University of Tennessee Athletics
SEC Champion Lady Vols Earn No. 4 National Seed In NCAA Softball Tournament
May 14, 2023 | Softball
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee softball was announced as the No. 4 national seed in the 2023 NCAA Softball Tournament Sunday night when the bracket was revealed on ESPN2. The Lady Vols will play host to the NCAA Knoxville Regional for the 18th consecutive season.
UT is set to welcome Indiana, Louisville and Northern Kentucky to Sherri Parker Lee Stadium for the NCAA Knoxville Regional this weekend from Friday, May 19 to Sunday, May 21. The four-team event will be double-elimination with the winner moving on to the NCAA Super Regional round.
Tickets for the 2023 Knoxville Regional are on sale now at AllVols.com.
Tennessee will play Horizon League champion Northern Kentucky on Friday at 5:30 p.m. ET on ESPN+/WatchESPN. Indiana will take on Louisville Friday at 3 p.m. on ESPN2.
The Lady Vols will make their 20th overall and 19th consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance this weekend. Tennessee has advanced to the postseason every year since 2004 and has hosted 18 straight regional rounds in Knoxville.
UT is one of just two teams to host regionals every season since the NCAA switched to a regional and super-regional format in 2005.
The Lady Vols enter the tournament after completing the conference title sweep – winning both the regular-season and conference tournament crowns. It is the first time in program history Tennessee has won both titles in the same season.
Five Lady Vols and head coach Karen Weekly earned SEC postseason awards last week, following UT's incredible run throughout the regular season. Weekly was named SEC Coach of the Year for the third time during her tenure on Rocky Top – she previously won the honor alongside co-head coach Ralph Weekly in 2004 and 2007.
In the circle, freshman phenom Karlyn Pickens was tabbed as the league's freshman of the year – becoming the fifth Lady Vol to be recognized for the award. She joined Monica Abbott (2005), Kat Dotson (2010), Ellen Renfroe (2011) and Caylan Arnold (2017) in that distinction.
Additionally, McKenna Gibson, Kiki Milloy, Zaida Puni and Ashley Rogers were named All-SEC First Team, while Pickens landed second-team recognition.
Friday's two winners will play in Game 3 on Saturday at 1 p.m. The losers from Friday's games will play in Game 4 at 3:30 p.m., and the loser from Game 3 will face the winner from Game 4 at 6 p.m. to conclude play on Saturday.
Game 6 will be on Sunday at 2 p.m. and will feature the winner from Game 3 against the winner from Game 5. The two teams will play again in Game 7 at 4:30 p.m., if necessary.
The 16 winning teams from their respective regional sites will advance the Super Regional round, which will take place from May 25-28, depending on the host site. All Super Regional sites will feature broadcasts on the ESPN family of networks.
PARKING
Fans please be advised; it is graduation weekend at the University of Tennessee and traffic will be heavy around Neyland Drive and UT's campus. All fans looking to attend the softball regional should be prepared for traffic congestion. Fans are reminded that parking shuttles will be free and available at the Agriculture Campus all weekend.
Friday, May 19
SPL gates open at 2:00 p.m.
3:00 p.m. – Game 1 (Louisville vs. Indiana)
5:30 p.m. – Game 2 (Northern Kentucky vs. Tennessee)
Saturday, May 20
SPL gates open at 11:30 a.m.
1:00 p.m. – Game 3
3:30 p.m. – Game 4
6:00 p.m. – Game 5
Sunday, May 21
SPL gates open at 12:30 p.m.
2:00 p.m. – Game 6
4:30 p.m. – Game 7 (if necessary)
UT is set to welcome Indiana, Louisville and Northern Kentucky to Sherri Parker Lee Stadium for the NCAA Knoxville Regional this weekend from Friday, May 19 to Sunday, May 21. The four-team event will be double-elimination with the winner moving on to the NCAA Super Regional round.
Tickets for the 2023 Knoxville Regional are on sale now at AllVols.com.
Tennessee will play Horizon League champion Northern Kentucky on Friday at 5:30 p.m. ET on ESPN+/WatchESPN. Indiana will take on Louisville Friday at 3 p.m. on ESPN2.
The Lady Vols will make their 20th overall and 19th consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance this weekend. Tennessee has advanced to the postseason every year since 2004 and has hosted 18 straight regional rounds in Knoxville.
UT is one of just two teams to host regionals every season since the NCAA switched to a regional and super-regional format in 2005.
The Lady Vols enter the tournament after completing the conference title sweep – winning both the regular-season and conference tournament crowns. It is the first time in program history Tennessee has won both titles in the same season.
Five Lady Vols and head coach Karen Weekly earned SEC postseason awards last week, following UT's incredible run throughout the regular season. Weekly was named SEC Coach of the Year for the third time during her tenure on Rocky Top – she previously won the honor alongside co-head coach Ralph Weekly in 2004 and 2007.
In the circle, freshman phenom Karlyn Pickens was tabbed as the league's freshman of the year – becoming the fifth Lady Vol to be recognized for the award. She joined Monica Abbott (2005), Kat Dotson (2010), Ellen Renfroe (2011) and Caylan Arnold (2017) in that distinction.
Additionally, McKenna Gibson, Kiki Milloy, Zaida Puni and Ashley Rogers were named All-SEC First Team, while Pickens landed second-team recognition.
Friday's two winners will play in Game 3 on Saturday at 1 p.m. The losers from Friday's games will play in Game 4 at 3:30 p.m., and the loser from Game 3 will face the winner from Game 4 at 6 p.m. to conclude play on Saturday.
Game 6 will be on Sunday at 2 p.m. and will feature the winner from Game 3 against the winner from Game 5. The two teams will play again in Game 7 at 4:30 p.m., if necessary.
The 16 winning teams from their respective regional sites will advance the Super Regional round, which will take place from May 25-28, depending on the host site. All Super Regional sites will feature broadcasts on the ESPN family of networks.
PARKING
Fans please be advised; it is graduation weekend at the University of Tennessee and traffic will be heavy around Neyland Drive and UT's campus. All fans looking to attend the softball regional should be prepared for traffic congestion. Fans are reminded that parking shuttles will be free and available at the Agriculture Campus all weekend.
Shuttle information:
Friday, May 19: Beginning at 4:00pm
Saturday, May 20: Beginning at 11:00am (Gates will open at 11:30am)
Sunday, May 21: Beginning at 12:00pm (Gates will open at 12:30pm)
Friday, May 19
SPL gates open at 2:00 p.m.
3:00 p.m. – Game 1 (Louisville vs. Indiana)
5:30 p.m. – Game 2 (Northern Kentucky vs. Tennessee)
Saturday, May 20
SPL gates open at 11:30 a.m.
1:00 p.m. – Game 3
3:30 p.m. – Game 4
6:00 p.m. – Game 5
Sunday, May 21
SPL gates open at 12:30 p.m.
2:00 p.m. – Game 6
4:30 p.m. – Game 7 (if necessary)
Players Mentioned
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INF
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