KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee softball clinched the outright SEC regular season title with an 8-3 Game 2 win over Kentucky on Friday night. For the first time in Tennessee softball history, the Lady Vols have won back-to-back SEC regular season titles.
Head coach Karen Weekly was proud of her team for battling throughout the regular season.
"I just told them, 'You are back-to-back champions, regular season champions, in the toughest conference in America,'" said Weekly. "I mean, that is something to be super, super proud of."
In the fourth inning, Kentucky was up 3-2 when Kiki Milloy hit a three-run blast to center field to take the lead. From then on, the Lady Vols took charge on both sides. Taylor Pannell came up with her second long ball of the series to help deepen the lead, and then Karlyn Pickens pitched four perfect innings to close out the game.
Finishing like that makes Weekly proud of her team for meeting the expectations set after last season.
"Sometimes you want something so bad you can't see what's right in front of you," said Weekly. "This team has done a really good job all year at recognizing...when we needed to take a step back."
In 2023, Tennessee captured its first SEC regular-season championship since 2007. The win over the Wildcats gives the Lady Vols their third title since the program began in 1996.
After the victory, several fans showed love on social media, including LVFL Monica Abbott, posting on X saying, "Amazing!! Congratulations!!"
The Lady Vols needed to win two out of three games against Kentucky to guarantee at least a share of the regular season title. Since the Lady Vols won two games, and Texas A&M did not sweep against Florida, the Aggies do not receive a share of the title, and Tennessee clinches the lone victory.
"I'm just so happy for them," said Weekly. "They're the ones who have to go out there and throw the pitches and catch the balls. They're the ones who figure it out, find a way to get this done."
