By Sawyer Hunley
Lady Vol softball traveled to Clearwater, Florida over the past weekend to compete in the Shriner’s Children’s Clearwater Invitational, where there was a loaded field of teams awaiting them.
Tennessee never blinked.
A perfect sweep of the competition.
The Lady Vols had five scheduled games in the tournament, with three against top-10 opponents. The Lady Vols faced a steep challenge this weekend, and head coach Karen Weekly acknowledged that challenge.
“I expect us to be challenged a whole lot more this week… and I’m looking forward to that actually,” Weekly said.
Weekly was not the only one looking forward to the challenge as the Lady Vols went 5-0 in Clearwater this weekend as they outscored their opponents by a combined score in all of the games of 43 to 2.
This came with wins over No. 8 Nebraska, No. 7 UCLA, and No. 6 Florida State. This overall dominance was due in part to the balance on both sides of the diamond.
The pitching dominance from the Lady Vols should not come as a surprise.
What is suprising however, is the newfound talent on the mound from arms other than Karlyn Pickens.
Out of all of the five games, Tennessee’s ace pitcher Pickens did not start any games over the weekend.
The Lady Vols turned to junior Sage Mardjetko and sophomore Erin Nuwer, who pitched a bulk of the innings this weekend for the Lady Vols.
“We really felt like we have a very deep staff, Weekly said. “And, you know, those three in particular, all have ace-type stuff.”
The offense was also very impressive for the Lady Vols this weekend.
The offense got off to a slow start this weekend in their opening game; they were only able to plate four runs, but then the offensive outburst hit.
The Lady Vols went on to score 11 runs vs JMU, eight runs vs FAU, 11 runs vs UCLA, and nine runs vs Florida State. The home run ball was a big part of the Lady Vols’ offensive success this weekend.
The Lady Vols hit seven home runs over the weekend, which accounted for 14 of the 43 runs that the Lady Vols scored over the course of the tournament.
While it seemed like the whole order was hitting the ball well, it was the top of the order that was on another level, with a combined total of 24 hits and 13 RBI’s.
“I’m proud of them for just going out there and playing Tennessee softball,” Weekly said.
The Lady Vols now look ahead to next weekend, where they will compete in another weekend tournament. The Green and Gold Classic in Birmingham, Alabama, will provide another early-season opportunity for Karen Weekly and her staff.
Very well written! You can tell you are passionate about this team!🧡
Great article! So proud of this softball team!