University of Tennessee Athletics
Gregg Launches Atop The Lady Vols Record Book
April 14, 2018 | Softball
In need of some advice, Meghan Gregg called her most trusted hitting coach to come help.
She called the person who knows her swing better than anyone, the person the Tennessee senior shortstop knows she can rely on through thick and thin.
Before Tennessee began its series against LSU on Friday night, Gregg's father, Brad, drove up from Georgia to help Gregg try and make more solid contact on certain pitches.
The two spent Thursday night and Friday morning in the cages at the UT softball facility, just like they've done at cages and open fields since Gregg first picked up a bat as a little girl.
"He is always there for me," Gregg said. "It's mostly just to get my confidence up. Sometimes it's not even physical. It's just when I need a pick me up from someone outside the regular people we have."
A few hours after the father-daughter batting cage bonding sessions, Gregg launched herself to the top of the UT record books once again.
On the first pitch of her first at-bat in the series opener against LSU, Gregg became the program's career home run leader.
She sent a shot over the left field wall off LSU's Allie Walljasper to give the No. 10 Lady Vols an early lead in their 4-2 victory over No. 14 LSU at Sherri Parker Lee Stadium.
Gregg's home run was the 52nd of her career, surpassing Tonya Callahan for the program career record. Two weeks ago against Georgia, Gregg broke Callahan's career RBI record.
"That is a record that has stood for a long time, and I think as coaches we weren't sure would ever be broken because Tonya Callahan was such an awesome player when she was here and hit so many home runs and had so many RBIs," Tennessee co-head coach Karen Weekly said. "But good for Meghan to get that monkey off her back. I am just really, really happy for her and happy for our team to get the win."
After enduring a recent dry spell at the plate by her standards, Gregg belted her second home run in as many games.
Gregg admitted she was pressing as Tennessee collectively struggled to get hits the last few weeks. The All-American and reigning SEC Player of the Year kept trying to change the momentum with one swing.
But Gregg realized it was a self-defeating endeavor. She had to get back to trusting the process and having more fun. She had to get back to playing the game for the love of the game.
As she dug into the box for her first at-bat against LSU, Gregg pictured herself back in the cage with her dad and let her muscle memory take over.
"When I made contact, it was almost like a relief because it felt normal and natural and it just felt like me," Gregg said. "I didn't realize I had broken the record until I was rounding third base and (co-head coach) Ralph (Weekly) said, 'You broke it' and gave me a high five."
Walljasper walked Gregg in her next at-bat to lead off the fourth inning, and Chelsea Seggern made LSU pay by lining a two-run home run over the right-center field wall to give the Lady Vols a 3-0 lead.
Tennessee's top two run producers, Gregg and Seggern came through to spark the Lady Vols and give the sellout crowd a reason to cheer.
More than setting any record, what gratified Gregg most was the reaction from her teammates. They were anxiously waiting to celebrate with her at home plate, and again in the locker room once the game was over.
Although honored to be the all-time leader for such a tradition-rich program, Gregg has never played for the personal glory. It's always been a byproduct of doing anything possible to help the team win.
"It warms my heart to know my teammate's have my back," Gregg said. "That makes this feel even better, that I can share it with them.
