Tennessee softball is rolling.
The Lady Vols wrapped up their first weekend at Sherri Parker Lee Stadium with a 5-0 record, defeating Penn State and Appalachian State twice and North Carolina Central once. Tennessee (19-0) remains one of the three last undefeated teams in college softball with its 19-0 start.
“I love the fact that we had really competitive softball this weekend,” head coach Karen Weekly said. “We faced good pitching. We faced teams that came at us, that punched us. So, my takeaway is I like the way we responded. We got punched in the face. We got down in games and we didn’t let it bother us.”
Game one: Tennessee run-rules Appalachian State 9-1
Tennessee’s early-game struggles were evident in its first two games of the weekend. Sophomore pitcher Erin Nuwer allowed her first run of the season by way of a solo home run in the top of the first inning.
Tennessee’s bats would be silent until the fifth inning. With two outs, Tennessee scored its first two runs of the tournament on walks with the bases loaded. Freshman Elsa Morrison hit her second double of the contest off the outfield fence, clearing the bases for a 5-1 lead. A fielding error would bring in the last run of the inning, the Lady Vols’ sixth of the frame.
“We had won by a lot of runs in so many games that we hadn’t been in pressure situations,” Weekly said. “So, I am really happy we were in those situations this weekend and we played really close games.”
The sixth inning would be the final of the contest. Tennessee loaded the bases again, and freshman Taelyn Holley brought in two with a double, but Morrison capped off the game with a one-run double. The score read 9-1, and Tennessee won via run-rule after Morrison’s 3-for-4 performance in the batter’s box and four RBIs.
Game two: Tennessee defeats Penn State 4-1
Friday night closed with a 4-1 win for the Lady Vols over Penn State. Sage Mardjetko got the nod in the circle for game two, logging 10 strikeouts in seven innings of work. The junior pitcher gave up a home run to the Nittany Lions in the fourth inning but didn’t allow another hit.
Much like its first game against the Mountaineers, Tennessee took five innings to show up on the scoreboard. Despite a bases-loaded opportunity in the fourth, Tennessee came up empty until redshirt junior Ella Dodge’s fifth home run of the season. The shot into left field was a grand slam, giving Tennessee a three-run lead.
“Probably a not-so-positive takeaway is I felt like this was the first weekend that we got in our own way too much,” Weekly said. “We made winning very hard because we had too many people not do what they were asked to do and not attack the pitches that were in their game plan.”
The Lady Vols stifled the Nittany Lions the rest of the contest, ending game two of the Tennessee Invitational with a 4-1 win.
Game 3: Tennessee beats Penn State 3-1 on Saturday afternoon
Karlyn Pickens got her first home start of the 2026 season on Saturday afternoon. The senior pitcher got the better of Penn State in game two, winning 3-1. After going scoreless in the first five innings of its first two games of the weekend, Tennessee got on the scoreboard in the first two innings.
Sophomore Emma Clarke brought in the first run after being hit by a pitch with bases loaded. A strikeout would end the inning on the next at-bat, stranding three runners early in the game. Junior Gabby Leach brought in two more runners in the next inning with a double to give Tennessee an early 3-0 lead.
Pickens got seven innings of work, striking out nine while giving up three hits and two walks. Penn State scored on a ground ball, but that would be its only score of the contest.
Game 4: Tennessee run-rules North Carolina Central 8-0 in five innings
Nuwer and Mardjetko combined to toss a no-hitter, Tennessee’s third of the year. The duo combined for nine strikeouts and two walks on 68 total pitches.
The Lady Vols scored three runs in the first inning and five in the second. Seven different players tallied a hit, and two had two hits. Tennessee walked three times, only striking out twice in the contest.
Dodge and Morrison both batted in two runners, helping give Tennessee the early lead, which would turn into a run-rule.
Game 5: Tennessee rallies from early deficit to beat Appalachian State 6-2
As wild as it may sound, Tennessee’s two-run deficit was the largest of the season. It was the Lady Vols’ fourth time trailing this season, but it wouldn’t last long. Pickens gave up a two-run shot off the scoreboard in the first frame but quickly settled down and found her composure.
Tennessee trailed until the third inning. Holley gave the Lady Vols a 3-2 lead after a triple, driving junior Alannah Leach home. Tennessee’s bats would be quiet again until the sixth inning, when it scored three more runs. Dodge sent her team-leading sixth home run into center field, driving in juniors Sophia Knight and Bella Faw for a 6-1 lead.
Following her home run allowed in the first inning, Pickens had a career afternoon. The senior tallied 15 strikeouts, conceding two hits and four walks to end the weekend.
“Karlyn is the most coachable athlete I have ever had the pleasure of coaching,” Weekly said. “And that’s 30-plus years of coaching.”
Up next:
With their last nonconference weekend in the books, the Lady Vols will host LSU for its first SEC series on March 6-8. The Tigers were ranked as high as No. 13 in the preseason, but after losing four games, they are tied for No. 17.
