Lady Vols Take Pride in NCAA Hosting Streak

By Rhiannon Potkey, Special to UTSports.com

As they emerge from the locker room every day, the Tennessee softball players have their eyes directly on the ultimate prize.

The opposite wall features a large picture of the field at the Women's College World Series in Oklahoma City.

Strategically placed, it allows the Lady Vols to visualize their dream destination point from the moment they set foot in the facility.

The program's expectation each season is for the NCAA Championship road to begin in Knoxville, and the consistency of success has put the Lady Vols in select company.

Tennessee is hosting an NCAA regional for the 14th straight season. The 10th-seeded Lady Vols (45-12) open against Monmouth (32-14) on Friday at 5:30 p.m. at Sherri Parker Lee Stadium. James Madison (42-12) and Ohio (38-15) play in the opening game of the regional at 3 p.m.

Tennessee joins fellow SEC stalwarts Alabama and Florida as the only programs in the country to host a regional every year since the NCAA championship expanded in 2005 and regionals began play at 16 campus sites.

"That is something we take great pride in," Tennessee co-head coach Ralph Weekly said. "We have not always won the regionals, but we always compete strong and are thankful that we were selected. It is very meaningful for our program."

The hosting tradition started when the Lady Vols were a No. 11 seed in 2005 and beat Miami (Ohio) and College of Charleston at Tyson Park to ignite a run that culminated with the program's first-ever trip to the WCWS.

"I can remember that during regionals and postseason, the entire university and community rallied around softball," said UT All-American pitcher Monica Abbott, a sophomore on the 2005 team. "All of a sudden, softball was center stage and everyone was excited about it. It made playing that much more fun and thrilling."

As the crowds expanded and the program moved into Lee Stadium, the higher expectations remained. Every team wants to prolong the streak and stay connected in history.

"Any time you get to play at home is awesome because our fans are amazing. The Locos give us so much confidence, and just knowing everyone is here supporting us and backing us is great," Tennessee sophomore pitcher Caylan Arnold said. "We know our field, and that gives us an advantage. We know how the ball is going to come off the wall and what the dirt is going to feel like. That is a big deal for teams, knowing what the environment is going to be like when you come in."

But being more comfortable as a host is not a guarantee to advance. The Lady Vols are 37-9 in regional games played in Knoxville, and were eliminated by Virginia Tech in 2008, Jacksonville State in 2009, Oklahoma State in 2011 and Arizona in 2016.

The losses provide cautionary tales for the coaching staff to emphasize each postseason.

"We actually talk about those losses and remember those opponents celebrating on our home field," Ralph Weekly said. "That is always tough for any team, but we've made sure to learn from those experiences and use them to make us stronger."

Since Ralph and Karen Weekly were hired at UT in 2002, the NFCA Hall of Fame coaches have tried to create a blueprint for consistent excellence while striving to capture the program's elusive first NCAA title.

They've embraced playing a challenging schedule, imparting life lessons and providing tough love when needed.

"The system we've developed for our program stresses competition, servant warrior and work ethic," Ralph Weekly said. "We want to play extremely hard, but we want to always stress sportsmanship and we want to understand that we are role models for a lot of young women both academically and athletically."

The program has produced 33 NFCA All-Americans, 24 Academic All-Americans, five SEC Players of the Year and three SEC Scholar-Athletes of the Year.

From the top-level recruits down to the role players, everyone knows the importance of obtaining a Top 16 seed in the NCAAs once they pull on a jersey.

"I have to give major props to Ralph on this. He has the knowledge on what it takes to host and what the committee looks for," Abbott said. "I can always remember him talking about RPI, strength of schedule, good and bad losses. He was always trying to put us in the position to be successful in the postseason."

Although hosting is an expectation, the Lady Vols never take it for granted and always want to prove they're worthy. The ultimate destination may stare them in the face each day as they leave the locker room, but the focus never strays from the game directly in front of them.

"Every regional is challenge. There is no question. We've never had an easy regional and we definitely don't have one this year," Ralph Weekly said. "Every team that comes to a regional is a thinking they are going to advance. No one is coming to a regional to lose, and it will be the same this season. We have to be ready."

University of Tennessee Athletics

Players Mentioned

Caylan Arnold

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