Lady Vols Pitching Staff Dominates in 5-0 Opening Weekend, Clearwater Invitational Up Next
Lady Vols Are Focused on the Task at Hand
NCAA Division I college softball has entered its second week of action, and after an exciting opening weekend that saw upsets that may have left some already reevaluating their approach and focus level to start the season, one team that stood to the challenge and came out of the weekend with a 5-0 record is Karen Weekly’s No. 2 Tennessee Lady Vols.
After winning the NFCA Division I Leadoff Classic in Clearwater, Fla., the Lady Vols are heading back to the same location this weekend for the Shriners Children’s Clearwater Invitational. There they will play another five games, with four ranked opponents in No. 13 Nebraska, No. 23 Florida Atlantic (FAU), No. 6 UCLA, and to cap it all off, they will face No. 5 Florida State in a primetime game Sunday night at 8 PM ET. (All rankings reflective of Softball America)
Today during Tennessee softball’s media availability, I first asked Coach Weekly on parity in college softball and what she gathered from her team in the opening week to fend off any upset and to put five wins on the board. To no surprise, it all starts with the circle.
“Well, I think first of all, you know, the experience on our team is in the circle and it all starts there, and we got great pitching performances all weekend long, from everybody, only giving up two runs and I think one was earned maybe. So it starts there, but also it speaks to their focus on the process, and that’s what we preach every single day is we don’t worry about the outcomes,” said Weekly.
During the fall, I visited Tennessee and paid close attention to their pitching situation. We all know Karlyn Pickens is one of the best in the nation and will bring it every day if she has to, but there is more. One that immediately stood out was Erin Nuwer.
Nuwer looks to be that next quality arm on the Lady Vols pitching staff, and she showed that right off the bat last week with a five-inning no-hitter against BYU that finished in a 10-0 run-rule win for the Lady Vols. She tossed five strikeouts in that one and only issued two walks in 68 pitches and 16 batters faced. Nuwer would see five more innings over the weekend and finished with no runs given up, 11 strikeouts to two walks, and a .20 WHIP with a 2-0 record and one save.
“What stuck out to me is that she did it in different roles,” said Weekly. “So, she started the first game, she came in in a pretty tight situation against Boston College. You know, runners first and third, we’re holding a two-run lead and shuts ’em down to get us out of the inning. Whatever Erin’s asked to do, she’s just really locked in this year.”
Circling back to Pickens, she picked up as usual with a 2-0 record, a 0.00 ERA, with 22 strikeouts to seven walks in 14 innings pitched. Pickens shut the No. 5 at the time Oregon Ducks out on Saturday night and did so with heat. She was named the SEC Pitcher of the Week, as well as D1Softball’s National Pitcher of the Week. The Lady Vols pitching staff as a whole only gave up 12 hits in five games with two runs, one earned, for a .23 ERA and 42 strikeouts. Through five games, they are tied with Stanford for fifth in the country with 9.48 strikeouts per seven innings.
Those numbers are impressive, but they are about to be put to the test against four ranked opponents in a three-day stretch. This weekend will definitely present a great test for this staff and team, but Weekly and the Lady Vols are just focused on the task at hand. They don’t play for results or outcomes. It is about taking care of the moment that you are in.
“We don’t focus on the result of the play or the result of the game. I just want them focused on the job at hand and to keep things very, very simple. And I thought we did that well. And when we strayed from that, I thought we got back right to it,” said Weekly.
So, what exactly does Weekly look to take from these first couple of weekends of great competition? She is looking for how her team responds. Coming out of the gate with as much competition as they face, there will be some failed moments. They may have a failed game before Clearwater is wrapped up, but how they respond is the important thing. Fail fast, recover faster.
“Well, we’re focused primarily on, I’m focused on how we respond. So, you know, I really don’t care how a player handles one pitch or one at bat. It’s how do you respond and can we get consistency? I think the best ability a player can bring to the field is dependability, that you know what you’re gonna get every single day, that we can stay emotionally level,” said Weekly.
“So that’s what I’m watching as we go through these early games. Because I know if we can get a good response right now that we can build on that and that person is going to continue to grow. Yes, obviously you wanna win the game, and I think we’re always gonna put ourselves in position to win the game.”
We will see how the Lady Vols’ focus remains and how they respond to early success this weekend at Eddie C. Moore in Clearwater, Fla. Listed below is Tennessee’s full weekend schedule with times and viewing information. Follow Mays Sports Media for softball coverage throughout the season.
Lady Vols Clearwater Invitational Schedule
- Tennessee vs. Nebraska (Friday at Noon ET, ESPN2)
- Tennessee vs. James Madison (Friday at 5:00 PM ET, ESPN+)
- Florida Atlantic vs. Tennessee (Saturday at Noon ET, ESPN+)
- UCLA vs. Tennessee (Saturday at 4:00 PM ET, ESPNU)
- Tennessee vs. Florida State (Sunday at 8:00 PM ET, ESPN)
