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Knoxville Regional: Schedule & Updates

Get the latest schedule, matchups, and live updates from the Knoxville NCAA Softball Regional.
Maren Angus-Coombs, Nicole Reitz|
Tennessee was named the seventh overall seed for the 2026 NCAA Softball Tournament.
Tennessee was named the seventh overall seed for the 2026 NCAA Softball Tournament. | Saul Young/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Tennessee Lady Vols will host a Regional for the 21st consecutive season as this year's No. 7 overall seed.

UT is set to welcome Virginia, Indiana and Northern Kentucky to Sherri Parker Lee Stadium for the first weekend of the 2026 NCAA Softball Tournament.

Friday, May 15

Game 1: Northern Kentucky 1, Tennessee 3

Tennessee's Erin Nuwer pitched a complete-game one-hitter. She allowed one unearned run, one walk, and struck out seven.

Emma Clarke and Elsa Morrison both homered for the Lady Vols . Sophia Knight and and Morrison both finished with two hits.

Alicia Flores got the loss for NKU, allowing three earned runs on eight hits, three walks and a strikeout.

Game 2: Indiana 7, Virginia 8 (8 inn.)

Reagan Hickey walked Virginia off with a single in the bottom of the eighth, scoring Jade Hylton.

Hylton led the Cavaliers with a 2-for-3 night that included two home runs, three runs scored and five RBIs. Madison Greene also homered for the Hoos.

Indiana's Ellie Goins had quite the performance, hitting two homers and collected four RBIs. She also scored twice and had an outfield assist, throwing out a runner at home to force extras.

Saturday, May 16

Game 3: Tennessee 7, Virginia 5

Offense has been a bit of a struggle for Tennessee lately, but big responses to Virginia’s bats made all the difference in this win. 

RBIs from Taelyn Holley, Mackenzie Butt, and Elsa Morrison started the momentum in a lengthy first inning, but Virginia caught up quickly when Macee Eaton ripped a three-run homer off of Sage Mardjetko. Emma Clarke came through immediately with an insurance homer to left field to extend the Lady Vols’ lead, her second of the weekend. 

Karlyn Pickens entered the circle after Mardjetko went four innings with six strikeouts. Pickens gave up a two-run home run to Alex Call, which put the game within one run. The Lady Vol offense quickly answered once again when it meant the most, as Butt drove in a homer for some cushion. 

Pickens was charged with the save and ended the outing with three strikeouts.

Game 4: Indiana 8, Northern Kentucky 0

A walk-off run-rule victory in the fifth inning from Aly Vanbrandt kept the Hoosiers’ season alive. 

Incredible offense was the highlight for Indiana, as Josie Bird got things rolling immediately in the first inning with a two-run homer to left center. 

A massive four-run third inning with RBIs from Madalyn Stader, Brooke Mannon, and Cassidy Kettleman extended the lead, followed by an RBI double from Ellie Goins in the fourth. 

On the mound, Makaree Chapman and Alicia Flores combined for the complete-game shutout. 

Game 5: Virginia 9, Indiana 7

In a repeat of Friday night’s game, it was a back and forth run affair between the Hoosiers and the Cavaliers. 

After swapping three runs each in the first inning, a grand slam from Alex Call that broke the tie and took the lead for Virginia. 

The Hoosiers responded when Hannah Haberstroh doubled to right field to drive in two runs. Avery Parker reached on a fielding error, allowing Cassidy Kettleman to tie up the game once again. 

Madison Greene’s two-run home run to left field reclaimed the lead for the Cavaliers and Taylor Smith held off Indiana’s bats in the seventh to push Virginia on to the Regional final.  

Sunday, May 17

Game 6: Tennessee 5, Virginia 1

A complete game outing from ace Karlyn Pickens and incredible offense from the Lady Vols granted the team another Regional title for the fourth year in a row.

Sophia Knight’s RBI in the first inning got the Lady Vols rolling. Virginia responded with a double off Pickens to even the score, but Taelyn Holley reached on a fielding error, allowing Ella Dodge to take the lead. 

With two outs in the fifth, Mackenzie Butt took advantage of runners on and singled up the middle for an insurance RBI. 

To add more damage, Holley sent a solo homer over the center field wall in the sixth inning, and Alannah Leach added an RBI double. 

Pickens finished the outing with nine strikeouts.

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Maren Angus-Coombs
MAREN ANGUS-COOMBS

Maren Angus-Coombs was born in Los Angeles and raised in Nashville, Tenn. She is a graduate of Middle Tennessee State University and has been a sports writer since 2008. She has been covering college softball since 2016 for various outlets including Softball America, ESPNW and Hurrdat Sports. She is currently the managing editor of Softball On SI and also serves as an analyst for Nebraska softball games on Nebraska Public Media and B1G+.

Nicole Reitz
NICOLE REITZ

Nicole Reitz graduated from Indiana University Indianapolis with a degree in sports journalism in 2022 and has been writing about softball and baseball since 2018 .Her work has been published in various publications like Softball America, the Indianapolis Star, and SoxOn35th.

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