For the first time in the program’s illustrious history, Tennessee softball has been unanimously ranked the No. 1 team in the nation by all four softball sites — the National Fastpitch Coaches Association, ESPN/USA Softball, D1Softball and Softball America.
After completing their first two neutral-site tournaments of the season, both in Clearwater, Florida, the Lady Vols knocked off four top-10 teams en route to a 10-0 start.
“I’ve seen a really good focus on the process of what we’re trying to do, not get caught up in the opponent, the ranking,” Weekly said. “We talked before we went down to Clearwater this weekend that it was going to be an even different atmosphere than the first weekend with ESPN being such a big part of the tournament, every game’s on TV.”
It’s been a historic start for the team, and all eyes were on the Lady Vols. According to the NFCA, the Lady Vols have defeated six total ranked teams through the first 10 games, marking the first time the program has achieved this in its history.
As the nation’s new No. 1, for the first time since 2014, the Lady Vols are eyeing growth from both sides of the ball, despite their success.
“As the weekend went along, we got better,” Weekly said. “I thought we started off a little bit slow against Nebraska, just in terms of being on time with our swings, but even within that game, we got better.”
It took a moment for the team to get going, but the bats eventually found their groove. After a two-hit performance against Oregon, the Lady Vols posted outings with seven, nine and 14 hits.
“We pride ourselves on being able to manufacture runs in a lot of different ways and use our baserunning to help,” Weekly said. “I would say offensively, the thing we took a look at hardest in our meeting on Monday morning was baserunning.”
Emma Clarke has been one of the highlights of the offense with 10 RBIs through 26 at-bats, while hitting .308 with three home runs as well.
Along with Clarke are Ella Dodge and Elsa Morrison, who both have been reliable bats in the early stages of the season. Morrison and Dodge have combined for three home runs.
Though, as Weekly mentioned, the long ball isn’t something the team wants to fall back on as a saving grace. With players like Morrison being just a freshman, the sky is the limit for the lineup, which is just beginning to unlock its potential.
Sophomore pitcher Erin Nuwer has been one of the main reasons for the Lady Vols’ early success. Nuwer is fresh off an SEC Pitcher of the Week nomination, while also being listed as Softball America’s Pitching Star of the Week.
“It’s exciting for sure, but knowing that I still have places that I can grow and playing for my teammates and them having my back is the most exciting part about it,” Nuwer said. “I love playing with my friends.”
This process seems to be paying early dividends for the entire pitching staff, who allowed a record four runs over the first 10 games, the fewest allowed since 2005. That team included Lady Vol alum Monica Abbott, whose jersey is currently in the outfield.
The team is in tune, and the competitive nature of the team, more specifically the rotation, bleeds into each game. Friendship is something that lives beyond the diamond.
“A lot of times we talk about incentivising each other,” Lady Vol pitcher Sage Mardjetko said. “So we’ll have our own little things, if I do this, if I perform this way, then someone owes me something. So it’s just a way we like to be competitive and just keep getting better even though we’re having the results that we have.”
Everything falls back to handling the little details; only time will tell if this Lady Vols team can really change the narrative.
The season continues with another neutral site tournament, the UAB Tournament in Birmingham, Alabama, where the No. 1 Lady Vols face off Friday against Missouri State and UAB for a doubleheader.
