KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee softball was announced as the No. 7 national seed in the 2026 NCAA Softball Tournament Sunday night when the bracket was revealed on ESPN2. The Lady Vols will play host to the NCAA Knoxville Regional for the 21st consecutive season.
UT is set to welcome Virginia, Indiana and Northern Kentucky to Sherri Parker Lee Stadium for the NCAA Knoxville Regional this weekend from Friday, May 15, to Sunday, May 17. The four-team event will be double-elimination, with the winner moving on to the NCAA Super Regional round.
Tennessee will play Horizon League champion Northern Kentucky on Friday at 5:30 p.m. ET on SEC Network. Virginia will take on Indiana on Friday at 8:00 p.m. on ESPN2.
The Lady Vols will make their 23rd overall and 22nd consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance this weekend. Tennessee has advanced to the postseason every year since 2004 and has hosted 21 straight regional rounds in Knoxville.
UT is one of just two teams to host regionals every season since the NCAA switched to a regional and super-regional format in 2005.
Tennessee enters the national tournament having won 40 or more games for the 23rd time under head coach Karen Weekly. The Lady Vols enter the weekend 42-10 and finished tied for fourth in the SEC.
Friday’s two winners will play in Game 3 on Saturday at 3 p.m. The losers from Friday’s games will play in Game 4 at 5:30 p.m., and the loser from Game 3 will face the winner from Game 4 at 8 p.m. to conclude play on Saturday.
Times for Game 6 and the if necessary Game 7 on Sunday are slated for 2 p.m. and 4:30 p.m.
The 16 winning teams from their respective regional sites will advance the Super Regional round, which will take place from May 21-24, depending on the host site. All Super Regional sites will feature broadcasts on the ESPN family of networks.
PARKING
Fans please be advised; it is graduation weekend at the University of Tennessee and traffic will be heavy around Neyland Drive and UT’s campus.
As improvements are underway to Sherri Parker Lee Stadium (SPL) and surrounding areas this season, fans will notice that parking near SPL is extremely limited this year. We thank you in advance for your patience and cooperation as upgrades are being made to enhance the gameday experience and ensure our program continues to compete at the highest level nationally. Please note that these are challenges only for the 2026 season, and we look forward to delivering an enhanced gameday experience for Lady Vol Nation in 2027 and beyond!
Parking is available for FREE on Stephenson Drive on a first-come, first-serve basis for all games this season in Lot CR25 to the south of Regal Soccer Stadium and along Stephenson Drive, parallel to the train tracks. (see parking map).
When parking has been filled to capacity on Stephenson Drive, fans will be directed to park for FREE at the Ag Campus in Lot CC1. If Lot CC1 reaches capacity, overflow parking will be available in the G7 Garage near the Allan Jones Aquatics Center.
Regardless of whether fans park at Lot CC1 or G7 Garage, a FREE shuttle will pick up fans pregame and drop them off postgame on the corner of Joe Johnson Dr & River Dr, adjacent to Lot CC1. The shuttle will drop off fans in front of Joan Cronan Volleyball Center on Stephenson Drive pregame, and will pick up fans at the same location postgame.
ADA shuttles will also be available from the Ag Campus, picking up fans pregame and dropping them off postgame at the corner of Joe Johnson Dr & River Dr. The shuttle will drop off fans pregame and pick them up postgame at the main entrance of Sherri Parker Lee Stadium.
All shuttles will begin running 2 hours prior to first pitch and will stop running once the stadium has been cleared by Event Staff following the conclusion of the game (approximately 45-60 minutes after the game).
WEEKEND SCHEDULE
Friday, May 15
SPL gates open at 4:30 p.m.
5:30 p.m. – Game 1 (Northern Kentucky vs. Tennessee)
8:00 p.m. – Game 2 (Indiana vs. Virginia)
Saturday, May 16
SPL gates open at 2:00 p.m.
3:00 p.m. – Game 3
5:30 p.m. – Game 4
8:00 p.m. – Game 5
Sunday, May 17
SPL gates open at 1:00 p.m.
2:00 p.m. – Game 6
4:30 p.m. – Game 7 (if necessary)
