A look back at 2019
Tennessee finished the 2019 season with a 43-17 overall record, ending the year with a 14-10 conference record. The Lady Vols went 20-5 at Sherri Parker Lee Stadium in Knoxville, and collected a 10-6 record on the road.
In non-conference play to start the season, the Lady Vols began the year on a 7-0 run, including a victory over eventual WCWS participant Minnesota. Wins over Utah, Louisville, and North Carolina highlighted the remaining non-conference schedule, with losses to James Madison and Florida State and a two-game split against Texas.
Upon reaching SEC play, the Lady Vols started out hot, recording a best-of-three series win over Florida in Gainesville. The squad moved steadily through series’ against Arkansas and Missouri, recording series wins over each. A surprising home series loss to Auburn was followed by a sweep of Mississippi State, before the Lady Vols dropped back-to-back road series’ against Georgia and Ole Miss. The Lady Vols finished the regular season with a series win over Texas A&M, outscoring the Aggies 12-9.
At the SEC tournament in College Station, the Lady Vols were upset by Auburn, shutout by the Tigers in a 2-0 final score.
Selected as the #12 overall seed in the NCAA tournament, the Lady Vols breezed through the first two games of the regional, but fell to North Carolina by a 1-0 score in the first game of the regional final, forcing a winner-take-all final game. A pair of 5th-inning runs in the final matchup gave Tennessee the edge and a berth in the Super Regional round. Matched up against conference foe Florida in the Supers, the Lady Vols won the middle game of the weekend, but ultimately fell in the winner-take-all third game to end their season.
Roster turnover
Departures: Leadoff stalwart Aubrey Leach graduated following last season, as did outfielder Haley Bearden and pitcher Matty Moss. The Lady Vols lost a pair of transfers, in backstop Abby Lockman (who last played in 2018) and #2 pitcher Caylan Arnold, now a Florida State Seminole.
Additions: The Lady Vols added eight freshmen this summer, including USA Softball alum Callie Turner.
Strengths and weaknesses
Strengths –After losing a handful of pretty valuable pieces, the Lady Vols still have a quiver full of weapons. Ally Shipman returns from injury and should be at full capacity in 2020. Ashley Rogers had a stellar freshman campaign, and will be the undenied ace of the team’s pitching staff.
Weaknesses – Aubrey Leach is going to be tough to replace at the top of the batting order. Rogers should be solid in the circle, but the experienced depth behind her is now gone thanks to Arnold’s transfer and Moss’ graduation.
2020 outlook
Pitching – Rogers is still just a sophomore, but there were times that she looked like an absolute world-beater last season. Losing Arnold’s experience a year early is not an ideal situation, but Turner is a really solid pitcher that should not have much trouble moving into the #2 role. Lady Vols pitching is always a bright spot, and that really shouldn’t change with the 2020 group of hurlers.
Offense – Three of the team’s top four hitters from 2019 return this season, including Chelsea Seggern – who led the team with sixteen doubles last season – and Kaitlin Parsons, who stood out as a freshman and finished with a .340 batting average. The departures of Leach and Bearden, who led the team in batting average and home runs, respectively, means other players will have to step up to match that production. The return of Shipman from injury should have a significant impact in that category, as well.
Coaching – Ralph and Karen Weekly are a legendary pair in the game of softball, and with good reason. The Lady Vols have appeared in the Women’s College World Series seven times under the Weeklys’ guidance, twice finishing as national runners-up. The program owns a pair of SEC tournament championships, most recently in 2011, but are one of the nation’s premier constants in the top 25. The coaching staff is rounded out by longtime assistant Marty McDaniel and Marc Weekly, Ralph Weekly’s son who rejoins the coaching staff this year as the volunteer assistant.
Wrap-up
The Lady Vols are a postseason mainstay, but have not reached Oklahoma City since 2015. While the team may not be the most eye-popping on paper, if Ashley Rogers retains her 2019 dominance and form, the right pieces could be in place for the squad to make a deep postseason run. Turner has the pedigree to be a solid contributor in the circle, but is still a freshman. Shipman could be a force to be reckoned with after missing half of last season due to injury, and could be one of several potent offensive weapons coming out of Knoxville. Could this be the year the Lady Vols break the World Series-less streak?
