Lady Vols Earn No. 7 National Seed, Host Regionals for 20th Consecutive Season

(Courtesy / UT Athletics)

Lady Vols Earn No. 7 National Seed, Host Regionals for 20th Consecutive Season

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee softball was announced as the No. 7 national seed in the 2025 NCAA Softball Tournament Sunday night when the bracket was revealed on ESPN2. The Lady Vols will play host to the NCAA Knoxville Regional for the 20th consecutive season.

UT is set to welcome Ohio State, North Carolina and Miami (OH) to Sherri Parker Lee Stadium for the NCAA Knoxville Regional this weekend from Friday, May 16, to Sunday, May 18. The four-team event will be double-elimination, with the winner moving on to the NCAA Super Regional round.

Tennessee will play MAC champion Miami (OH) on Friday at 1:30 p.m. ET on SEC Network. Ohio State will take on North Carolina on Friday at 4:00 p.m. on ESPNU.

The Lady Vols will make their 22nd overall and 21st consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance this weekend. Tennessee has advanced to the postseason every year since 2004 and has hosted 20 straight regional rounds in Knoxville.

UT is one of just two teams to host regionals every season since the NCAA switched to a regional and super-regional format in 2005.

Tennessee enters the national tournament having won 40 or more games for the 22nd time under head coach Karen Weekly. The Lady Vols enter the weekend 40-14 and finished fourth in the SEC.

Tennessee junior Karlyn Pickens earned SEC Pitcher of the Year honors for the second consecutive season, the league office announced on Friday. Pickens and teammate Taylor Pannell were both named to the All-SEC First Team.

Friday’s two winners will play in Game 3 on Saturday at noon. The losers from Friday’s games will play in Game 4 at 2:30 p.m., and the loser from Game 3 will face the winner from Game 4 at 5 p.m. to conclude play on Saturday.

Times for Game 6 and the if necessary Game 7 on Sunday are slated for noon and 2:30 p.m.

The 16 winning teams from their respective regional sites will advance the Super Regional round, which will take place from May 22-25, depending on the host site. All Super Regional sites will feature broadcasts on the ESPN family of networks.

PARKING

Fans please be advised; it is graduation weekend at the University of Tennessee and traffic will be heavy around Neyland Drive and UT’s campus.  All fans looking to attend the softball regional should be prepared for traffic congestion. Fans are reminded that parking shuttles will be free and available at the Agriculture Campus all weekend.

WEEKEND SCHEDULE
Friday, May 16
SPL gates open at 12:30 p.m.
1:30 p.m. – Game 1 (Miami (OH) vs. Tennessee)
4:00 p.m. – Game 2 (North Carolina vs. Ohio State)

Saturday, May 17
SPL gates open at 11:00 a.m.
12:00 p.m. – Game 3
2:30 p.m. – Game 4
5:00 p.m. – Game 5

Sunday, May 18
SPL gates open at 11:00 a.m.
12:00 p.m. – Game 6
2:30 p.m. – Game 7 (if necessary)

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