Published Jun 2, 2025
Tennessee softball comes up just short of WCWS finals appearance
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Ryan Sylvia  •  VolReport
Assistant Managing Editor
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@RyanTSylvia

Tennessee softball's hunt for its first national title will have to wait until next season.

The Lady Vols, one of the final four teams remaining the field, fell to Texas 2-0 in the Women's College World Series semifinals to end their season.

Tennessee would have been tasked with winning two-straight consecutive games to advance, but got caught by the Longhorns in game one, nullifying the need to play a second.

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As expected, Karlyn Pickens got the start for the Lady Vols. She pitched all six innings while giving up two runs (one earned) on five hits and nine strikeouts. In the final outing of her junior season, she ended with a 25-11 record and 1.17 ERA.

The reigning back-to-back SEC Pitcher of the Year is expected to return to Tennessee for her final year of college eligibility next season.

At the plate, the Lady Vols produced just three hits while being shutout. The swings were from Taylor Pannell, Ella Dodge and Laura Mealer. Dodge's hit got down for a double.

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WHAT HAPPENED

Dodge got the action started in the top of the first with a two-out double. She was stranded in scoring position, though.

In the bottom of the first, Texas' lead-off hitter got aboard due to an error. Pickens worked out of it, though, to keep the game tied.

Mealer singled in the second inning, but was stranded despite reaching with two outs. The Longhorns also produced a hit in the frame without scoring.

In the third, Pannell got her hit. With two outs, she ripped a ball to the left side to get aboard. This was the final hit of the game for the Lady Vols. Texas responded by loading the bases. Pickens again worked out of the trouble to keep it a scoreless tie.

To lead-off the fourth, the Longhorns got on the board. Katie Stewart hit a solo shot to give Texas the lead.

In the sixth, the Longhorns got an insurance run. Due to a throwing error with two outs, the inning stayed alive and a runner crossed.

Tennessee couldn't get on the board in its final chance in the top of the seventh. The Lady Vols went down in order to end the season.

UP NEXT

This marks the end of Tennessee softball's 2025 season. The Lady Vols were ranked as the No. 7 team in the country heading into the postseason and finished as one of the final four teams standing.

UT is set to lose a group of seniors who went through Senior Day festivities. This includes Kinsey Fiedler, McKenna Gibson, Laura Mealer, Sophia Nugent and Katie Taylor.

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