After two challenging but rewarding weekends in Clearwater, Florida, the Lady Vols face a changeup down in Birmingham, Alabama.
No. 1 Tennessee softball heads down to Birmingham for another tournament where it will play four games in three days. The rest of the field comprises the host UAB (5-6), Missouri State (6-3), Mercer (8-2) and Southern Illinois (7-3) in the UAB Green and Gold Classic.
This will be the last tournament the Lady Vols compete in away from home and the second-to-last tournament they will compete in prior to SEC play. They will return home for their first games at Sherri Parker Lee Stadium on Feb. 27, where they will host the Tennessee Invitational.
How to watch Tennessee softball
The game against UAB will be streamed live on ESPN+ on Friday. All other games during the weekend will have an audio stream on UTSports.com, and Charley Collier will handle play-by-play duties for those games.
From hunters to hunted
Tennessee rose to the very top of the collegiate softball rankings around the country after the results of play over the weekend. Previously top-ranked Texas Tech fell to Nebraska to close out the tournament in Clearwater, paving the way for the Lady Vols to rise to the top spot after another perfect weekend of play.
Now, how will the Lady Vols handle the pressure that comes with the No. 1 ranking?
“We don’t care about that, we care about our process,” head coach Karen Weekly said on Wednesday.
In other words, it’s business as usual. They will get their first opportunity to demonstrate their focus on Friday against Missouri State.
Staring contest
Both Karlyn Pickens and Erin Nuwer have pocketed SEC Pitcher of the Week honors through the first two weeks of the season. Neither has allowed an earned run yet, though an unearned run crossed the plate against Pickens against Liberty.
So, who will blink first?
At some point, their scoreless streaks to open the season will come to an end. The compelling part seems to be not when the streaks will end, but whose streak will end first.
Pickens would be the favorite by any account, considering her track record and overpowering fastball. Counting out Nuwer would still be a mistake, considering she has displayed better command and generated consistently weaker contact than her teammate.
Ultimately, neither will care who keeps their streak going further so long as the mentality and the results of the team do not change. Nonetheless, it is a fun storyline to watch for those who like to keep the score.
Power surge
After light hitting campaigns in 2025, veterans Ella Dodge and Emma Clarke have sparked the Tennessee offense at various points this season.
Dodge has driven in nine runs and her slugging percentage so far sits at .750, up from .480 last season. Clarke has already set a new career-high with three home runs and leads the team with 10 RBIs.
While plenty of names have contributed to the offense, such production from two leaders of the team has been a welcome sight and a big reason why the Tennessee offense, to this point, has seen improvements across the board in runs per game, team batting average, and on-base and slugging percentage.
There is a long way to go in the season, but the early returns for the Lady Vol offense have been very positive. The veteran leadership in the middle of the lineup from Dodge and Clarke has been a big reason why.
