After coming up just a win short of appearing in the national title series of the 2026 Women’s College World Series, Tennessee softball head coach Karen Weekly has quickly made some tweaks to her coaching staff. After the parting of ways with hitting coach Craig Snider and assistant coach Stephanie Sanders, Weekly hired Texas’ Ehren Earleywin as associate head coach and promoted pitching coach Meghan Rhodes Smith to associate head coach, as well.
With one assistant coaching role still open, Weekly has made the move to promote a former UT star player, Aubrey Leach-Gartner. She was previously on the staff as the director of player development for the past two seasons before the promotion. She was also a graduate assistant after her playing days.
“Aubrey is one of the brightest young minds in the game,” Weekly said. “We are blessed that she chose to make Tennessee her home in 2016 as a freshman in our Lady Vol program. It has been such a joy to watch her career progress from college player to professional player and now a college coach. Our young women have benefited greatly from her expertise and mentorship through the years, and our student-athletes are ecstatic about continuing to work with Aubrey.”
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As a player, Leach-Gartner was one of the finest hitters in the country during her career, which spanned from 2016-19. She ranks second in school history in both runs scored (253) and career on-base percentage (.503). She was a two-time NFCA All-American, earning first-team honors in 2018 and then a third-team recognition in 2019.
Leach-Gartner now plays professionally in the AUSL for the Carolina Blaze, as well. As the team’s lead-off hitter, she is teamed up with former Lady Vol star pitcher Karlyn Pickens.
“Tennessee softball is home, and there is no place I would rather be,” Leach-Gartner said. “I am so grateful for the opportunity to continue pushing the Lady Vol legacy into the future. I cannot thank Karen enough for believing in me as a player and now as an assistant coach.”
Leach-Garnter comes from a family of Tennessee softball stars, too. Next year, she’ll be coaching a pair of her younger sisters, twins Gabby and Alannah. Her other younger sister, Kelcy, also played her final collegiate season at UT.
