Following an SEC Championship and appearance in the Women's College World Series, Tennessee softball maintains high expectations heading into the 2024 season.

The Lady Vols are projected to once again win the conference and are ranked as the No. 2 team in the country by ESPN.com/USA Softball.

Ahead of the season opener against UT Arlington on Feb. 8, head coach Karen Weekly and players Kiki MIlloy, Payton Gottshall and McKenna Gibson met with the media to preview the season.

Here are the biggest takeaways from what they had to say.

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Coming off a College World Series run that saw Tennessee come just short of a finals appearance, it could be easy for the Lady Vols to get complacent. That's not the mentality in Knoxville, though.

Instead, they are using it as extra motivation.

"I think they got the taste of it and they want more," said Weekly. "And we have so many players coming back from last year and they know what that felt like, they know what it took. And I think they've done a good job and thinking about last year and taking the things that need to be consistent this year, as well. Just going back to our mission and our core values and making sure we live those out every day, but also realizing what we did last year isn't a guarantee this year and it doesn't mean anything."

Milloy agrees. She's taking the experience of playing in the tournament and is using it as motivation to do it again.

"I think we're hungry," said Milloy. "We just want another taste. We want more of it and we want to go all the way. We want to win the whole thing. Experiencing that and being able to get there after two past seasons of just finishing way too early, it was unreal. It was unreal but we're not done."

When looking at rankings, the team doesn't pay it much attention, either. While Tennessee is aware of the high mark and it has been a discussion among the team, it doesn't mean they get caught up in the opinion of those outside the clubhouse.

"Rankings are something that we're not going to ignore them because they're there," said Weekly. "So, we talk about them. We give them the credit they deserve, which isn't a whole lot, and then we move on. And we realize it doesn't matter where we are right now. All that's going to matter is how are we playing in May when the postseason comes around."

"It's hard to not see it when even our own Instagram is posting it and everybody is posting it," said Milloy. "... You can't ignore it when it comes but you acknowledge it and you just go about your business because where people are ranked right now are not where most people end up ranked in the postseason. But we know what our job is, we know what our mission is and we know that we need to be the best most competitive versions of ourselves every single day and if we do that we're going to be successful."

Tennessee enters the season without one of the best players in school history on the roster. Ashley Rogers pitched 144 innings last year while posting an ERA of 1.19 and 20-1 record.

Now, with Rogers out of eligibility, the staff looks a little different.

"It's going to be different for us," said Weekly. "When you look back to last year, I think there were only two staffs in the country that could throw a pitcher out there, different pitcher Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and get complete games out of them. And it was us and Oklahoma. And that was even with Ashley injured and us having to manage her innings. So I think we're going to kind of be like everybody else. You're going to have to figure out how to match people up and get six, nine outs out of people and have somebody else close out the game. Figure out who's going to counter the other pitcher well in order to throw people off. There will be more strategy to it in that respect but I think that's fun, too."

The top hurler will now be Gottshall after spending the previous season as the second option. She threw 110 innings a year ago while earning a 2.13 ERA and 16-2 record.

As the ace of the unit, Gottshall has a lot of weight to shoulder. She is preparing for this by adding some wrinkles to her game.

"I don't want to give away too much," said Gottshall. "But we do have some new pitches mixed in. So, exciting stuff."

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Behind Gottshall is sophomore Karlyn Pickens. In her freshman year, she was a key piece of the staff while tossing 87.1 innings for a 3.92 ERA.

"Karlyn is a really smart young lady and I think she's really self aware," said Weekly. "And I think that's the key because the game at this level is not just physical, it's the mental game, as well. I think everything in her life, she's been so dominant at, no matter what sport she played. Last year was the first time it was like, 'Okay, wait a second. Now, I can't just rely on my physical gifts. There's other things I have to tap into.' But the fun thing about Karyln is she's really open to that. She's willing to try things. Not run away from any struggles, she wants to attack them head on. So, I'm really pleased with her progress."

Along with Gottshall and Pickens, senior Ryleigh White and sophomore Charli Orsini are the other pitchers on the roster.

"We're going to be great," said Milloy. "We're going to be out there and we're going to compete. All four of our pitchers have excellent stuff and I have full confidence in all of them."

It wouldn't be a surprise if Milloy finished her final year as the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year.

She is coming off a season that saw her hit for a .406 average and 25 home runs. The long-ball mark was the most in the country and she was promptly named a First Team All-American and All-SEC First Team member.

"Kiki is a generational player," said Weekly. "I've never coached a player like her and I probably never will again. Just a very special young lady in terms of her talent, her work ethic. She's the hardest worker on the team. Her leadership, the way she holds herself accountable and holds everybody else accountable. She's really remarkable and she's inspiring to watch. She's inspiring for her teammates. Everything with Kiki is a competition. There's no slowing down and I think that has a major impact on our team."

Milloy isn't satisfied with last season. Instead, she has her eyes forward on finishing on the right note in year five.

"I kind of try to not think about what I did last season," said Milloy. "I try to not think too much about it being my last season. Obviously, it's going to always be a thought in my mind but just trying to play the same softball that I've been playing for the past four to five years that I've been here. Getting out there and competing every single day that I step on the field. I think if I do that, then I'm going to be happy by the end of the season."

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