Tennessee softball head coach Karen Weekly has been busy this week with staff changes coming out of the 2026 season.
On Wednesday, Weekly announced the promotion of pitching coach Megan Rhodes Smith to associate head coach. Rhodes Smith will continue to lead the Lady Vols’ pitching staff in her new role.
“Megan is most deserving of this promotion,” Weekly said via press release. “In just six seasons, she has made an incredible impact on our program and specifically our pitching staff. The honors and numbers tell the story on the field – Tennessee pitchers get better every year under Megan’s tutelage. Her contribution extends far beyond the bullpen, however, as she has been instrumental in developing our players’ mental game skills. She is passionate about developing young women into courageous leaders. Our overall success is due in large part to the way she invests in each of our student-athletes as people first.”
Rhodes Smith has solidified herself as a premier pitching coach in college softball. Year after year, the staff turns in high-level production and continues to set the bar high.
“I am honored to continue to represent this program and am committed to continuing to strive for greatness each year,” Rhodes Smith said. “I am proud of the Lady Vol tradition of excellence and look forward to continue giving back to the next generation of Lady Vol softball players.”
In a 2026 season that ended in a trip to the Women’s College World Series, Tennessee finished as the top staff in the nation. The Lady Vols pitched to a 49-12 record with a 1.47 ERA, a WHIP of 0.90 and an opponent batting average of .154. The staff was good under pressure too, leaving 84.3% of runners on base to rank second in the country, and striking out 30% of batters faced, fourth best in the nation.
The staff mostly consisted of Karlyn Pickens, Sage Mardjetko and Erin Nuwer. All three finished great seasons and ranked among the best across college softball statistically. That has been the usual for Tennessee’s pitchers under Rhodes Smith.
The results have stacked up for a while now. Tennessee pitchers have earned seven NFCA All-America honors since 2021, six of them first team. Twice in that stretch the Lady Vols had two first-team All-Americans in the same season, with Peyton Gottshall and Pickens pulling it off in 2024 and Mardjetko and Pickens doing it again in 2026. And back in 2023, Ashley Rogers became the first pitcher in program history to take home NFCA Pitcher of the Year.
All quotes attributed to Tennessee Athletics press release.
