Foam fingers. Bobble-heads. Peanuts and Cracker Jacks. Ballpark hot dogs.
It’s time for these past-time favorites to make their comebacks, as the UT softball season is just days away.
However, this season is a bit more special than most. This is the program’s 20-year anniversary, and co-head coach Karen Weekly is ready for the year ahead.
“In one way, it doesn’t seem like we’ve been around that long when you look at the landscape of softball across the country,” Weekly said. “To think about everything Tennessee’s accomplished in softball in 20 years, and the SEC, and how far we’ve come as a conference, it’s pretty exciting.”
Tennessee was ranked No. 14 in the 2015 preseason ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 poll last week. With the top-25 ranking, UT now has had 11 straight seasons of top-20 rankings, and the team has been placed in the top-15 in 10 of the last 11 seasons. The SEC has nine teams in the preseason top-25: No. 1 Florida, No. 4 Alabama, No. 7 Kentucky, No. 10 Georgia, No. 14 Tennessee, No. 17 Missouri, No. 18 LSU, No. 19 Auburn and No. 24 Texas A&M.
However, Weekly isn’t concerned about her team’s ranking or the power the rest of the conference is projected to bring.
“I think a lot of the preseason rankings are really just for the fans and to give people something to talk about,” Weekly said. “It’s really not about where you start. It’s where you finish.”
Senior in sports management, Cheyanne Tarango, said she is ready to “shock” the country.
Tarango is part of a senior duo alongside Tory Lewis. Lewis is a redshirt senior outfielder from Chattanooga, Tennessee. Lewis did not play last year because of her redshirt, but she has experienced a successful career at the plate, hitting for a .283 career average over three years. Lewis is also strong in the outfield, having committed only three errors over the course of her career.
Meanwhile, Tarango started in 49 of the 55 games last season at a mix of infield and pitcher. She opened up the season last year with a seven-game hitting streak that lasted from Feb. 2 to Feb. 15. On the mound, Tarango went 4-1 with a 4.85 ERA in 30.1 innings and recorded 22 strikeouts.
Tarango is ready to get her final season underway.
“We have a young team, but I think it’s gonna shock everyone when they see what we really do have,” Tarango said. “People are underestimating us right now, so I’m excited to see how it turns out … I wanna go out with a bang.”
One of the Vols’ most highly regarded players this season will be catcher Annie Aldrete. The sophomore was named to the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award’s Top 50 “Watch List” of 2015. This marks the 12th consecutive season a Vol has been named to this list. Aldrete was one of only six sophomores to be named to the list.
After Aldrete’s performance last season, it’s not surprising to see why she’s gaining national attention. The sophomore sensation was named 2014 NFCA Division 1 National Freshman of the Year Co-Winner, an NFCA Second-Team All-American and a First-Team All-SEC player last year. She tied former Lady Vol Lauren Gibson’s single-season home run record with 19 last year, while hitting .361 at the plate. Aldrete also recorded 65 RBI and had a slugging percentage of .813, both of which were UT rookie records. Aldrete was then rewarded by being named to the 2015 USA Softball National Women’s Team.
Weekly believes in her catcher and said Aldrete is going to be a key component for the Vols this year.
“Annie is a huge part of our team and was last year, as well,” Weekly said. “The key for Annie is to try not to do outdo her performance as a freshman, but just to be Annie. I think that’s why she was so successful last year. She just went out there every day trying to be herself.
“The big thing for us, as coaches, is to try to assure Annie that she just needs to be herself, and not try to carry the whole load for the team, and let everyone else play their game as well.”
The Lady Vols’ softball season will begin Friday in the Kennesaw State University Classic in Kennesaw, Georgia. The Vols will open up play on Friday at 10 a.m. against Ohio, followed by a matchup against Dayton at 5:30 p.m. Tennessee doesn’t have a home game until Feb. 24 against Georgia Tech. The first SEC home series for the Lady Vols will be March 20 through March 22 vs. Missouri. Tennessee will not face preseason No. 1 Florida during the regular season, but the Lady Vols do have a date with the preseason No. 4 Alabama Crimson Tide on April 23 through April 25 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
“The first tournament is really early,” Weekly said. “You’re just trying to get a feel for your team and see where you’re at. It’s a long season, and there’s a lot of softball to be played before the postseason.”
