A new book, Dolly Parton, Songteller: My Life in Lyrics, will explore the country icon’s vast musical catalog. Written with Robert K. Oermann, the new book will be released on November 17 via Chronicle Books.
In the upcoming book, Dolly will share personal stories behind the lyrics of 175 of her songs, as well as never-before-seen photographs and memorabilia.
“A songteller is what I am, and this is my first-ever book of lyrics,” says Dolly. “So, I’ve revisited my memories and opened up my archives to share the stories and treasures behind them in a way I never have before. It’s going to be a beautiful book!”
Over the course of her career, Dolly has earned nine Grammy Awards, 10 Country Music Association Awards, five Academy of Country Music Awards, three American Music Awards, two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, the BMI Icon Award, the Library of Congress Living Legend Award, the National Medal of Arts Award, induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame and more.
Lee Brice shared a new recording of his favorite holiday tune, “Go Tell It On the Mountain,” on Nov. 13. The spiritual song, which celebrates the birth of Jesus, is a popular hymn during Christmastime church services.
“I have been wanting to do my own version of one of my favorite Christmas songs,” says Lee. “So excited to have been able to do it over this time at home! Hope folks love it as much as I do.”
Lee will released his sixth studio album, Hey World, on Nov. 20.
Listen to Lee’s “Go Tell It On the Mountain” below.
Shenandoah released a new collaborative album, Every Road, on Nov. 13.
The 10-song collection of brand-new tunes features an A-list cast of collaborators, including Blake Shelton, Luke Bryan, Ashley McBryde, Dierks Bentley, Lady A, Zac Brown Band, Carly Pearce, Cody Johnson and Brad Paisley.
Shenandoah topped the charts in the late ’80s and early ’90s with a string of hits, including “The Church on Cumberland Road,” “Sunday in the South,” “Two Dozen Roses” and more.
Listen to Shenandoah team with Lady A on the new song “Every Time I Look at You,” which was penned by Dallas Davidson and Lady A’s Charles Kelley, Hillary Scott and Dave Haywood.
Every Road Track List & Songwriters
“I’d Take Another One Of Those” with Zac Brown Band (Brett Beavers, Stephen Robson, Brett James)
“Make It Til Summertime” with Luke Bryan (Dallas Davidson, Marty Raybon, Mike McGuire)
“If Only” with Ashley McBryde (Lori McKenna, Phil Barton, Jaron Boyer)
“Every Road” with Dierks Bentley (Brett Beavers, Jamie Moore, Kevin Griffin)
“Then A Girl Walks In” with Blake Shelton (Adam Sanders, Lance Miller, Brad Warren, Brett Warren)
“High Class Hillbillies” with Cody Johnson (Marty Raybon, Mike McGuire, Wade Kirby, Jim Collins)
“Every Time I Look At You” with Lady A (Dallas Davidson, Charles Kelley, Hillary Scott, Dave Haywood)
“Life Would Be Perfect” with Brad Paisley (Wade Kirby, Phil O’Donnell, Bill Luther)
“I’ll Be Your Everything” with Carly Pearce (Marty Raybon, Barry Hutchens, Mark Narmore)
Tim McGraw will release a new compilation album, McGraw Machine Hits: 2013-2019, on Nov. 20.
The 14-song collection features past tunes “How I’ll Always Be,” “Humble and Kind,” “Truck Yeah” and more, as well as a brand-new version of “Redneck Girl” featuring Midland.
“Every now and then you want to go back and hear a collection of songs exactly like you remember them,” says Tim. “Even to go re-record doesn’t feel right because there’s something magical about what happened there when it happened.”
McGraw Machine Hits: 2013-2019 Track List
1. “How I’ll Always Be” | Chris Janson, Jamie Paulin, Jeremy Stover
2. “Humble And Kind” | Lori McKennaå
3. “Top of the World” | Jon Nite, Josh Osborne, Jimmy Robbins
4. “Diamond Rings and Old Barstools” with Catherine Dunn | Barry Dean, Luke Laird, Jonathan Singleton
5. “Shotgun Rider” | Marv Green, Hillary Lindsey, Troy Verges
6. “Nashville Without You” | Kyle Jacobs, Joe Leathers, Ruston Kelly
7. “Meanwhile Back At Mama’s” featuring Faith Hill | Tom Douglas, Jaren Johnston, Jeffrey Steele
8. “Southern Girl” | Rodney Clawson, Jaren Johnston, Lee Thomas Miller
9. “Highway Don’t Care” featuring Taylor Swift and Keith Urban | Mark Irwin, Josh Kear, Brad Warren, Brett Warren
10. “One of Those Nights” | Rodney Clawson, Luke Laird, Chris Tompkins
11. “Truck Yeah” | Preston Brust, Chris Janson, Chris Lucas, Danny Myrick*
*Digital only version.
Bonus Tracks:
12. “Drive” | Ric Ocasek
13. “May We All” (Florida Georgia Line featuring Tim McGraw) | Rodney Clawson, Jamie Moore
14. “Redneck Girl” featuring Midland | David Bellamy
Listen to Tim’s “Redneck Girl” featuring Midland below.
After months and months of setbacks, Garth Brooks will finally release his new album, Fun, on Nov. 20. Garth revealed the name of the new album more than 20 months ago in January 2019, but its release has been delayed due to the ongoing pandemic.
Now, we are just one week away from the album’s release, and Garth is hoping the new project is both celebratory and healing for fans who have experienced a rough year.
“The whole reason why Fun hasn’t been released was hesitation of having fun or celebrating Fun’s release in the midst of a pandemic when people are struggling,” says Garth. “But now the pandemic has gone on so long, [the question became] could we just have a little fun? Toward the end of the year, can we just celebrate a little bit of the healing through music? And when an artist gets a chance to be part of the healing through his or her or their music, that’s the greatest honor of getting to . . . to be a musician or an entertainer or an artist.”
Garth has already shared a number of songs from Fun, including “That’s What Cowboys Do,” “The Road I’m On,” “Courage of Love,” “Party Gras,” “All Day Long,” “Stronger Than Me” and “Dive Bar” with Blake Shelton. The 14-track album also features a cover of “Shallow” with Trisha Yearwood, which Garth recently released to country radio as a single.
Fun Track List
1. “The Road I’m On”
2. “That’s What Cowboys Do”
3. “All Day Long”
4. “Shallow” with Trisha Yearwood
5. “Dive Bar” with Blake Shelton
6. “Amen”
7. “The Courage of Love”
8. “I Can Be Me With You”
9. “Message in a Bottle”
10. “Stronger Than Me”
11. “(A Hard Way to Make An) Easy Livin’”
12. “Where the Cross Don’t Burn” feat. Charley Pride
13. “Party Gras (The Mardi Gras Song)”
14. “(Sometimes You’ve Got to Die To) Live Again”
Keon Johnson & Jaden Springer – Vols freshmen / Credit: UT Athletics
On Thursday afternoon, the Tennessee basketball freshmen tandem of Keon Johnson and Jaden Springer sat down with the media over Zoom to discuss the offseason and the upcoming start to the 2020-21 season.
Keon Johnson On how prepared he feels to be a contributor from day one:
“I feel extremely prepared. The coaching staff has done a great job of helping prepare me for the upcoming season and helping me with different tasks to help me get better each and every day.”
On what his biggest adjustment to the college game has been:
“The biggest adjustment for me has been my time management. Being able to balance my time with both ball and school, while being able to get extra shots up in the gym, whether it’s late at night or before practice.”
On what his best position is on the floor:
“I feel like I can play the one, the two or the three. I don’t really feel like it matters. I feel like it really depends on the game as to where I would be playing. In terms of where coach wants to put me, I don’t really have a problem with that.”
On his transition to Rocky Top:
“Coming into Rocky Top, I feel like it’s been a great experience for me. I feel like with COVID still being around, it’s been a bit of a win/lose situation. On the plus there aren’t too many people around and there aren’t too many distractions, but on the flip side, having fans come out to our games is a huge part of it as well.”
On what it’s been like being coached by Coach Barnes:
“It’s been an adjustment, but I was also ready for it as well. I knew coming in from day one, what type of coach he was and just knowing what type of person he is has helped me become better as a player.”
On if there was one moment where Coach Barnes came at him and it may have shocked him:
“It was actually our first summer practice. Coach Barnes went after everyone that day and he finally came around to me, I was just like, ‘Alright, it’s my turn now.'”
On what aspect of his game will help the team the most this season:
“I feel like my speed is what will help the team the most this year. Me being able to get a rebound and push the ball and me being able to lead the break is what sets me apart.”
On biggest difference between what he thought college would be like vs. what it’s actually like because of COVID:
“I feel like the first few months normally would have had a lot more practices and us being around each other a lot more often. But I feel like us as a team with COVID being around, we didn’t get that opportunity to be around each other as much as we normally would.”
On how much excitement there is to get going, because of the optimism surrounding the program:
“I really haven’t looked that much into rankings and stuff like that. I feel like everyone on the team has a chip on their shoulder, everyone on the team his humble and we’re all ready to work.”
On how the returning guards on the team have helped him since he got to Tennessee:
“They’ve helped me in so many ways. All of us look out for each other and we all want the best for each other. That’s really the leadership we have with each other. We all want each other to be the best we can be.”
On why everyone has a chip on their shoulders:
“I feel like everyone has that character that we all want to compete, get better each and every day and make names for ourselves. Being at the University of Tennessee is part of it I feel like, in that if you work hard then there’s always a reward that will come from it.”
On what makes him a really good defensive player:
“I feel like my grit and my will to want to play defense, to want to lock another opponent down and being able to have that type of heart with myself on the defensive side of the ball.”
On how he goes about judging where he’ll be able to make his biggest contribution:
“I feel like it always starts on the defensive end. If you can defend, then you can find your way onto the court. I don’t think it’s been that much of a struggle for me to find my spots or to find where I fit in. But, it’s also been a learning experience for me knowing that I have to find my strengths and my weaknesses.”
On what the biggest learning moment and experience he’s had so far:
“Me learning the point guard position. I’ve always been the leader on the team, but I’ve never been the leader on the team from the point guard position trying to construct the offense to get everyone in their spots.”
On if playing point guard is something he’s always done, or something he’s been asked to do since coming to Tennessee:
“It’s been something I’ve been asked to do since I’ve gotten here, but I haven’t run away from the task. It’s been a great way for me to learn and if that’s what it takes for me to learn, then I’m willing to do that.”
On what the transition to college life has been like:
“I love the college lifestyle. I think it’s very similar to the lifestyle of being a pro minus the school part. Each and every day is a day for me to learn. I feel like every day I need to come in ready to work and there will be a beneficial outcome in the end.”
On who he’s learned the most from that’s a leader on the team:
“Yves Pons.”
On when playing defense well became a priority for him:
“From a very early age my parents always told me that playing defense is just as much a part of the game as offense is and you have to be able to play both sides. So, having that taught to me at a very early age has led on to me now and has made me the player that I am today.”
On what its like watching Yves on the defensive end:
“I love being on the court with him. We’re both gritty on the defensive end and knowing that you have his type of help and athleticism on your back side is very rewarding.”
On who the hardest player on the team is to guard:
“For me personally I feel like Santi Vescovi is the hardest guy for me to guard, because I’ve never had a to guard a guy that plays the way that he does. He’s very fundamental and he doesn’t get to outside of himself to get other guys into their spots.”
On what the best part of his offensive game is:
“The best part of my offensive game I feel like is my ability to rise up above defenders and shoot a jump shot, as well as my ability to post up smaller defenders on me and go into to get a basket.”
On how playing the point guard position has helped him to better understand the offense:
“Playing the point guard position has helped me learn the offense a lot faster and not only learn the offense, but learn multiple spots in the offense, because I know that I’ll be playing more than on position on the floor.”
On what his relationship with Jaden is like:
“First off, we’re roommates, so we always look after each other and we both want the best for each other. So, whether we’re in practice going after each other—sometimes we’ll be on opposite sides of each other and we have to guard each other as if we’re not on the same team. At the end of the day though we’re still teammates and we push each other to work harder and to be the best we can be.”
On if he has a sense of urgency to make the most of his time at Tennessee:
“It doesn’t really create a sense of urgency for me. I’m here to do one thing and that’s to play basketball as well as get my education and I’m willing to do whatever it takes to get the best out of both.”
On how excited he is to play at home at TBA:
“I’m very excited to play in Thompson-Boling. Without the fans it’ll be a little bit different than what I’ve seen coming in, but being able to step on the court and play a game of basketball will be a lot of fun, especially playing in TBA.”
On him a Jaden competing off the court:
“We play video games every now and then when we get a chance, but that’s all just fun and games.”
On what video game they play the most and who wins:
“We play Madden a lot and he’s beaten me pretty much every time we’ve played.”
On how Mark Griffin helped him and what his biggest contribution to his game was:
“His contribution to me was just having passion for the game. He was never pushy towards which side I should lean on, but he’s always kept things up front with me. He’s never been on the downside and just his honesty has gone a long way with me and my family.”
On how much he’s improved since going against talented players in practice:
“From the first day that I got here, I feel like I’ve improved a lot. Whether it’s on the defensive end, or just on offense getting my shot to where it’s supposed to be.”
On if he looks forward to playing in the big games on the schedule:
“I look forward to playing every game. I play every game as if it’s my last. I don’t really look too far ahead in terms of opponents, but on the court, I’ll compete no matter what.”
Jaden Springer On how he trained and prepared to be ready to play this season:
“The biggest thing from high school to college is probably the speed of the game. So, the biggest thing I’ve been working on is conditioning and trying to get in the best shape possible.”
On if he is excited to play in Thompson Boling in two weeks:
“This has been one of my dreams since I was a little kid, being able to play in a big arena like this at a great school like Tennessee. So, being able to go out there with my teammates and finally have my first college experience, I’m looking forward to it.”
On how different his experience has been as a Freshman due to COVID:
“Because of COVID, that’s something that impacted not just me. It impacted all college athletes. I feel like we’re one of the more fortunate schools, because it didn’t hit us too hard. So, we still got to come in here over the summer and got work in as a team, and we got after it every day since then.”
On his relationship with Keon Johnson:
“We’re roommates, so we’re with each other almost every day. Being able to hang around him and getting to know him more than I did before, that’s something pretty big, because we compete on the court and chill with each other off the court. Like he said, we play Madden, so it’s just a good relationship.”
On if Keon Johnson has surprised him with his ability:
“I’ve known Keon [Johnson] for a minute now. We played with each other in AAU back in eighth grade. In practice, he definitely does surprise me sometimes, because he’s a great talent. He’s high-jumping and stuff like that. Being able to watch him is fun.”
On which was a bigger adjustment from high school—Speed of the game or learning the Tennessee system:
“Pretty much it can go both ways. From high school to college is definitely a big difference with the speed and the pace of the game. Also, when you come to college you have to learn the new stuff—new offenses. You really start to build your IQ for the game, so that’s definitely a big help.”
On how impressed he is with the talent surrounding him:
“Yves [Pons], Fulky [John Fulkerson], pretty much everybody on the team is really skilled, so being able to compete with them every day is definitely going to make you better.”
On how he would describe his offensive game:
“I feel like I can create for my teammates. I can drive, and I can attack space and really open things up for me and everybody else that’s on the court with me.”
On how much IMG prepared him to play in college:
“being able to go to a school like IMG and being able to play with other top talented guys is definitely a big help. You’re used to having other people you can count on and not having to do everything by yourself. So that’s definitely helped me with this transition so far.”
On what sets him apart from other guards:
“I feel like on the defensive end I can get down and lock up on defense. On the offensive end, I can score the ball and create open shots for my teammates. I feel like I’m pretty good on both sides of the ball.”
On how he figured out his role as a 5-star recruit coming in:
“You really just have to look at everyone else around you, see how they play, and figure out what you can do to come on the court and help to make the team better. You just have to look to lift the team and not do anything to bring anybody down.”
On if he feels like it’s different for guys to have a defensive mindset coming into college:
“I don’t really know how everybody else thinks, but for me, I’ve always been one to want to play defense and not let the other team score or let anybody get easy free points on you. That’s just really always been my mindset.”
On what impact he hopes to have on the team this season:
“I definitely want to be able to get out there and compete with the team and be able to help the team win games, and just give it my all every time I step on the court.”
On if there is a teammate he looks up to and has helped him with his development:
“There’s been a few guys on the team that have helped me through practice and through anything we’ve been going through. I could say Ticket (Davonte Gaines), Josiah [Jordan-James], Fulky [Fulkerson], Yves [Pons]. Those guys are talking to me and letting me know what to do and what I should’ve done. Being able to have teammates like that is definitely going to help me become a better and smarter basketball player.”
On how much time he has spent playing point guard during practice:
“Last year at IMG definitely helped me and being able to come here I can take that to another level now being with coach Barnes. He’s big on the point guard spot. Being able to get those reps in practice and when we scrimmage and get up and down, that’s definitely a big help for whenever the game comes around.”
On who is the better defender, Keon Johnson or himself:
“That’s not really up for me to say, but we both can get after it, and we’re both dogs on defense.”
On if he thinks the competition with Keon Johnson makes him better:
“I don’t really think we look at it and see who’s better than who, but we know that we can both go out there and compete and get the job done on defense.”
On what it’s like to be coached by Rick Barnes:
“Coach Barnes really knows the game of basketball. I’ve never had a coach like him, so being able to play under him and keep learning the game from what he’s showing us is definitely a big thing for me.”
On how he feels about the chemistry among the guards:
“I’ve been around these guys every day, so I know how good they are. I can go out there and play with each one of them. I feel like we all know each other pretty well by this point.”
On if he has had a moment where Coach Barnes coached him up:
“I feel like everybody on the team gets those. You know it’s coming. You know you messed up when you should’ve done something else on a certain play. You’ve got to get prepared for it. Don’t take it for the way he’s saying it. You’ve got to listen to what he’s actually saying.”
On what its been like trying to navigate through college so far:
“It’s been pretty good for me, because we’ve got a great staff. They really help us out with finding out where we need to go or what we need to do and all the stuff we need to get done.”
On his aspirations for the year:
“I wouldn’t say championship or bust, but I feel like with the talent we have and the team we have, we could definitely take it all the way if we play up to what we’re supposed to.”
On Corey Walker:
“That’s another one of me and Keon’s roommates. He’s with us every day too, so we’ve seen him grow since we first got here. The main thing with him is probably his size. He can move. He can play from the two, the three, the four even. He’s a guy that can pretty much do it all.”
On if he was worried the season wouldn’t happen:
“Early in this year that was something I was worried about but seeing how things are going now I feel like we’re getting a lot better. There’s more precautions that we can do to be able to keep playing while COVID is going on.”
Four Tennessee women’s basketball players met with the media on Thursday afternoon over Zoom to talk about the Lady Vols’ 2020-21 season. Taking part in the session were sophomore center Tamari Key, sophomore guard Jessie Rennie, sophomore center Emily Saunders and junior guard/forward Rae Burrell.
On what she has focused on coming into her sophomore season:
“For this season, one thing I was focused on was just being more physical in the post and getting stronger and getting in the weight room with Ty (Tyler Watson). The game has also slowed down for me a lot compared to last season, so those are a few positives that worked out for me going into my sophomore year.”
On how she has dealt with all the uncertainty regarding this season:
“For us, it’s just knowing that everyone is in the same situation that we are in right now and making the best of our situation and still going hard in practice. It is easier now, knowing our schedule is about to be out soon. And it is super exciting, but (we’re) just continuing to go hard in practice and being there for each other and our teammates during quarantine and trying to keep our spirits uplifted for the season.”
On whether she has worked on being more disciplined defensively:
“On defense, it’s just blocking shots and not jumping. Coach always tells me when I put my arms up, that is enough. Even if I don’t block the shot, altering the shot is still big, so I believe I have gotten a lot better not fouling as much on defense.”
On how excited she is to play UConn this upcoming season at home:
“We’re very excited, we know that is going to be a big game for us, and we are playing at home, too. So, even though we will have limited fans, it is always fun to play big games like that on our home court, so we are looking forward to it.”
On whether she was ever nervous about not being able to get back to the U.S. because of COVID-19, and how relieved she was to finally get back to Tennessee through all the protocols and quarantine:
“Obviously, when everything went down back In March, everything just fell off very quickly, and I had to wait around in Knoxville for a week before I could get a flight back home. But I was pretty lucky to get out of America, because they shut down everything really quick. When I got back out and got home, I was home for a couple months, which is really nice, and then coming back it was the same situation. I just got out before Australia closed their borders, so I was really lucky to get back just before they closed everything off, because I know a lot of Australian girls who had trouble actually getting back. So, I am lucky and fortunate I got back early so I didn’t miss any workouts. Obviously, I missed about a week of workouts for quarantine, but other than that I was fortunate I didn’t miss too much.”
On the advice she has given fellow international student Marta Suárez:
“I could tell as soon as she got here that she is very independent, and that comes with international students. You really have to be, because you are away from home and no family here; you get thrown into it and just have to learn to cope with things like that. But from the start we just connected straight away, just being from different countries and being in the same position. I had more experience, obviously, being a sophomore this year, but I am really proud of her. She fits in really well and has done so quickly. She’s been practicing really well and fits in with the group, so it is really good to see that.”
On how she has been able to get better this offseason and her confidence going into this season:
“With having four of us sophomores, we stay together. And having each year together is pretty special, and it’s really cool, but like you said, with my confidence, just being able to grow at the end of the season last year, (I was) making more shots, and just being more confident to shoot the ball more. And as soon as I came back this year, everyone has been behind me, like I have said in interviews. And everyone wants me to shoot the ball and are confident in me shooting the ball, and they’re not happy if I don’t shoot it, so it has helped my confidence to do that. I think that is growing every day in practice, and I’m even more confident to contribute in other ways now, whether is it driving, or pull ups, so my confidence is growing every day, and I am really excited for the season.”
On how she’s improved her game between her freshman and sophomore seasons:
“Me personally, I’ve been working on my strength in the weight room and on the court. Definitely my quickness is also something that I stressed this summer, and I feel like I’ve really grown in that area. I’ve also gained a lot more confidence on the court as well. Us sophomores – me, Jessie, TK and Jordan – have all grown in those areas as well, so I feel like that’s going to really help us this season.”
On the competition level at the post position in practice:
“Battling with Keyen Green in strength is a whole new level, because she’s probably the strongest on the team. She came in with confidence, so I think that battling with her is something that’s been really good for me. Both Kasi (Kushkituah) and TK (Tamari Key) have both gotten a lot stronger. We’re really deep in that position.”
On holding each other accountable in the offseason:
“I definitely feel like everyone as individuals take accountability for each other, show up for each other and push each other in practice and in the weight room. I don’t think it’s one single person being a leader. We have a few that really stand out, but I think everyone does a really good job of holding each other accountable and that helps.”
On getting energized during games despite playing in front of smaller crowds this season:
“We haven’t really talked about it, but during practice I feel like our energy level has been really high, especially in these last few weeks. So, I feel like when we carry that into a game and the bench is really excited, and we’re all really into it, that will really help us.”
On having a lot of upperclassmen on the team:
“I think having more upperclassmen is going to help us a lot this season, just because we’re a lot more experienced and the leadership is a lot more present.”
On how she’s improved her game in the offseason:
“I’ve really just been working on being more in control when I make decisions and just continuing to work on rebounding. I’ve been trying to work on getting my assists up as well. I’ve also been working on my free-throw percentage.”
On how excited she is for the season overall after finishing last season strong:
“I’m just focusing on keeping the momentum going from last season into this season and working on the areas that I need to work on to get better and do what I can to help my team win.”
On how she tried to keep momentum from the season going in the offseason during quarantine:
“There were definitely some difficulties that I encountered with gyms being closed and not being able to get into a gym for a long time. Luckily my cousins have their own gym in the garage, so I worked out there almost every day with them.”
On playing in front of smaller crowds this season:
“I think we’re just going to do our best to create energy off of each other. I feel like the crowd will still be creating good energy for us, but I think we’re really going to depend on each other to create good energy.”
(Karen) “Well thank you, it’s good to be here and good to see all of you, even on a computer screen. We just completed our fall ball segment on Monday – had our last practice. Had a good six weeks of fall ball and now we’re headed back into individual skill sessions before the young ladies head home for the holiday break. Signing Day was yesterday – signed a class of six young women who we think represent one of the most well-rounded classes we’ve ever brought in to Tennessee in terms of covering a lot of positional needs all over the field. So, it’s just been a good fall for us amidst the circumstances that we’re dealing with.”
On if the energy from the shortened 2020 season has carried over into the new team this fall…
(Ralph) “We’re excited about the team and we’re excited about the preparation. You remember the 2019 season, we finished second in the league standings and had to go to Florida for the second time during the year and we ended up going 3-3 with Florida that year – winning 2-out-of-3 in the regular season and then losing in Super Regionals in the eighth inning to go to the (Women’s College) World Series. We have seven starters back from that team and a lot of newcomers that we’re really excited about. We think if we stay healthy, we’ll be very, very competitive.”
On managing the team since the COVID-19 pandemic began…
(Karen) “Starting with the medical staff here and the leadership, I think they’ve done an absolutely phenomenal job of putting protocols in place and helping us all walk through that and do the best we can. Our young women have done a terrific job of following those protocols. We haven’t been overly impacted by it this fall. We’ve been able to have a pretty full squad out there almost every day and get a lot of work done. I think the biggest impact we’ve seen is just the layoff in the summer and them (the players) not being able to be on campus in the summer and condition and train. So, we saw that when they got back to school in late August, 1st of September, just our conditioning level wasn’t what it usually is at that time of year, so it’s taken a while this fall to kind of build that back up. But, from a medical standpoint, just couldn’t be happier with the way the conference has dealt with this from a leadership perspective, our institution, the medical task force here on campus, our leaders here on campus. I think they’ve just handled it tremendously well.”
On if it’s concerning to see football games across the country being postponed or cancelled due to COVID-19…
(Ralph) “Well of course it’s alarming. It seems to be getting worse right about this time, but I’m sure there will be better days ahead and we’ve just gotta keep on keeping on and try to do the best we can and try to be as safe as we can with our kids. I’m just very proud of the way our kids have dealt with this. Of course, the holiday break for all sports teams all over the country will be a challenge.”
On bringing back Tennessee softball alum Meagan Rhodes Smith to be the pitching coach…
(Karen) “Megan’s been a great addition to our staff. Megan was a phenomenal player here, but somebody you could see as a player was going to be a tremendous coach. Really a smart young woman. Has an aptitude, not just for the X’s and O’s of the game, but really getting to know the players on a personal level, build those relationships, but also a strong background in sports psychology. After she completed her four-year career here, she got her master’s degree in sports psychology from Tennessee and just has a passion for that aspect of being an athlete and utilizes that everyday in her coaching. Not just with our pitchers and catchers, with our entire team. So, that’s been a really neat thing for her to bring to us. She just is a lifelong learner, always trying to grow in her game. One thing I always appreciated about Megan, even though she was a pitcher and has been primarily a pitching coach throughout her career – even the last 10 years she always been calling me and asking questions about slapping and defense and hitting and every other aspect of the game to become the most well-rounded coach she could be. We couldn’t be more pleased with what Megan has brought to our team so far.”
On the pitching group…
(Karen) “So, Ashley Rogers, she would have been cleared to go at Texas A&M the weekend we got shutdown (for COVID-19) and that would’ve been her first appearance last season. So, we played the 2020 shortened season, we played the entire time without her. She’s been back all fall – has had a really good fall. That’s great for us of course. Callie Turner got kind of thrown into the fire really quick, as a freshman, because of Ashley’s injury. She’s improved tremendously this fall. We’ve had several intra-squad scrimmages with umpires and the umpires that saw her last year and came out this fall said, ‘She’s by far the most improved player on your team.’ So that was pretty neat for us.
“Sam Bender returns, she got a share of the load last year with Ashley’s injury and Anna Hazlewood is also back – another one who saw some innings last year in that shortened season. Then we added a freshman, Bailey McCachren, a lefty, who’s really opened some eyes on our team this fall. Has done exceptionally well in our intra-squad scrimmages. So, we’ve got five arms, two of them left-handed, three of them right-handed and I think it’s a well-balanced pitching staff.”
On the makeup of the 2021 recruiting class…
(Ralph) “The two ‘Towers of Power’ (McKenna Gibson and Grace Keene) are kids that we have been looking forward to for the last three years. They committed early and a lot of people made a run for them. They’re both over six-foot; they’re both power hitters. One of them (McKenna) played for (Athletics) Mercado (club team) who won the PGF National Championship last year and the other (Grace) played for the (So Cal) Choppers (club team).”
(Karen) “You’re going to want to get that name ‘Beautae” down because I think you’re going to be saying it a lot. Lair Beautae is an exceptional athlete and really explosive softball player. She’s a speedster – she can do it all. She’s a lefty. She can play middle infield. She can play the outfield equally well. She’s just one of those players with that ‘it factor’ that can change a game with her wheels, with her glove, with her bat. Loves being in pressure situations. Nicola Simpson is a pitcher out of Seattle, Washington – won many state championships up there and is considered the best pitcher in that state. What I like about Nicola is her intelligence, her attention to detail at such an early age. She’s very mature and she understands greatness is in the small things. She’s already searching for those tiny, tiny difference makers in her game. Just a really neat young woman to have a conversation with. Katie Taylor, an outfielder from Newnan, Georgia – again a young lady with good speed, a great glove and somebody who has power. She has hit a lot of home runs. She just won a state championship with her team down in Georgia. They play fall high school softball and so she’s still on a high from that state championship about 10 days ago. She’s just always played in winning programs, whether it’s travel softball or high school softball – really knows how to win. And the last one, that just came in this morning, Olivia Underwood, from right down the road here (Madisonville, Tenn.), they call her ‘Big O’. Not because she’s necessarily big, but she’s got a big arm. She’s a catcher. Just a really well-polished defensive catcher. Really quick, really athletic, terrific arm. Versatile enough to come out from behind the plate and play other positions and also hits the ball well.
“So, like I said in my opening statements, we feel like it’s a well-rounded class because we’ve got a pitcher, we’ve got a catcher, we’ve got outfield, we’ve got corners, we’ve got middle infield. We covered a little bit of everything. But most importantly, in our recruiting of all the women who come to play for Tennessee, we talk to them about academics first. Not just doing well in the classroom, but we’re committed to them pursuing any degree they want and making sure we accommodate that so it can happen. And all of these ladies buy into that philosophy and are really, really motivated academically and have high dreams for their professional futures beyond Tennessee. So, when their priorities align with ours, that’s the best of all worlds.”
On Chancellor Donde Plowman…
(Ralph) “I am tremendously impressed by her leadership. It’s amazing how she gets out and talks to everybody. When I first met her, I already knew about her from the coaches at Nebraska, who told us what a great person she was, what great leader she was and a great administrator. It was at that meeting that she got introduced to Karen and I’ll let Karen take it from here, because I believe they have some things in common.”
(Karen) “She came out and spoke to our team about a week-and-a-half ago now. One of our captains at the end told her, ‘We are so grateful to have a leader like you here on our campus because we’ve never had a chancellor show so much of a presence with our softball team.’ She’s been out to visit our softball team twice since she’s been on campus and that’s probably two more times than they’ve seen any chancellor in the last several years. Exactly what you said, she gives that personal touch. People around here know that she cares. She’s leading in the right way. We all know it’s about doing the right thing, leading with integrity, the transparency. I just feel very blessed that she was here when COVID-19 hit. The way she’s led this campus through that is just phenomenal and I think it’s the reason that we are where we are as a campus right now and doing as well as we are. She’s tough when she needs to be. She’s compassionate at the same time. People just know that she cares and she’s doing everything for the right reasons. So, we’re extremely proud to have Donde Plowman at the helm here at Tennessee and to be working for her.”
On updates about the Spring 2021 schedule…
(Karen) “So I sit on the SEC baseball/softball subgroup that meets about every two weeks to discuss contingency plans due to COVID-19. We talk about testing protocols and scheduling and roster sizes and all kinds of things. In fact, I just left one of those meetings to come to the press conference. Nothing has changed and there’s definitely a sentiment that we don’t want to make any changes until something forces us to. There’s a real feeling that the spring sports got the worst end of this deal last year in losing the bulk of their seasons, so we want to try to do everything we possibly can to preserve the schedules. Whether we get to play 56 games or not remains to be seen. I think that goes along with Commissioner (Greg) Sankey’s philosophy from day one, is let’s be patient, let’s not jump the gun and make a decision too early before we know as much information as possible. This is something that is changing week by week and we’ll know a whole lot more January 1 than we do now. So, let’s ride this thing out as long as we can. There are two athletics directors on that subgroup as well, who feel just as strongly. They want to try and let baseball and softball play their full schedules if at all possible. That’s our goal. Whether we eventually do that, that remains to be seen, but that’s what we’re going to keep trying to do.”
On standouts from the newcomers for the 2020-21 season…
(Ralph) “We’re really pleased with Ivy Davis. It’s interesting, she’s a transfer from Arizona and last year she played against us. We had Arizona State and Arizona on the same day in the Arizona State tournament. So, we threw our top pitcher against Arizona State and won the game and then had to go against Arizona. Ivy went 2-for-3 (at the plate) against us in that game. She’s an outstanding shortstop in prep ball. She was playing first base for Arizona because their shortstop is leading the nation in hitting by an infielder and got that year back. So anyhow, we went against several teams to get Ivy when she got in the portal and she’s everything everybody says about her. In fact, fantastic defensive shortstop who can hit the long ball.”
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee softball inked six newcomers, who will make their debut in the 2022 season, during the National Signing period this week.
The Lady Vols incoming class is ranked the 12th-best recruiting class in the nation by Extra Innings Softball and is headlined by Santa Clarita, Calif., native Grace Keene. Keene is 1-of-4 players from the group named to both the Extra Innings Softball Extra Elite 100 List and Softball America’s 2021 Top 100 Recruiting Rankings.
Keene is tied for 13th in the country among infielders and 16th overall. She is also listed 33rd on SA’s Top 100 chart. While playing for Saugus High School, she was named the 2019 Foothill League Player of the Year and recognized on the 2019 All-State First Team.
Two additional California natives are also headed to Rocky Top including middle infielder Lair Beautae (Riverside, Calif.) tied for 16th among infielders and 19th overall on EIS’s top 100 list, and Keene’s high school teammate, McKenna Gibson (Valencia, Calif.), whose play at the corners has made her a top-25 infielder and inside the top 30 overall nationally. Beautae and Gibson are ranked 55th and 76th on SA’s Top 100 list, respectively.
Beautae led John W. North to the California Interscholastic Federation state championship in 2018 to mark the first time in 10 seasons the program had earned a bid.
Gibson had a standout year for Saugus in 2019 when she was named first-team all-conference, All-Santa Clarita Valley, all-area and the offensive player of the year before tacking on the Top Club Nationals 18U title with Athletics Mercado club team.
The lone outfielder of the class, Katie Taylor (Newnan, Ga.) is tied as a top-ranked outfielder and is ranked 24th overall (EIS). She ranks 84th on Softball America’s Top 100 chart. Taylor led her East Coweta High School team to a 7A state title in 2020. Taylor was also inducted into the National Honor Society as a junior.
Also coming from the west coast, Seattle native Nicola Simpson will add depth to the Lady Vols pitching corps. Simpson was named a MaxPreps Sophomore All-American in 2019 and “Washington’s Top Ace” by Scorebook Live in 2020. She led her team to a state championship in 2019 and has thrown nine no-hitters and has held batters to a .105 OBA.
Rounding out the early signee class is in-state standout Olivia Underwood (Madisonville, Tenn.). Simpson was named the District 5AA Offensive Player of the Year and All County Offensive Player of the Year as a freshman, before earning District 5AA Defensive Player of the Year and Monroe County Co-MVP in 2019 as a sophomore.
Equally impressive in the classroom, the catcher/infielder is a member of the National Society of High School Scholars and a Washington Youth Tour Writing Competition winner. She was also recognized for her academic achievement by the Tennessee Softball Coaches Association in 2020.
“These six student-athletes represent one of the most well-rounded classes we’ve ever recruited to wear the Orange,” said co-head coach Karen Weekly. “Their abilities cover every position on the field, as we’ve added depth at pitcher, catcher, corners, middle infield and outfield. These talented players also possess a terrific blend of speed and power which will fit well within our offensive philosophy.
“Most important, they are high achievers in the classroom whose priorities align with our commitment to academics. Ralph and I look forward to coaching and developing these young women.”
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Tennessee was predicted to win the 2021 Southeastern Conference men’s basketball championship in preseason voting by a select panel of both SEC and national media members.
The Volunteers, who return four starters and have welcomed the nation’s fourth-ranked crop of newcomers, are the overall preseason favorite for the first time since the 2008-09 season. The Vols’ most recent SEC championship came in 2018, a year in which the Big Orange were predicted to finish 13th.
Predicted to finish behind UT in the top five of the SEC standings were, in order, Kentucky, LSU, Florida and Alabama.
Points were compiled on a 14-13-12-11-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis. Each media member also voted for a five-player All-SEC Team. Ties were not broken.
Tennessee seniors John Fulkerson and Yves Pons were among seven standouts who received votes for SEC Player of the Year. Fulkerson earned a spot on the preseason All-SEC first team, while Pons—the league’s reigning Defensive Player of the Year—was named a second-teamer.
Tennessee is ranked 12th in the country in the Associated Press preseason poll and begins its 2020-21 campaign Nov. 25 against Charlotte, with conference play set to begin Dec. 29. The 2021 SEC Tournament takes place March 10-14 at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.
First Team All-SEC
John Petty Jr., Alabama
Keyontae Johnson, Florida
Brandon Boston Jr., Kentucky
Trendon Watford, LSU John Fulkerson, Tennessee
Second Team All-SEC
Olivier Sarr, Kentucky
Javonte Smart, LSU
Dru Smith, Missouri
AJ Lawson, South Carolina Yves Pons, Tennessee
Savion Flagg, Texas A&M
SEC Player of the Year
Keyontae Johnson, Florida
Preseason Media Poll
1. Tennessee
2. Kentucky
3. LSU
4. Florida
5. Alabama
6. Arkansas
7. Auburn
8. South Carolina
9. Ole Miss
10. Missouri
11. Texas A&M
12. Mississippi State
13. Georgia
14. Vanderbilt
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