Tennessee softballgot yet another wake-up call to start the postseason, and fortunately for the Lady Vols, there's still another opportunity to do so.
There won't be many more if they don't.
The No. 5 seedLady Vols were upset by No. 13 Ole Miss 4-1in the second round of the SEC Tournament on May 6 in Lexington, Kentucky.
Tennessee (42-10) took an early 1-0 lead, but couldn't sustain it as its offense flatlined again and couldn't make up for an off day from both Sage Mardjetko and Karlyn Pickens, who combined for six strikeouts and seven hits allowed. Pickens allowed three walks and had two wild pitches and a hit-by-pitch.
"When you lose a softball game like we did today, I mean, pretty much everything that adds up to a loss was there," Tennessee coach Karen Weekly said. "We missed opportunities when we had runners in scoring position. We didn't make plays when we needed to to keep them from scoring, and then we allowed too many free passes."
Weekly said postseason softball is all about good pitching, clean defense and timely hitting — and Tennessee didn't accomplish any of those things at John Cropp Stadium.
The Lady Vols had only four hits and three walks. Junior shortstop Bella Faw drove in the sole run, and they went just 1-for-15 with runners on base.
Tennessee now has to wait for its NCAA Tournament draw in the selection show on May 10 (7 p.m. ET, ESPN2) as one of the teams on the bubble for a top-eight seed, which would allow it to host super regionals.
A win or two at the SEC Tournament would have sealed it, but with a third loss toOle Miss(34-23) after dropping the regular-season series, there may be an opening for another team to take Tennessee's spot among the top eight seeds.
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"You have to do things on the field to put yourself in the best position possible," Weekly said. "But at this point, whatever happens, happens."
Faw said there are conversations that have to happen in the next nine days before NCAA regionals begin, and there needs to be more trust in the coaches, themselves and their preparation.
"That's really all it is right now, is trusting each other and trusting everything we do each day and at practice, and trusting that in the games as well," Faw said.
The upset was the third wake-up call Tennessee has received in the past two weeks. It got run-ruled in a 12-0 series-opening loss against Alabama, but made a remarkable recovery to win the series. Then it clinched the Missouri series in two games before blowing a lead in Game 3 to fall 4-3 and lose the No. 4 seed, and a double-bye, in the SEC Tournament.
A one-and-done SEC Tournament doesn't mean the postseason is doomed. Tennessee lost its first game in the tournament last year 6-1 to Arkansas and still made a run to the Women's College World Series semifinals.
But time is running out for the Lady Vols to respond. The next time they play a game like that, it could be their last of the season.
"It's win or go home now, plain and simple," Weekly said. "So if you can't get fired up and you can't get locked in, and you can't really be disciplined now and accountable, you're never going to be."
Cora Hallis the University of Tennessee women’s athletics reporter for Knox News. Email: cora.hall@knoxnews.com; X:@corahalll;Bluesky:@corahall.bsky.social.Support strong local journalism and unlock premium perks:knoxnews.com/subscribe
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel:Tennessee softball doesn't have much time to respond to another wake-up call
