Tennessee knocks off Texas in dominant fashion, celebrates eighth WCWS berth
A dream season for Tennessee softball is going to continue in Oklahoma City. The Lady Vols clinched a spot in the Women’s College World Series on Saturday, taking down Texas in a Super Regional. To make matters better, the hometown crowd got to watch on in Knoxville, causing a massive celebration.
Thus far, Tennessee has won the SEC regular season and tournament championship. A chance at winning the national championship is still alive. There will be some tough teams in their way but head coach Karen Weekly has her team on a roll.
Getting the final out is a special moment for any game but especially a Super Regional. Striking out a batter makes it even better. Once Tennessee had officially won the game, players stormed onto the field and the party was on.
You can watch the full moment of Tennessee clinching a spot in the WCWS here.
Sunday, May 7 was the last time Tennessee lost a softball game. It took them just three games to get out of the Knoxville Regional and two to take down Texas in the Knoxville Super Regional. None of the contests were particularly close either, with the NCAA Tournament average margin of victory being 7.2 runs.
At the time of posting, four other teams have also clinched their spot in Oklahoma City. The favorites, Oklahoma, will share a group with Tennessee as will Stanford. The winner of the Tuscaloosa Super Regional between Alabama and Northwestern (currently holding a 1-0 lead) will join.
On the other side of the bracket, Florida State and Oklahoma State have clinched.
An exciting Women’s College World Series is on the way.
Tennessee heading to WCWS for eighth time in program history
Saturday clinched an eighth Women’s College World Series appearance for Tennessee. The last one came during the 2015 season, ending an eight-year drought for the program. An NCAA Tournament appearance was there for every season in between but this time, the Lady Vols were able to break through.
Tennessee does not have a national championship in its history, looking to grab a first in 2023. Twice have they finished runners-up, doing so in 2007 against Arizona and again in 2013 vs. Oklahoma. Maybe this year’s team will be able to fully complete the job.
A double-elimination format will take place in Oklahoma City, beginning on June 1. The championship series will get underway six days later on June 7, where a national champion will be crowned.