It is that time of the summer where transfer portal rankings are published. Coaches take to the portal to find talent based on their needs and philosophy of roster construction.
As for Tennessee softball head coach Karen Weekly, she takes a more strategic approach to the transfer portal. She targets players who fit the team’s culture and address a specific area of need, instead of just chasing the biggest names to stockpile.
“We’re very particular about who we bring into the program,” Weekly told Southeastern Softball Wire. “Most importantly, they have to be somebody who is going to fit the culture we have, because a lot has gone into creating a good culture, a very healthy culture, and primarily that comes from bringing in the right people who align with your mission and your values.”
“For us it’s never about just getting bodies or numbers,” Weekly said. “It’s about getting somebody who we think will fit our culture first. Then, we look at whether they can fit whatever position or lineup needs we may have.”
That selectivity, by Weekly’s own measure, has paid off. She evaluates each addition by a simple metric. Did the player become what the staff expected? Did she help the program the way they thought she would?
“I think we’re probably operating at about 90 percent over the last five years when you look at those questions,” Weekly said.
After the 2026 season, the Lady Vols graduated three seniors and lost three additionally to the portal. Not a lot of turnover in terms of production, which meant having less need to seek out transfer talent. They took one player, infielder Karley Shelton, who transferred from South Carolina.
A player who new associate head coach Ehren Earleywine wanted automatically. Also, a player who gave teams across the SEC trouble, Tennessee and Texas included.
“With Karley in particular, she was one of the toughest outs we faced all year,” Weekly said. “When Ehren came on board, the first person he asked about was Shelton. He said she just tore us up at Texas, that it was so hard to get her out, so we knew that what she did on the field was going to be something that would help us.”
Tennessee pitcher Sage Mardjetko also vouched for Shelton. They spent time together at South Carolina before Mardjetko departed for Tennessee after the 2024 season.
“She spoke to Karley’s competitiveness, how much she wants to win, and what a great work ethic she has,” Weekly said. “Those are two things that are really valued in our culture, competitiveness and people whose goal is to go out there and win, and people who are willing to put in the work to upgrade things individually and as a team.”
Shelton meets the biggest need for Weekly and the Lady Vols. She brings a tough bat and solid infield play. After the departure of Ella Dodge, who transferred to Florida State, there was a huge need for an infielder. I asked Weekly about Shelton’s defensive lineup possibilities.
“She’s been at second a lot with South Carolina, but when she came into South Carolina she played mostly third,” Weekly said. “She’s also played pretty much every infield position.”
Weekly and Tennessee will use fall as they always do. They will use it as an opportunity to work players in different spots. They want to see what works, and try to build their best nine going into the season when February arrives.
“One of the things we like to do every fall, even in a year like this where we have a lot of returners, is always test out our versatility and try to maximize it,” Weekly said. “Because if you’re going to get the best nine hitters in the lineup, sometimes you’re going to sacrifice just a little bit on people playing a position where maybe that’s where they’ve always played.
“So we like to move people around in the fall, see where they’re comfortable, where they can be adaptable, because that just gives us more options in the spring. Karley’s no different than anybody else. We’re not really penciling anybody in. If they have the physical versatility to move around a little, we’ll look at people in a lot of different spots.”
Shelton fits the blueprint Weekly has leaned on for years, culture first, need second, names last. If the track record holds, she is exactly the kind of addition that is made for Tennessee.
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