Tennessee softball’s upcoming road series against No. 10 ranked Georgia has a “home away from home” feel to it.
Credit that to the Tennessee coaching staff, whose efforts have established a recruiting pipeline and considerable influence in the Peach State.
“Atlanta, in my opinion, is the fastest and hottest growing area in softball,” co-head coach Karen Weekly said. “It’s a big recruiting area. We’ve got a couple of Georgia kids right now who I know enjoy playing down there.”
Four players on the current roster hail from the Georgia: freshman infielder Savannah Huffstetler, freshman pitcher Bria Bush, senior catcher Lexi Overstreet and sophomore shortstop Meghan Gregg. All are expected to have their family and friends attend the game.
“I think it takes away from the SEC atmosphere of an away game,” Gregg said. “I know a lot of my family and friends are coming … We might have more Tennessee fans than Georgia fans there so that’s pretty exciting.”
Victories at Sherri Parker Lee Stadium have become routine for the Vols this season. After sweeping Texas A&M over the weekend, Tennessee improved its NCAA-best home record to 17-0.
However, away from Rocky Top, the Vols are 14-10. Removing neutral sites from the equation, their record drops to 3-7.
Tennessee’s last road trip featured a shift in momentum that Weekly believes is detrimental in a hostile environment.
“Momentum shifts and that’s what happens on the road,” Weekly said. “You’re playing in front of their crowd and everything is against you. You’ve got to find a way to keep momentum on your side.
“And you have to play clean. You have to have timely hitting a good pitching to win. Hopefully we can learn from what happened to us in Missouri.”
A lesson the Vols learned after their 1-2 performance in Columbia, Missouri, a couple of weeks ago was the importance of confidence.
In the days leading up to Tennessee’s home series against the Aggies, after the coaches and players broke down film, the team shifted its focus to developing “swag” on the field.
Significant progress appears to have been made. The Vols outscored Texas A&M last weekend 31-15.
“I think we’re just gonna take the confidence we built this past weekend,” Gregg said. “That’s all that we’ve been missing these past couple of weeks.”
Georgia (34-8, 8-4 SEC) is led by the lethal hitting combo of sisters Cortni and Sydni Emanuel, who bat .461 and .455, respectively.
In addition, the Bulldogs’ pitching staff provides a tougher challenge for Tennessee’s hitters. Georgia collective ERA is 2.05, compared to the Aggies’ team ERA of 3.47.
First pitch is scheduled for Saturday at 1 p.m. ET.
