Tennessee

What to know about Tennessee, Karlyn Pickens vs Oklahoma in Women’s College World Series

Published

10 months ago

May 26, 2025

What to know about Tennessee, Karlyn Pickens vs Oklahoma in Women’s College World Series

Tennessee softball is heading back to Oklahoma City after beating Nebraska in the NCAA super regional.

The No. 7 seed Lady Vols (45-15) are making their ninth appearance in the Women’s College World Series, and their second in the last three years. Tennessee and star pitcher Karlyn Pickens will face No. 2 seed Oklahoma (50-7) to open the WCWS on May 29 (2:30 p.m. ET, ESPN).

Tennessee’s last trip to Oklahoma City was in 2023 when it made a run to the semifinals before being eliminated.

Buy tickets for Tennessee softball vs. Oklahoma in WCWS

Here’s what you need to know about the matchup with the Sooners.

Tennessee, Karlyn Pickens beat Oklahoma in road series

Tennessee started the road series at Oklahoma with a 5-2 win in extra innings thanks to catcher Sophia Nugent, who started her career as a Sooner. Nugent hit a two-run homer in the eighth inning, giving the Lady Vols a 4-2 lead before Laura Mealer scored on a wild pitch.

Tennessee then lost 4-1 in Game 2, only logging four hits – and Taylor Pannell had three of them and scored the lone run with a solo home run. But the Lady Vols won the rubber match 5-3, scoring all five runs in the fourth inning. Mealer hit a two-RBI double before Ella Dodge blasted a three-run homer to win the game.

Karlyn Pickens had 12 strikeouts, 10 hits allowed, three walks, one hit by pitch and four earned runs in 12⅔ innings over the series. Sage Mardjetko had four strikeouts, six hits allowed, eight walks and five earned runs in 5⅓ innings. Erin Nuwer pitched three innings with two strikeouts, one hit allowed, one walk and one hit by pitch.

Oklahoma softball offense has firepower

The Sooners once again have one of the strongest offenses in the country. They rank No. 2 in home runs per game (2.02) with 115 on the season. Oklahoma is No. 5 in scoring with an average of 7.75 runs per game and 442 total.

Ella Parker leads OU’s offense with a .416 batting average, and Kasidi Pickering is right behind her at .413. Four more batters are hitting above .300, and Gabbie Garcia leads the team with 20 home runs. Pickering has hit 18 homers, and six Sooners total have hit at least 11 this season.

They also don’t strike out often. The Sooners have only struck out 207 times, which is only 3.63 times per game.

Karlyn Pickens vs Sam Landry pitchers’ duel is brewing

Senior right-hander Sam Landry (23-4) became the Sooners’ ace after transferring from Louisiana. She leads the OU staff with a 1.92 ERA with 170 strikeouts in 167⅔ innings pitched.

Tennessee had eight hits against Landry in Game 1, but then it was held to four hits in the next two games.

Pickens (24-9), the back-to-back SEC Pitcher of the Year, leads Tennessee’s staff with a 1.00 ERA. She has thrown 280 strikeouts in 204 innings, and opponents have hit .168 against her. In two straight elimination games against Nebraska, Pickens threw 21 strikeouts in 14 innings with only seven hits allowed, two walks and two earned runs.

Karlyn Pickens throws fastest softball pitch ever recorded – again

Pickens already broke Monica Abbott’s record for fastest softball pitch ever recorded in March when she threw 78.2 mph against Arkansas. But she topped her own record in Game 3 against Nebraska.

In the first at-bat of the game, Pickens threw 79.4 mph. It was Nebraska pitcher Jordy Bahl’s first at-bat of the game, and she fouled off the record-breaking pitch.

Pickens had already hit 77 mph twice this season before breaking the record Abbott originally set the record during a National Pro Fastpitch game in 2012.

Tennessee softball vs Oklahoma: Series history

Tennessee is 7-8 all time against Oklahoma, which owns a 4-3 record vs the Lady Vols at neutral sites. After taking the road series in March, Tennessee is 4-3 against OU in Norman.

Before meeting for the first time in SEC play this season, the last time Tennessee faced the Sooners was in the opening game of the 2023 WCWS. Oklahoma beat the Lady Vols 9-0 in five innings.

Watch Tennessee softball vs. Oklahoma on Fubo (free trial)

What time does Tennessee softball vs Oklahoma start?

Date: Thursday, May 29
Time: 2:30 p.m. ET
Where: Devon Park in Oklahoma City

What TV channel is Tennessee softball vs Oklahoma on?

Cora Hall covers University of Tennessee women’s athletics. Email her at cora.hall@knoxnews.com and follow her on X @corahalll. If you enjoy Cora’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that allows you to access all of it.

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What channel is Vanderbilt baseball vs Tennessee on today? Time, TV schedule to watch game

Published

9 hours ago

March 27, 2026

Press Room

What channel is Vanderbilt baseball vs Tennessee on today? Time, TV schedule to watch game

Vanderbilt baseball is back home in SEC play against Tennessee, beginning on March 27 at Hawkins Field.

The Commodores (14-12, 2-4 SEC) were swept at Mississippi State last weekend to fall below .500 early in league play.

Tennessee (18-7, 3-3) lost the Friday opener to Missouri last weekend, then rebounded with two wins to take the series.

Here’s how you can watch Vanderbilt baseball vs Tennessee:

Vanderbilt baseball vs Tennessee on March 27 will be televised on SEC Network.

Game 1 start time: 7 p.m on March 27, ESPNU
Game 2 start time: 1 p.m. on March 28, SEC Network
Game 3 start time: 11 a.m on March 29, ESPN2

Feb. 13: vs. TCU in Arlington, Texas, L 5-4
Feb. 14: vs. Texas Tech in Arlington, Texas, W 13-3 (8 innings)
Feb. 15: vs. Oklahoma State in Arlington, Texas, L 11-1 (8 innings)
Feb. 17: Eastern Michigan, W 13-2 (7 innings)
Feb. 18: Eastern Michigan, W 16-2 (8 innings)
Feb. 20: Marist, W 16-5 (8 innings)
Feb. 21: Marist, W 12-1 (7 innings)
Feb. 22: Marist, W 8-1
Feb. 24: Evansville, W 15-3 (7 innings)
Feb. 27: vs. UC Irvine in Las Vegas, L 9-4
Feb. 28: vs. Arizona State in Las Vegas, L 5-1
March 1: vs. Oregon in Las Vegas, L 6-4
March 3: Central Arkansas, L 5-4
March 4: Troy, W 4-1
March 6: North Dakota State, W 14-2 (7 innings)
March 7: North Dakota State, W 10-0 (8 innings)
March 8: North Dakota State, L 5-2
March 10: Indiana State, W 14-6
March 13: LSU, W 13-12
March 14: LSU, W 11-3
March 15: LSU, L 16-9
March 17: Indiana, L 5-1
March 20: at Mississippi State, L 4-2
March 21: at Mississippi State, L 7-2
March 22: at Mississippi State, L 17-7 (7)
March 24: Tennessee Tech, W 15-5 (8)
March 27: Tennessee, 7 p.m on ESPNU
March 28: Tennessee, 1 p.m on SEC Network
March 29: Tennessee, 11 a.m on ESPN2
March 31: Belmont
April 2-4: at Texas A&M
April 7: EKU
April 9-11: Oklahoma
April 14: Lipscomb
April 17-19: Kentucky
April 21: Xavier
April 24-26: Texas
April 28: MTSU
April 30-May 2: at Alabama
May 5: Louisville
May 8-10: at Missouri
May 14-16: South Carolina

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Tennessee basketball legend Chris Lofton enjoying unexpected Vol Network role | Estes

Published

21 hours ago

March 26, 2026

Press Room

Tennessee basketball legend Chris Lofton enjoying unexpected Vol Network role | Estes

CHICAGO – As Tennessee basketball’s newest Sweet 16 team was on the court at the United Center, prepping for Iowa State, the best pure shooter in the building sat on the side in a hoodie.

Chris Lofton, as always, was looking for his shot.

“I’m ready to shoot now, you know?” he said with a laugh. “When they start stretching, I’ll get a shot up or two for sure. I tell Mike (Keith) all the time, ‘If we go to the gym and there’s a basketball, I have to shoot it.’ That’s just a rule. I’ve got to shoot at least once.”

Though his last professional basketball game was in 2019, Lofton still gets on the court occasionally, and when he does, he can still shoot it.

Tennessee star freshman Nate Ament can confirm. He’s seen it.

“Really good,” Ament said of Lofton. “Even now.”

He’s a radio guy now, though.

Lofton is finishing a season back in Knoxville as part of the newly built Vol Network crew for men’s basketball games. He has been working with new play-by-play man Mike Keith, the former voice of the Tennessee Titans, among those tasked with replacing longtime Vols duo of Bob Kesling and Bert Bertelkamp.

“Mike has been great,” Lofton said, “teaching me a lot. I’m learning so much. It’s been fun just to be back around Tennessee basketball as much as I’ve been this year. I’m VFL. I bleed orange. It doesn’t get any better than this.”

In a game of horse, I’d still take Lofton against anyone. Vols fans old enough to remember watching him play for Tennessee (2004-08), I’d imagine many of y’all would, too.

This guy is a myth, a Tennessee legend. Unforgettable because of magical moments during games as “the best bad-shot-maker I’ve ever coached,” said former Vols coach Bruce Pearl, and because of his inspirational personal story. The circumstances of Lofton’s final UT season, during which he played through a secret cancer diagnosis, comprised a recent ESPN documentary.

The old heads know. And I’ve got something to make those old heads feel a bit older:

Lofton is about to turn 40.

The last day of his 30s, in fact, was practice day at the United Center on the eve of 2026 Men’s NCAA Tournament regional games there. He’ll celebrate while working. Lofton’s 40^th birthday will be March 27, same day that Tennessee faces Iowa State in the Sweet 16.

“I’m telling you,” Lofton said, “it goes by fast.”

The opportunity “came out of nowhere,” said Lofton. He’d been through the NBA’s coaching program a couple of years ago, and he was close to landing a scouting job with the Boston Celtics last year.

Lofton hadn’t envisioned a detour through media until he got the call in October – and he recoiled initially. “I’ll get back to you,” Lofton told them at the time, all the while thinking, “Talking on the radio? That’s not me.”

But Lofton thought more about it, figuring “Why not? What else do I have to do?” Since then, Lofton has thrown himself into the role.

“Just like he was as a basketball player,” Keith said, “he wants to be good at it.”

This season’s Vol Network hoops team included Keith, Lofton, former UT player Steve Hamer and John Wilkerson, the play-by-play man for Vols baseball.

Since baseball season started for Wilkerson, Lofton has consistently been a part of Tennessee’s broadcasts despite jumping in short-notice to a new career path with no previous experience.

“What Chris has done has been amazing,” Keith said. “Nothing short of amazing, considering his background in (radio) – which was non-existent – his sort of knowledge of how it works and his interest in it before he was contacted in October. …

“If you listen to him from a broadcast in November or December to now, it’s a totally different guy.”

Keith added that “it’s going to be off the charts” for Lofton in Year 2, given how much he has improved.

All Lofton has decided for his post-playing future is that wants to stay in basketball. He hasn’t ruled out a career in coaching or scouting.

But he does love what he’s doing now, he said.

“I open to whatever, honestly,” Lofton said. “I love what I do now. I would love to be more involved on the court, for sure, but it might just be here (on radio).”

Reach Tennessean sports columnist Gentry Estes at gestes@tennessean.com and hang out with him on Bluesky @gentryestes.bsky.social

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Tennessee gas prices keep climbing. Is this the highest they’ve ever been?

Published

1 day ago

March 26, 2026

Press Room

Tennessee gas prices keep climbing. Is this the highest they’ve ever been?

Gas prices have risen by over $1 nationally following a conflict with Iran.
Tennessee’s highest recorded average gas price was $4.64 per gallon on June 12, 2022.
Recent gas prices in Tennessee have increased to $3.65 for regular as of March 24.

Gas prices remain a significant issue as the conflict with Iran persists, prompting the United States government and individual states to take action against the rising costs.

On Feb. 28, President Donald Trump ordered strikes on Iran, which the country then responded to by closing the Strait of Hormuz. This blocked about a fifth of the world’s oil from moving to global markets, including the United States.

Since the war began last month and the Strait was closed, gas prices across the country have risen by over $1, and in Tennessee, they have increased by $1.10. While these prices may seem exorbitant, it was only a few years ago that the entire nation saw its highest recorded gas prices.

Here’s the record for the highest gasoline price in Tennessee.

What is the highest price for gas in Tennessee?

According to the AAA gas price tracker, the highest recorded price for a gallon of regular gas was on June 12, 2022, at $4.64. Diesel hit its record high three days later at $5.64.

This is the recorded high for the state average; however, localities have different records, all established around the same time.

Here are the highest recorded prices for gas in Tennessee’s major cities:

Chattanooga: $4.60 on June 10, 2022, for regular; $5.52 on June 14, 2022, for diesel.
Clarksville: $4.71 on June 9, 2022, for regular; $5.71 on June 15, 2022, for diesel.
Jackson: $4.69 on June 16, 2022, for regular; $5.70 on June 21, 2022, for diesel.
Johnson City: $4.62 on June 10, 2022, for regular; $5.70 on June 11, 2022, for diesel.
Kingsport: $4.60 on June 12, 2022, for regular; $5.66 on June 12, 2022, for diesel.
Knoxville: $4.65 on Sept. 15, 2008, for regular; $5.66 on June 10, 2022, for diesel.
Memphis: $4.65 on June 14, 2022, for regular; $5.60 on June 18, 2022, for diesel.
Morristown: $4.63 on June 13, 2022, for regular; $5.67 on June 20, 2022, for diesel.
Nashville: $4.68 on June 10, 2022, for regular; $5.68 on June 15, 2022, for diesel.

How high are gas prices in Tennessee now?

Here are the recently tracked dates for the prices of a gallon of gasoline in Tennessee:

March 11: $3.20 for regular, $4.78 for diesel
March 19: $3.59 for regular, $5 for diesel
March 24: $3.65 for regular, $5.27 for diesel

A month ago, a few days before the United States and Israel initiated the war with Iran, regular gas was $2.55, and diesel was $3.40.

DeKalb County has the highest regular gasoline price at $3.86 on March 25. Hancock County has the lowest price at $3.50.

Of the state’s major metropolitan areas, Knoxville has the cheapest regular gas at $3.60. Chattanooga and Memphis follow at $3.62 and $3.64, respectively. Nashville has the highest price at $3.69.

What is the gas tax in Tennessee?

In the United States, there are two taxes added to gasoline when you go to fill up your vehicle. The first tax is the national tax, and the second is the state tax.

In the United States, the federal government collects a flat rate of 18.4 cents per gallon from residents in every state. This tax is included in the price seen at the pump.

According to the Tennessee Department of Transportation, the gasoline tax in Tennessee is 26 cents, effective July 1, 2019. For diesel fuel, the tax is 27 cents.

Tennessee House Democrats are urging a statewide gas and diesel tax holiday to lower pump prices. In a March 24 press release, State Representatives Bo Mitchell and John Ray Clemmons asked Governor Bill Lee and their Republican colleagues to set aside funding in the FY26-27 Budget Amendment currently being discussed for prompt tax relief for families.