Tennessee softball has made its 22nd-straight NCAA Tournament. On Sunday night, it was revealed that the Lady Vols were placed as a 2-seed in the tournament and the No. 7 overall team.
This means that UT will host the Knoxville Regional. It will open up on Friday at 5:30 p.m. ET on SEC Network against Northern Kentucky. NKU just won the Horizon League tournament. The other teams in the regional are 7-seed Virginia and Indiana. The Hoos and Hoosiers will meet on Friday at 8 p.m. ET. It is a true two-loss elimination bracket.
If Tennessee advances out of the regional to make a 15th-ever super regional, it will match up with the Athens Regional. That features No. 10 Georgia, Clemson, UNC Greensboro and Charleston.
Hosting the Knoxville Regional for the 21st year in a row! pic.twitter.com/iG3T48253I
— Tennessee Softball (@Vol_Softball) May 10, 2026
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The Lady Vols’ positioning in the bracket is tied for the fourth-highest among all SEC teams. Other teams seeded ahead of Tennessee include 1-seeds in the SEC of Alabama, Texas and Oklahoma, and Nebraska.
UT is now attempting to make its 10th Women’s College World Series appearance. This includes last season and in 2023. Twice, Tennessee has gone all the way to the championship series. However, in both 2007 and 2013, the Lady Vols fell short and finished as the runner-up.
Tennessee is entering the bracket on a sour note, though. After taking an early lead, the Lady Vols couldn’t hold on against Ole Miss in the second round of the SEC Tournament. Now, UT is looking to respond well in the NCAA Tournament behind three elite pitchers, Karlyn Pickens, Sage Mardjetko and Erin Nuwer, and an up-and-down offense.
