University of Tennessee Athletics
Weekly Keeps on Keeping On
February 09, 2012 | Softball
Feb. 9, 2012
BY JOHN PAINTER
UTSports.com
Ralph Weekly swears he's no different.
Tennessee's newest hall of fame coach says his recent induction by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association hasn't altered his drive for championships at Tennessee.
These days, in fact, Weekly has the look of a man eager for the good fortune he thinks is about to come UT's way during the 2012 softball season.
"I feel really good," he said after practice this week at Lee Stadium, before the Lady Vols left for Thursday's season opener at the Kajikawa Classic in Arizona. "We've got a pretty good club, and we've got great pitching."
What the No. 9-ranked Lady Vols also have are two of the country's best coaches in Ralph and Karen Weekly. It was Ralph's turn for NFCA Hall of Fame induction back in December, but he knows his successes aren't his alone.
"Everybody will tell you if you're fortunate enough to get into your hall of fame, you've got great players and coaches," Weekly said. "It was a wonderful ceremony, and (UT broadcasting's) Link Hudson and his people put together such a fantastic video that keyed the whole thing off. I was very proud to be part of the Volunteers, let me tell you."
Since arriving in Knoxville, the Weeklys have built Tennessee softball into a national force. The Lady Vols own four top-three finishes (2005-07, 2010) at the Women's College World Series, claimed the 2007 SEC title and two league tournament championships while racking up 514 victories in 10 seasons.
"I'll tell you, we've got a good product because the girls are clean-cut, they go to school, they make good grades, they don't get in trouble and they represent the school well," Weekly said. "We've been on ESPN 48 times in the last four years - we're getting a lot of good coverage. We're just fortunate.
"We've just got to keep on keeping on."
"We had a major injury last week when our leadoff hitter, Raven Chavanne, broke her thumb in practice just sliding into second base," he said. "She's a two-time All-American and she's going to be out for a couple of weeks at least. They say she could be back after the Texas series (Feb. 17-19).
"But we've got some young players, and like I always say, `When one door closes, another one opens.'"
Weekly also likes to point out that pitching remains the key to coaching happiness.
"In our sport, pitching is the thing," he said. "We talk about it in the SEC because everybody is offense-minded, but it's pitching first, offense second and then it's defense.
"The key is we have our two main pitchers back. Ellen (Renfroe), who is a returning All-American, and Ivy (Renfroe), who probably should have been. And we have Cheyanne Tarango, who pitches for the U.S. Junior National Team and hit the grand slam to win the world championship in December in South Africa, so we've got a good pitching staff."
Last year, Kentucky fell one game short of advancing to the Women's College World Series for the first time.
Throw in Weekly's annual pre-conference lineup of brutally tough competition, and it's easy to see the head coach's plan of attack when it comes to preparation.
"One of the things I decided when I first got here in using Pat Summitt as a mentor was schedule the toughest schedule I could," Weekly said. "The thing about softball is it's definitely not how you start; it's how you finish. I'd rather go 12-0, but if I went 8-4 against good competition early, I'd be happy and our RPI would be higher.
"You can set up the schedule where you win your first 20 games, but that's not going to help you down the line."
"It's an amazing tournament," Weekly said. "We open against a team in UC Santa Barbara - anytime you play those California teams, they're good. They are loaded. We just beat them 2-0 last year and they've got everybody back. And then the next day we have Texas Tech, which was 48-12 last year and went to the regionals. And then we play Cal-Berkeley, which was in the World Series and finished fourth last year. That's the first two days.
"The next day, we have San Diego State that was a 45-win club and then the defending national champions, ASU.
Weekly has a special affinity for early spring trips to the desert.
"ASU is my alma mater," he says, "so it's always nice to go back there and play."
He's happy with his team's prospects for 2012, but hardly satisfied. He's pleased that ticket sales are up and the fans excited for the home season, which begins Feb. 29 against Georgia Southern.
But he's also aware of the challenges awaiting near and far.
"That's what helps make Tennessee very attractive to recruits," Weekly said. "Tennessee just draws anyhow. It amazes me how many California girls want to come here and play because of the people, the beauty and the facilities."
And their hall of fame coach?
"No, no," he said. "I'm just glad to be on this side of the grass."
