Tennessee softball coach denies talking trash to ex-Vol: ‘Outright lie’
By David Wasson
Published:
Tennessee softball coach Karen Weekly flatly denied former Vols third baseman Taylor Pannell’s assertion that Weekly talked trash in the UT-Texas Tech postgame handshake line Saturday night at the Women’s College World Series – saying Pannell’s statement was an “outright lie”.
“We were walking through the [handshake] line, and she said that I made a mistake instead of saying, ‘Good game,’ which is kind of crazy,” Pannell said to reporters after Tennessee downed Texas Tech 2-1 in 11 innings. “Like, celebrate with your team. I just think it’s funny she’s still thinking about it. It’s old news. Whatever.”
When informed of Pannell’s quote, Weekly forcefully denied the accusation via Knox News.
“If you rewatch the tape of the handshake line, you’re going to see me go just as fast by her as anybody else,” Weekly said. “I didn’t even know where she was in the handshake line … That’s an outright lie. I said, ‘Good game,’ like I said to every other player.”
Pannell earned first-team All-SEC honors at Tennessee in 2025 before transferring to Texas Tech, where she was named a second-team All-Big 12 selection this season. She sent the game to extra innings after scoring on a sacrifice fly in the top of the seventh — as replay reversed an out call at home plate by showing Tennessee catcher Elsa Morrison missed the tag.
Emma Clarke won the game for the Volunteers with a home run in the bottom of the ninth inning to keep Tennessee (49-10) in the winner’s bracket. Texas Tech (58-8) will play UCLA in an elimination game Sunday.
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An APSE national award-winning writer and editor, David Wasson has almost four decades of experience in the print journalism business in Florida and Alabama. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and several national magazines and websites. His Twitter handle: @JustDWasson.
