Tennessee and Georgia’s series might feature a battle of matchup depth and elite arm
For the fourth straight season, No. 7 Tennessee and No. 10 Georgia are playing in the NCAA Tournament Super Regionals. Thursday night’s opener pits two SEC programs built around deep pitching staffs, matchup versatility, and postseason experience.
Tennessee coach Karen Weekly said Georgia’s balance makes the Bulldogs one of the toughest teams remaining in the NCAA Tournament.
“Everybody’s good,” Weekly said. “You get to super regionals because you have something in every facet of the game, and Georgia does. They hit really well, they defend really well, and they’ve got a really good pitching staff.”
Weekly pointed specifically to Georgia sophomore Addisen Fisher, whose “elite drop ball” and speed variation helped power the Bulldogs through the regional round.
Tennessee will counter with a versatile staff led by All-American Karlyn Pickens. However, Weekly said the modern game has changed how elite programs manage pitchers during postseason play.
“We’re using these guys now, in terms of preparing people to be a starter, a bridge, and a closer,” Weekly said.
Weekly said offensive growth across college softball has made matchup-based pitching more important than ever.
“Hitting gets better, and you watch how difficult it is to face a lineup for the third and fourth time,” Weekly said. “You’re constantly trying to find ways to match your pitchers with different parts of the lineup.”
Weekly added that staffs are now increasingly built around specialized strengths against certain hitters.
“You’re recruiting to find a pitcher who has a specialty that you know can go work well against left-handed pull hitters or right-handed middle-apo hitters,” Weekly said.
That evolution has turned Super Regionals into one of the sport’s toughest weekends.
“We’ve often said the toughest weekend is supers,” Weekly said. “It’s going to be neck and neck.”
The winner of the best-of-three series will advance to the Women’s College World Series in Oklahoma City.
