How Tennessee softball can make first appearance in Women's College World Series since 2015

Tennessee softball secured a top 8 seed in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in six years.

The Lady Vols are the No. 4 national seed, which gives them hosting privileges until the College World Series, should they advance to the super regional. Tennessee will host Indiana, Louisville and Northern Kentucky in the Knoxville Regional at Sherri Parker Lee Stadium beginning Friday.

The regional winner will move on to the super regional – which will take place May 25-27 – and will face the winner of No. 13 Texas' regional, which hosts Texas A&M, Texas State and Seton Hall.

Here's how Tennessee can make its eighth appearance in the Women's College World Series and return to Oklahoma City for the first time since 2015.

SEC TITLE SWEEP: Tennessee softball wins SEC Tournament to sweep conference titles for first time in program history

REGULAR-SEASON CHAMPS: Tennessee Lady Vols softball wins SEC regular-season championship for second time in program history

SEC AWARDS: Tennessee softball's Karlyn Pickens, Karen Weekly win SEC freshman, coach of year

Pitching has to be near perfect in Knoxville Regional

The Knoxville Regional is hosting the top sluggers in the country.

Tennessee's Kiki Milloy leads the country with 23 homers, but Indiana's Taryn Kern and Louisville's Taylor Roby are tied for second in the country with 22 apiece. The Lady Vols' pitching depth has been their strength all season – their 1.52 ERA ranks No. 4 in the country – and they have to be sharp to avoid an upset.

Senior ace Ashley Rogers – whose 0.72 ERA ranks third in the nation – may have to be used more than she has in the regular season. Tennessee has had a consistent rotation of three starters, but Rogers has the most postseason experience. The deep rotation gave Rogers enough rest throughout the season to be at her best right now, and she showed that with a complete-game shutout and a save during Tennessee's SEC Tournament title run.

An area of concern on the pitching staff is Karlyn Pickens. The SEC Freshman of the Year looked like she had left her midseason struggles behind her until she couldn't make it through the first inning against Alabama in the SEC Tournament semifinal. Tennessee needs Pickens to be ready for the big stage, not only as added depth, but because she brings a different look with a fastball that reaches the mid 70s.

Tennessee needs to return to sharp defense from start of season

Tennessee's defense showed up in big ways in recent games, but there were also uncharacteristic errors that have popped up in the last couple weeks that cost them – or could in the NCAA Tournament.

After winning the SEC Tournament, coach Karen Weekly said she wanted Tennessee's defense to be a little cleaner. Weekly wants the Lady Vols to get back to the really good defense they started the season with, which is "a matter of getting back to practice."

"I don't think there were some errors on the score sheet that in a coach's book would have been errors, but just some communication things," Weekly said. "You get going, second part of the year and you don't have as many practice opportunities or you have people injured, so you can't get the reps in at practice. But we just need to clean up some communication things so that we make every infield ball an out."

Lady Vols will need to rely on every batter

Tennessee's offense has been on another level all season. Its 7.06 runs per game ranks second in the country and its .425 on base percentage ranks third.

But there was a key improvement during the SEC Tournament: production from the bottom of the order.

Sophomore outfielder Katie Taylor, who bats ninth, hit a two-run home run that ended up being the difference in Tennessee's 7-6 win over Alabama in the semifinal. Freshman Jamison Brockenbrough, who bats eighth, went 3-for-3 against South Carolina in the final, and it was her two-RBI single that gave Tennessee the 3-1 win.

"What was exciting this weekend was to see that production from the bottom of our order," Weekly said. "We got production at a lot of different places, but I think this team still has another gear in terms of, just a chain reaction one through nine."

Tennessee's mentality at the plate was also improved at the tournament. The Lady Vols consistently attacked and if they didn't have their best at-bat, it didn't impact the next.

"If Lair stays down in the dumps, there's no way she squares that ball up against Alabama, one of the biggest hits of the weekend," Weekly said. "You talk about Katie Taylor, and her coming up with that big hit. So, you're never going to be able to say, 'Oh, every single one was great,' but it's their ability to rebound and respond in just a competitive way."

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: How Tennessee softball can return to Women's College World Series