Texas Softball Loses Another Coach as Tennessee Adds Veteran Staff Member
The defending back-to-back national champion Texas Longhorns are down another coach as associate head coach Ehren Earleywine has accepted the same position at Tennessee.
Tennessee head coach Karen Weekly announced Earleywine's hiring on Tuesday afternoon.
"I am thrilled to welcome Ehren Earlywine to the Tennessee Lady Vol softball family," Weekly said. "Ehren is a proven winner and one of the most brilliant minds in college softball. His resume speaks for itself. In both head and assistant coach roles, Ehren has achieved tremendous success everywhere he has been. He understands how to create relationships with student-athletes that allow them to become the best versions of themselves. I have known Ehren for over 25 years and am beyond excited to work together to bring championships to Rocky Top."
knocked it out of the park
— Tennessee Softball (@Vol_Softball) June 9, 2026
meet our new associate head coach, Ehren Earleywine!
📰 https://t.co/7wQoxM7lhK pic.twitter.com/3DtSm6Z3mx
Earleywine joins the Lady Vols after one season with the Longhorns.
"I am incredibly excited to join the Tennessee softball program," Earleywine said. "This is a place defined by a rich tradition of winning, passionate people, and a vision that aligns perfectly with where I want to be both personally and professionally for the long term. I want to specifically thank Karen Weekly and the University of Tennessee administration for the opportunity to be part of something so special. I'm honored by their trust and look forward to helping build on the championship standard that makes Tennessee softball one of the premier programs in the country.
"I'm leaving Texas with nothing but gratitude. It's been one of the most rewarding chapters of my life, and I'll always be proud to have been a Longhorn. My sincere thanks to Coach Mike White and the administration for their belief, support, and professionalism from day one. The program is in great hands and will continue to win championships for many years to come."
Before spending 2026 with Texas, Earleywine was an assistant coach at Ole Miss, helping the Rebels to their first Women's College World Series. The 2025 season was magical in Oxford as the team shattered multiple single-season offensive records in runs, hits, doubles, home runs, RBIs and total bases. He was also part of the coaching staff that earned NFCA South Region Staff of the Year honors.
A three-time conference coach of the year, Earleywine brings more than two decades of coaching experience to East Tennessee, including 14 seasons as a head coach and over 600 career victories.
Before Ole Miss, Earleywine was the head coach at Missouri for 11 seasons (2007-18). He led the Tigers to three WCWS appearances, eight Super Regionals and three 50-win seasons. Prior to Mizzou, he spent five seasons at Georgia Tech, with three as a head coach. The Jackets reached the NCAA Tournament in all five seasons under his leadership, winning the ACC regular-season and tournament titles in 2005.
Earleywine is expected to take over as the hitting coach on Rocky Top after Weekly parted ways with Craig Snider and Stephanie Sanders.
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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+.