Tennessee co-head coaches Ralph and Karen Weekly couldn't put a happy face on the end of the Lady Vols' softball season Monday afternoon.
Instead of preparing to host a Super Regional, UT players visited the clubhouse at Lee Stadium for exit interviews in the wake of Sunday's gut-wrenching 6-5 loss to Oklahoma State (40-17) in the NCAA tournament's Knoxville Regional.
"It was one of the hardest losses of my career because this team had the talent to go all the way,'' Ralph Weekly said. "You just don't get these chances very often, and you have to capitalize on them.
"It took a perfect storm; everything went right for them, and everything went wrong with us.''
The Weeklys said the losses to the Cowgirls represented two of the worst games the team played this season.
UT posted a 49-12 record and won the SEC tournament for the second time in school history despite starting just one senior and two juniors.
The Lady Vols, second in the nation in team batting average, finished the regular season ranked No. 5.
"The young players might have still been riding high on winning the SEC tournament,'' Ralph Weekly said. "I don't think there's any question that the youth of our team factored into our performance in regional play.''
There are few other explanations for the uncharacteristic performances UT freshman pitcher Ellen Renfroe, the SEC tournament MVP, experienced in her two outings against Oklahoma State in the regional.
Renfroe - whose pinpoint control and nasty knuckle-drop baffled hitters to the tune of a 26-7 record and 1.50 ERA over the season - allowed 12 hits, nine runs and walked seven in her 9 1/3 innings of work against the Cowgirls.
In defense of the freshman, the Lady Vols' defense also let down.
After leading the SEC in fielding percentage, UT committed four errors in the two losses to Oklahoma State.
Sophomore Ivy Renfroe, virtually unhittable in leading the Lady Vols to a third-place finish in the Women's College World Series in 2010, also struggled against Oklahoma State.
After allowing just two hits through 12 innings against Liberty and Georgia Tech, Ivy Renfroe gave up three runs and three hits in 2 2<0x2044>3 innings of work in her Sunday start against the Cowgirls.
The Weeklys, however, refused to place blame on any one player or area of the team.
"The bottom line is we had a really good team that was highly motivated but just didn't get it done,'' Ralph Weekly said. "I told the kids today, the best team doesn't always win, but the best team on that day wins. You can never take anything for granted.''
That included the seeding; both the ESPN analysts and the Weeklys were shocked to learn UT drew a No. 14 seed despite their No. 5 national ranking, No. 12 RPI and SEC tournament title.
That led to Knoxville being tagged as the most difficult of the 16 regionals, and with three teams in the top 21 of the RPI, it left UT with little margin for error.
Ralph Weekly said it's his intent not to schedule a team with an RPI lower than 75 in any of the Lady Vols' nonconference games next season.
"We played 23 teams this season that were in the NCAA tournament,'' he said. "Some of the teams we scheduled this season, like (defending national champion) UCLA, didn't have as good of a season as anyone expected.''
Next Year: Weekly said next year's Lady Vols have more talent on paper than this season's group.
ESPN ranked UT's incoming freshman class No. 2 in the nation, as it includes pitcher/first baseman Cheyanne Tarango (Anaheim Hills, Calif.), catcher/third baseman Hannah Akamine (Escondido, Calif.) and pitcher/infielder Haley Fagan (Cornersville).
"You add three excellent players, and consider the maturity and experience of the eight starters who return,'' Ralph Weekly said. "I believe our pitching will be among the best in the nation, and our hitting should be, too.''
Departing UT senior Kelly Grieve simply stated: "They will be unstoppable next season.''
Tennessee's signing class for 2012
Softball: Tennessee 2, Georgia 1
Tennessee defeats Georgia 3-2 in…
Scripps Interactive Newspapers Group
Comments » 22
utfreakster writes:
Congratulations Lady Vols. It was a really bad break getting the low seed, but that is just how it goes at times. You just have to make the best of the hand you are dealt. I am looking forward to the next season and hopefully we can "stick it to 'em". We are still very proud of you for a great season.
scvols writes:
Man this stinks, now there is nothing to look forward to. Football and BB will have down years, recruiting will be so so, but the LVOLS BB should be better. It is going to be a long year for VOLS fans, but, Go VOLS.
arkyvol writes:
this was tough, but nothing like the empty feeling a few years ago when monica abbott's team couldn't help her get the championship she deserved. she was the softball equivalent of peyton manning.
UTByrd writes:
One senior and two juniors? I like what Kelly Greive said about the Lady Vols being unstoppable next year.
Go VOLS and LADY VOLS!!!!!
bmaples writes:
I may have to start watching Lady Vols softball, if they keep putting a good team on the field. (To go with my addiction to LV basketball, of course.)
Bruce in Louisville
VOLinGA writes:
This is what happens when you complain about a seeding and don't focus on just playing the games in front of you. If you really were good enough to win it all, then you don't lose in a double elim format to a team out of the top 15 in rankings. You take the high road, say we're just happy to be hear, and then you go and kick everyone's tail.
Complaining about a call is cowardly too...never should have been in that position to begin with. How about just saying we got beat by a better team. We have work to do...instead of crying about seed and calls.
Weekly's are good recruiters but over rated as field coaches and personalities. Not impressed by some of the feedback I hear through the softball world. Will not forget this coaching staff wilting to Arizona in the finals with the best pitcher in the country on the mound for them, Monica Abbott...and not making any adjustments to an overworked change up pitcher for AZ.
PopsinCapetownSA writes:
It appears that the seeding committe new the Tennessee team better than the TN coaches new their team.
PopsinCapetownSA writes:
If you remember the coaches also blew that championship game when Monica was pitching. The coaches froze up that day (Deer in the headlights).
SummittsCourt writes:
This team will learn from this and be better next season. Looking forward to next year already.
orangecountyvols writes:
Vols,
Are the trolls and whiny negatives finished posting today? Sure hope so, and the rest of us will move on.
Curious to see how many of them would have done as coaches..............going all the way back to a moot point in history re the Monica Abbott days.
Let it go and move on.
BrassMonkey writes:
We have become the University of excuses and coulda, woulda, shoulda in regards to major athletics.
arkyvol writes:
i'm real proud of the team and the coaches, but the coach's comment that the losses to o.s.u. were two of the worst games they played this year has the taste of sour grapes about it. those kinds of remarks certainly don't lend a program dignity and class. some comments are better left unsaid.
PureOrange writes:
We have some great girls on our team. We had some great moments throughout the year, and a few we want to forget.
Walks are almost always a bad thing. We got bit all year on our walks.
Our defense was very good all year, but let down in the tournament.
And some calls by coaches were unexplainable. With two on and two out in the 6th Sunday, how could anyone think of putting in a pinch hitter who had batted probably twice all year? It was not fair to the player, and it was not fair to the team. We had fought back from three down to lead 4-3 at the time. The pinch hitter stuck out looking.
In short, we did have the talent for a NC, but we did not have the discipline or concentration we needed.
Hopefully, this lesson was learned through the pain and will be remembered next year.
arkyvol writes:
i own two degrees from utk, so i hardly qualify as a troll. inasmuch as the word "moot" gives you difficulty, i will type slowly. monica was probably the greatest pitcher in college softball history. that her vol teammates could not come up with the minimal support she needed to win a championship is a painful memory. if making that comment bothers you, well, you've got bigger problems than just 'moving on', which we all will assuredly do, like it or not.
eefor10c writes:
All these comments from all these "great softball coaches". How many games have you guys coached and won? My guess is ZERO. I will take the Weeklys over you any day. Sure it was a tough end to a very good season. How about a little focus on having only one senior, two juniors and the #2 recruiting class in the country coming in. VolinGA the only thing you are good at is complaining about any sport that doesn't win.
orangecountyvols writes:
Arky Vol,
So if you own 25 degrees from U T? Of course you had to throw that in. Point is, Monica was a great pitcher and had a pretty good team surrounding her. However, when we dwell on what coulda' shoulda' been done 5 years ago, it is not helping anything in 2011.
wagee12 writes:
Read this and then close your eyes and try to imagine who said it!
It took a perfect storm; everything went right for them, and everything went wrong with us.''
Yes, once again the perfect storm analogy has been summoned.
orangecountyvols writes:
Vols,
We all can agree it was a very disappointing conclusion to the season we just had. We tend to get very frustrated when such a talented team
falls short of its goal.........and no, ArkyVol is NOT a troll.
We look for answers when we lose........coaching is usually at the top of the list. Then, maybe ineffective pitching, hitting,errors etc.
There are so many good teams out there and each one thinks they're the best. I hate like the dickens to lose Kelly Grieve, but after doing some searching finally found out who the 3 girls are who will be coming in next year. (Tarango,Akamino, and Fagan.) Two can actually pitch so we should be solid there.
With this young team, all in all I think they did great !
Now, if men's sports can be as successful as the ladies, we'll be okay.
kingwoodtx_vol writes:
Blame it on the coaches? I don't think so. I am not a softball insider, but I am under the impression that the Weekly's are well respected by the top names in women's softball. They have repeatedly coached on the national level. Players generally improve while at Tennessee.
What can we blame the regional losses on? As a baseball guy, I think the way the game is played is very similar. If you look at the myriad of mistakes that were made in the two games against OSU, you see very basic plays that were not executed:
- a throw to second by the pitcher to get a force out.
- a pitcher or 3B not covering home when the catcher goes up the line to make a play at 1B.
- a SS or 2B not catching a throw from the OF and letting a run score.
- a pitcher not hustling to make a throw to 1B on a scribbler to the circle.
What do these have in common? Change any one of them and UT probably beats OSU in one of the games and ends up in an IF game at worst. None of these are coaches decisions. All of these are parts of the game that great teams just don't do.
UT scored enough runs. They made enough good pitches. They didn't play quite well enough on defense. I anticipate every player analyzing what they did this year, learning from the experience, and working to get better next year. That is what I expect from myself and from others. Anything else is unreasonable, including winning a national championship.
orangecountyvols writes:
Gainesville Vol,
Very good comments. Actually, I myself agree the Weeklys are excellent coaches, along with Marty McDaniel. I guess I should have prefaced my remarks that some do want to blame the coaching sometimes. Ralph was very gracious to the Vol fans who were there in Charlottesville
when we beat Virginia 10-0 with Monica in the circle. He thanked everyone for coming, after the game ended. That was the day Sarah Fekete
had her jaw broken. It was an easy 20 mile trip for me to see those Lady Vols.
It is amazing how well these girls can play the game..........and even hit the ball as fast as it is delivered.
I suspect the team will come back in 2012 and be a force to be reckoned with.
orangecountyvols writes:
Vols,
Not trying to monopolize the subject here, but when you get a chance, pull up Cheyanne Tarango, one of our recruits.
Ralph and Karen are recruiting not only some very talented players, but some doggoned pretty ones too !
In other words, another Kelly Grieve on the way!!
Volfan65 writes:
I would like to thank Kelly Grieve for the mental picture I have of her, after the slide to home plate, standing up to the umpire with passion and desire on her face. This picture I took with me from the game is planted in my mind and will stay with me for a long time. She is a winner. Thanks for the picture and thanks to her and her team mates for a great season.
Share your thoughts
Comments are the sole responsibility of the person posting them. You agree not to post comments that are off topic, defamatory, obscene, abusive, threatening or an invasion of privacy. Violators may be banned. Click here for our full user agreement.