – Cancelled (COVID-19)–Cancelled (COVID-19) 2021 42–15 12–11 7th 2021 SEC TournamentW 3–2 vs. Texas A&MW 1–0 vs. No. 6 ArkansasL 5–6 vs. No. 3 Alabama No. 9RegionalW 8–1 vs. Eastern KentuckyL 1–3 vs. James MadisonL 4–6 vs. Liberty 2022 41–18 15–8 3rd 2022 SEC TournamentW 1–0 vs. Mississippi StateL 0–3 vs. No. 22 Missouri No. 11RegionalW 9–1 vs. CampbellW 3–0 vs. Oregon StateL 3–8 vs. Oregon StateL 1–3 vs. Oregon State2023 51–10 19–5 Champions 2023 SEC TournamentW 4–0 No. 21 FloridaW 7–6 No. 13 AlabamaW 3–1 South CarolinaTournament ChampionsNo. 4RegionalW 12–0 vs. Northern KentuckyW 9–1 vs. IndianaW 7–3 vs. Indiana Super RegionalW 5–2 vs. No. 13 TexasW 9–0 vs. No. 13 Texas

WCWS W 10–5 vs. No. 5 Alabama L 0–9 vs. No. 1 Oklahoma W 3–1 No. 6 Oklahoma State L 1–5 No. 3 Florida St.202444–1219–5Champions2024 SEC Tournament L 1–2 No. 10 LSUNo. 3Regional W 3–0 Dayton W 12–0 Virginia W 6–0 Virginia Super Regional W 3–2 No. 14 Alabama L 2–3 No. 14 Alabama L 1–4 No. 14 Alabama2025 47–17 15–9 4th 2025 SEC TournamentL 1–6 ArkansasNo. 7RegionalW 17–0 (5) vs. Miami (OH)W 4–2 vs. Ohio StateW 5–0 vs. Ohio State Super RegionalL 2–5 vs. NebraskaW 3–2 vs. NebraskaW 1–0 vs. Nebraska

WCWS L 3–4 vs. Oklahoma W 11–3 (5) vs. Florida W 5–4 (9) vs. UCLA L 0–2 vs. Texas2026 49–12 16–8 T–4th 2026 SEC TournamentL 1–4 Ole MissNo. 7RegionalW 3–1 vs. Northern KentuckyW 7–5 vs. VirginiaW 5–1 vs. Virginia Super RegionalW 3–1 vs. GeorgiaW 2–1 vs. Georgia

WCWS W 6–3 vs. Texas W 2–1 vs. Texas Tech L 2–5 vs. Texas L 0–4 vs. Texas

NCAA Tournament seeding history National seeding began in 2005. The Tennessee Volunteers are one of only two teams to have a national seed every year, along with Alabama.