Tennessee softball coach Karen Weekly previews final stretch of season

The final stretch of Tennessee softball's regular season is here with just three SEC series remaining.

Next up is a stretch against LSU at home before the Lady Vols travel to play Alabama and come home to host Kentucky.

Head coach Karen Weekly met with the media to preview the final slate of games.

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With Ashley Rogers out of eligibility, Tennessee softball looked for its next ace. The answer has come in sophomore Karyln Pickens.

Pickens currently owns a 1.19 ERA and 15-4 record in 24 appearances and 117.2 innings pitched. This ERA is ninth in the country tied with teammate Payton Gottshall. What's allowed her to reach this mark is off-season growth that featured mixing in a variety of pitches.

"First of all, Karyln is one of the most honest, self aware and growth minded athletes I've ever coached," said Weekly. "And for for somebody to be as talented as she is and still be willing, to be open to different idea, to try different things, to not let her ego get in the way, it's absolutely refreshing to coach her. So you take an athlete like that, they're going to improve. But she really bought into not just relying on her fastball. We spent most of the fall throwing her changeup a ton, her riseball a ton, so that she became more confident in those things."

While Pickens has been dominant, it hasn't always been easy. Now, teams are primarily focusing on facing her heading into a weekend. Last year it was Rogers, and at the beginning of this year, it was Gottshall, but now she shoulders the pressure.

Pickens isn't hiding from the challenge, though. Instead, she's accepting it and rising up to the occasion.

"I think what's a little bit different for Karyln this year is last year she was kind of one of three," said Weekly. "This year, with her starting on a lot of Friday nights, people are really gearing for Karyln. Mississippi State I think is a good example of that. They really weren't prepared for Payton, but they put a lot of time and effort into preparing for Karlyn. It's understanding that but not using that as an excuse which she never does. Realizing you have different things to go to and you have to adjust your game as you go based on what the other team is doing."

For both Pickens and Gottshall, it's the fine details that are leading to success. Both are in the top 10 for ERA and the team as a whole is first in the country at 1.45.

Weekly said its the small things that have led to this. It isn't any big change or something wild that's led to success and that needs to continue. It's the minuit details that make the difference.

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To keep the train rolling, they just need to stay focused on every small aspect that contributes to winning.

"It's not major things," said Weekly. "It's not like you're going to gain 10 pounds of muscle in the next two weeks and that's not what we need. It's just not letting anything slip. It's the simplest thing of drinking enough water. I mean, hydration is an athlete's best friend. Just them understanding how important it is that they pay attention to every little thing."

With nine games remaining, Tennessee sits atop the standings. Despite playing three less games than Texas A&M, the Lady Vols have matched the Aggies' win mark at 12. The next closest team is Florida who sits two games behind Tennessee.

The Lady Vols will need to finish strong, but back-to-back SEC titles is a very real possibility. The final three series come against weaker conference opponents, but it is worth noting the SEC boasts what is likely the deepest softball conference in the country.

What's led to repeat success is not trying to emulate last season. Weekly understands there are plenty of returners and similar aspects, but each season brings a different energy and personality.

"We talked back in the fall, right away, not trying to be last year's team or compare ourselves," said Weekly. "We have so many returners from last year's team, it's kind of hard not to do that. I think this team has done a good job of letting their identity develop as the season goes along. If you look where we are compared to last year, we're in roughly the same place going into these last three weeks. And to me, it's all about how do you take all that noise about hey, you could do this, and turn it into a benefit for you. And attack that challenge, view the pressure as a privilege and just go after it and whatever happens happens."

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