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How Karen Weekly’s bold infield change sent Tennessee softball back to WCWS

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How Karen Weekly’s bold infield change sent Tennessee softball back to WCWS


Karen Weekly isn’t afraid to take a gamble with Tennessee softball lineups in the postseason.

Last year, Weekly put three new hitters at the top of the lineup for Game 2 of the NCAA super regionals against Nebraska, which was an elimination game. The shakeup was exactly what the batting lineup needed, and Tennessee won two straight games to go to the Women’s College World Series.

But this year, Weekly made a much more significant change. She shifted the entire infield except shortstop Bella Faw going into NCAA regionals.

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Weekly pulled third baseman Maddi Rutan from the lineup to get Makenzie Butt’s bat in the order and played Butt at first base, which is her natural position. That shifted Emma Clarke from first to second and Ella Dodge from second to third.

The risk paid off. The Lady Vols’ defense was as clean as it has been all season, and Butt was impactful in the lineup, especially in the 7-5 win over Virginia. Tennessee swept regionals and super regionals to advance to its third Women’s College World Series in the last four seasons.

The No. 7 seed Lady Vols (47-10) will open the WCWS against the winner of No. 2 seed Texas and Arizona State on May 28, with game time and TV designation to be announced later.

Weekly said a phrase her husband, Ralph, used to say bounced around in her mind: “There’s three kinds of people in the world – those who make things happen, those who watch things happen and those who wonder what the hell happened.”

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She intended to be someone who makes things happen.

“I think you have to just go with it, and I just trust my gut on things. It’s not a 100%, but the percentage is pretty high,” Weekly said on May 19 going into super regionals. “I’ll tell you when things don’t go well, is when I don’t trust my gut. And I just had a gut feeling that this was what we need to do.”

Why Ella Dodge has thrived at third

Dodge’s position change is perhaps the most impressive of all. She started at second base last season as a redshirt freshman and started there every game this season. The shift from second to third base is drastic in terms of skillset and distance from the plate.

But Dodge has thrived. She attacked hits down the third baseline and showed incredible arm strength during regionals and super regionals. Weekly said she always moves Dodge around in practice because she’s a true utility player who could fill in for an injury at any position.

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“Ella does really well when the ball is on her a bit quicker,” Weekly said. “I thought Ella’s technique was actually stronger than I’ve seen it all year at third base, just picking short hops off the ground and making plays in the timing that you want based on how the ball is hit to her.”

During Game 1 against Georgia, Dodge ran down the third baseline towards a chopper from UGA leadoff hitter Keirstin Roose.

Dodge scooped the ball in stride and made the throw to first while still running. She barely beat Roose, who she also had to throw around, because Dodge was nearly to home plate when she made the throw.

“Boy, that little chopper on the line that she came through and scooped up and threw on the run, that was an absolute gem,” Weekly said. “Most people don’t make that play.”

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How Emma Clarke’s versatility paid off

Weekly has long praised Clarke’s ability to play any position – she has even taken reps at catcher in practice.

Clarke plays a lot of middle infield during the fall, Weekly said, because Faw has been hurt a lot during the offseason. Clarke hadn’t even played much first base until the season rolled around this year.

“Both Emma and Ella have expressed that they feel really, really comfortable, maybe even more comfortable at the positions they’re at right now,” Weekly said. “Emma likes that she kind of just roam and go get balls and not have to worry about the first-base coverage.”

None of it would have worked without the buy-in from the players and the extra reps they committed to in practice. Weekly said she couldn’t even count how many extra ground balls the infielders have taken since getting back from the SEC Tournament.

The buy-in and extra work quickly turned into a level of confidence that has fueled Tennessee’s defense.

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“They play with so much energy. That’s the cool thing watching that infield out there,” Weekly said. “There’s so much eye contact, there’s so much great body language, there’s so much leaning on each other that I think they feel like they can make every play, and that’s what you want them to feel like.”

Cora Hall is the University of Tennessee women’s athletics reporter for Knox News. Email: cora.hall@knoxnews.com; X: @corahalll; Bluesky: @corahall.bsky.social. Support strong local journalism and unlock premium perks: subscribe.knoxnews.com/offers



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Tennessee Football Hosted SEC Cornerback Commit on Official Visit This Weekend | Rocky Top Insider

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Tennessee Football Hosted SEC Cornerback Commit on Official Visit This Weekend | Rocky Top Insider


(Photo via Ryan Sylvia | RTI)

Tennessee football is continuing to make pushes for top targets on its board despite prospects’ commitment status. On Saturday, the Vols flipped Alabama commit Kenneth Simon II to join the 2027 class. On Sunday, Dayon Cooper decommitted from Florida State after his official visit to see the Vols.

UT has its eyes set on another currently committed target, as well. Mississippi State commit Brandon Allen Jr. just completed his official visit to Knoxville this past weekend, according to his Instagram story.

Allen ranks as a three-star recruit, according to 247 Composite. He is the No. 627 recruit in the nation, No. 65 cornerback and No. 76 player from the state of Georgia. He plays for Westlake High School in Atlanta. That’s the same school that current UT receiver Travis Smith Jr. played for.

More From RTI: Five-Star Recruiting Target Took Official Visit to Tennessee Football This Weeekend

Tennessee isn’t the only team trying to flip Allen, though. According to 247, along with the Vols and Mississippi State, Allen is also taking official visits to South Carolina, Virginia Tech, Vanderbilt and Georgia Tech. Ironically, UT will face all of those teams, except the Hokies and MSU, next season on its 2026 schedule, with each being played on the road.

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Tennessee is a bit late to join the recruitment of Allen, but it could make a big enough impact to reel him in. UT offered him on May 7 of this year. This came from new cornerbacks coach, Derek Jones, who was hired to join the staff of newly hired Vols defensive coordinator Jim Knowles this offseason.

Tennessee currently holds 15 commitments in the 2027 class and sits outside the top 25 nationally in both 247 and Rivals rankings. However, with official visits continuing to be held, the Vols are putting themself in a position to bolster the group and climb the rankings.



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Indiana man found after going missing in Nashville

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Indiana man found after going missing in Nashville


NASHVILLE, Tenn. — An Indiana man who traveled to Tennessee for the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival has been found after he was reported missing for over 48 hours.

The Metropolitan Nashville Police Department previously issued a statement asking for the public’s assistance in locating 28-year-old Trevor Lines.

28-year-old Trvor Lines, provided by MNPD

Lines reportedly left a short-term rental on Douglas Avenue, where he was staying with friends early Thursday and never returned.

Lines’ friends told law enforcement that they left around 5 a.m. to search for someone’s phone, when they returned within an hour, Lines and his vehicle were gone. His phone and medication were left inside the residence.

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His 2016 Lexus with a Purdue University plate was picked up by license plate readers east of Nashville in Mt. Juliet around 7:30 a.m. on Friday and later at 4:30 p.m. in Goodlettsville, which is north of Nashville. Although Nashville does not use LPRs.

Lines had reportedly been visiting Tennessee for the Bonnaroo festival in Coffee County. Nashville police have alerted the Tennessee Highway Patrol and Coffee County authorities to be on the lookout for Lines.

Lines’ older brother, Kyle Smith, told FOX59/CBS4’s sister station, WKRN, he’s worried. Lines is reportedly from the northern part of Indiana, so he’s unfamiliar with Middle Tennessee.

“We’re hoping that maybe he ended up in a local hospital somewhere… The doubts are definitely creeping in, and it feels more and more likely that something bad has happened,” Smith said.

However, shortly before 8:15 p.m. on Saturday, the MNPD announced Lines was discovered in his car outside the Goodlettsville Skate Center, adding that he’s being reunited with his family.

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No additional details have been made available at this time regarding the circumstances surrounding Lines’ disappearance or his discovery.



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Tennessee Football Lands Four-Star Offensive Line Commitment Q’Mari Hudson | Rocky Top Insider

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Tennessee Football Lands Four-Star Offensive Line Commitment Q’Mari Hudson | Rocky Top Insider


Q'Mari Hudson Qmari
Tennessee OT commit Q’Mari Hudson. Photo via @qdarula on IG.

Tennessee Football continued its big recruiting day on Saturday with a commitment from four-star offensive tackle Q’Mari “Big Q” Hudson. The class of 2027 prospect is Tennessee’s second commitment of the day after flipping legacy linebacker Kenneth Simon II away from Alabama in the morning.

Tennessee beat out Virginia and Virginia Tech, Hudson’s two in-state programs, for the commitment over the weekend. Hudson was in Knoxville for an official visit last weekend and all seemingly went well enough for him to bump his commitment date up from July and make his pledge to the Vols.

Following his trip to Knoxville, Hudson landed a prediction from Rivals insider Chad Simmons. The four-star prospect also made one of his visit pictures his profile picture on Instagram, leading to speculation that today’s announcement would favor the Vols.

Rivals‘ Rankings have Hudson tabbed as the No. 281 prospect in the class, the No. 22 offensive tackle in the cycle, and the No. 7 player from the state of Virginia. He currently plays for Western Branch High School in Chesapeake, VA.

More From RTI: Tennessee Football QB Commit Named a Top Performer at Elite 7-on-7 Tournament

The 6-foot-5, 300-pound prospect is a beast in the trenches. While he is being recruited as an offensive lineman at Tennessee, Hudson has played on both sides of the line at Western Branch. His highlight tape shows off the versatile athleticism and power to be a force on both sides of the ball at his current level.

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Hudson is now Tennessee’s 15th commitment in the cycle after landing Simon earlier in the day. He’s Tennessee’s second offensive lineman in the class after landing four-star offensive tackle Princeton Uwaifo as an early building block for the class last November.

Tennessee began the day ranked No. 33 in Rivals’ team rankings. After two four-star commitments, though, the Vols have bounced up to No. 27 on the list.

The Vols’ class consists of four-star WR Kesean Bowman, four-star linebacker Kenneth Simon II, four-star offensive tackle Q’Mari Hudson, four-star OT Princeton Uwaifo, four-star TE Malik Howard, four-star DL Kadin Fife, three-star CB Dylan Haley, three-star S Jaden Butler, three-star LB J.P. Peace, three-star CB Slim Leavell, three-star QB Derrick Baker, three-star CB Carter Jamison, three-star LS Sam McKeown, JUCO defensive lineman Christian Mays, and kicker Ford Fehling.

Here’s a look at some of Big Q’s highlights in the trenches:

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