Here are reasons Tennessee softball can — and can't — win 1st Women's College World Series
Tennessee softball is in position for another run to the Women's College World Series after being selected the No. 3 national seed Sunday, the highest NCAA tournament seed in program history.
The Lady Vols (40-10) are coming off their second straight SEC regular-season championship, another program first. They are hosting the NCAA regional rounds in Knoxville for the 19th consecutive season. Tennessee will face Dayton (33-19) on Friday (2:30 p.m. ET, ESPN+). Miami of Ohio (48-7) and Virginia (32-18) will play in the first game of the day (noon, ESPN+).
Tennessee dominated a stacked SEC, winning every series and taking down seven ranked opponents. Here's why it can and can't make a run back to and win the WCWS.
Why Tennessee softball can win WCWS
An early SEC tournament exit added fuel to the fire
The Lady Vols, the top seed in the SEC tournament, were upset in their first game by No. 8 seed LSU on Thursday, losing 2-1 in the pitchers' duel. Florida went on to win the title.
Not getting a single win at the SEC tournament will not sit well with the Lady Vols, even though the circumstances were less than ideal, having had to wait out a seven-hour weather delay. They got a few extra off days to stew on the loss, and it will only motivate them even more.
Tennessee has responded well to losses or poor performances all season. This is one of coach Karen Weekly's most talented teams, and the Lady Vols, who return a strong core from last season, could accomplish something they've never done before.
Tennessee has most dominant pitching duo in the nation
One of the reasons for Tennessee's dominance is its two starting pitchers. Sophomore Karlyn Pickens won SEC Pitcher of the Year and graduate Payton Gottshall was a first-team All-SEC selection.
They bring completely different looks in the circle. Pickens pitches with a rare level of velocity, regularly throwing faster than 70 mph, and the development of her change-up made her the SEC leader in whiff rate.
Gottshall is one of the best at attacking the strike zone. She throws at lower speeds than Pickens does, but she has an arsenal of pitches, and her strike-to-walk ratio of 5.77 ranks No. 13 in the nation. Her 1.25 ERA is ninth-best nationally; Pickens' 1.26 ERA is No. 10.
Why Tennessee softball can't win WCWS
Lady Vols offense may fall flat again
Tennessee struggled against the aces of Stanford and Texas at the beginning of the season. The Lady Vols hit their stride offensively and are a much different team now, but they still suffered two shutout losses in SEC play and could not get timely hits against LSU in the SEC tournament.
However, they are still ranked in the top 5 in the SEC in nearly every offensive category, including batting average, slugging percentage, on-base percentage, runs scored and RBIs.
Tennessee will face the best pitchers in the country if it advances to the WCWS. In order to win its first national championship, it can't have an off-night offensively.
Tennessee will face a challenge in super regional
The winner of UT's regional faces the winner of national No. 14 seed Alabama's regional, which includes USC Upstate, Southeastern Louisiana and Clemson.
The Lady Vols won their series against Alabama, but the Tide also handed them one of only three shutout losses this season. Tennessee beat Clemson, but it was a pitchers' duel that ended in a 2-1 win for UT. Both teams would be a challenge in the super regionals.
And that's not even accounting for the rest of the field that the Lady Vols might face in the WCWS. They have the potential to win it all, but they will have to get even better the further they get in the postseason.
Cora Hall covers University of Tennessee women’s athletics. Email her at cora.hall@knoxnews.com and follow her on Twitter @corahalll. If you enjoy Cora’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that allows you to access all of it.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: How Tennessee softball can win Women's College World Series
