Tennessee Lady Vols Lock in Longtime Head Coach for the Future
Weekly Extended Through 2030
This morning, University of Tennessee Vice Chancellor and Director of Athletics Danny White announced that longtime Lady Vols head softball coach Karen Weekly has been extended through the 2030 season.
“Karen has established a championship program in every area, and we are thrilled to have her coaching for the long term on Rocky Top,” said White. “Competitive excellence is one of the core values of our athletics department, and Karen truly embodies this principle. We look forward to continuing our pursuit of titles under her dynamic leadership.”
The announcement comes just a couple of days after the SEC released its 2026 conference schedule. Tennessee will open SEC play at home against the LSU Tigers on March 6th.
A Storied Coaching Legacy
Weekly has led Tennessee to six SEC championships, 20 consecutive NCAA Regional appearances, 14 Super Regional appearances, and nine Women’s College World Series trips.
Last season, the Lady Vols advanced to Oklahoma City, earning wins over Florida and UCLA. Tennessee finished 2025 with a 47-17 record, including a 22-7 mark at home, and held the nation’s No. 1 ranking during the season.
Weekly has compiled a 1,132-357-2 record with Tennessee and was inducted into the NFCA Hall of Fame in 2018. Overall, she has amassed 1,355 career wins, with her and her husband Ralph Weekly having built the Chattanooga Mocs softball program from the ground up.
Former Players Reflect
I spoke recently with former Chattanooga player and 2009 UTC Athletics Hall of Fame inductee Allison DeVries Harr, who was among the first to play for Weekly in the Mocs program.
“We did a lot while I was at UTC. You know, we helped build Frost Stadium, the indoor facility that’s there now and then just playing under the coaches, Ralph and Karen Weekly, really kind of made me the player who I ended up being,” said Harr.
Former pitcher Payton Gottshall also credited Weekly for pushing her to grow as both a player and person.
“She’s a very hard coach, but you know that the love is there. So everything that she does, like she’s going to push you like you’re going to hate her some days, but it’s all because she wants you to grow. And I love her for that,” Gottshall said.
Gottshall reflected further on her early days at Tennessee after transferring from Bowling Green.
“She was like, hey, like you’re not bringing the passion and everything that I saw at Bowling Green. She was like, where is that girl? Like that’s why I brought you here because I love who that was and I want that.
So I’m like, okay, I gotta like let that out, and it was kind of like the green light for me because I felt like I was holding back a little bit with who I was.”
Weekly on the Lady Vols
“Ralph and I came to Tennessee because they invested in and valued women’s athletics more than anyone in the country,” Weekly said. “Entering my 25th season, the commitment to women is better than ever. We are truly the Everything School. I am privileged to coach at a university where every program and athlete matters. I cannot adequately express my gratitude for the leadership provided by Vice Chancellor/Director of Athletics Danny White, Chancellor Donde Plowman, and President Randy Boyd. I am a Lady Vol for life!”
Quotes from Coach Weekly and AD Danny White credited to UT Athletics.
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