Tennessee Softball Extends Head Coach Karen Weekly’s Contract Through 2030

Tennessee Vice Chancellor/Director of Athletics Danny White announced Friday that softball head coach Karen Weekly has signed a contract extension through the 2030 season.

"I am a Lady Vol for life!"

we're keeping Karen in Knoxville 🐐

📰 https://t.co/dmE0iZ7rHK pic.twitter.com/HP8DFXSb5O
— Tennessee Softball (@Vol_Softball) September 12, 2025

Weekly will enter her 25th season leading the Vols in 2026. In her 30-year collegiate head coaching career, she has collected 1,355 victories and currently ranks third among active head coaches in wins and ninth all-time in DI history.

"Karen has established a championship program in every area, and we are thrilled to have her coaching for the long term on Rocky Top," White said in the press release. "Competitive excellence is one of the core values of our athletics department, and Karen truly embodies this principle. We look forward to continuing our pursuit of titles under her dynamic leadership."

This extension comes for Weekly as she has guided Tennessee to 20 consecutive NCAA Regionals, 14 Super Regional appearances, and nine trips to the Women’s College World Series (WCWS). Under her direction, the Vols have placed in the top three seven times, including two national runner-up finishes.

Weekly’s Coaching Resume

Nine trips to the Women's College World Series
Nine-time NCAA Super Regional Champion
14-time NCAA Regional Champion
Four-time SEC Coach of the Year
Coached 86 NFCA All-Region selections
Coached 45 NFCA All-America selections
Coached first SEC team to reach the WCWS Championship Series (2007)
A 2018 NFCA Hall of Fame inductee, she has recorded the most victories in Tennessee Athletics history with a 1,132-357-2 (.760) mark.
Guided the Vols to six SEC titles, including back-to-back regular season titles in 2023 and 2024.

"Ralph and I came to Tennessee because they invested in and valued women's athletics more than anyone in the country," Weekly said in the press release. "Entering my 25th season, the commitment to women is better than ever. We are truly the Everything School. I am privileged to coach at a university where every program and athlete matters. I cannot adequately express my gratitude for the leadership provided by Vice Chancellor/Director of Athletics Danny White, Chancellor Donde Plowman, and President Randy Boyd. I am a Lady Vol for life!"

Weekly is credited with leading and developing some of softball’s greatest athletes. NCAA career strikeout leader Monica Abbott, Honda Award winners Abbott and Madison Shipman, and current ace, Karlyn Pickens, who earned SEC Freshman of the Year and back-to-back SEC Pitcher of the Year honors.

A woman in an orange and white softball jersey pitches a softball. — Tennessee's Karlyn Pickens (23) throws a pitch in the first inning of the Women's College World Series softball game between the Florida Gators and the Tennessee Volunteers at Devon Park in Oklahoma City, Friday, May, 30, 2025. | SARAH PHIPPS/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Twenty Vols under Weekly’s guidance have gone on to play professionally.

The Vols came off another incredible postseason run in 2025, fighting to the WCWS semifinals, but ultimately falling to Texas in a 2-0 heartbreaker.

Now, with Weekly dedicated to ending her career with the Vols, she and her staff will have plenty of opportunities to continue fighting to grab the program’s first-ever national title.