Tennessee and Ohio State can’t seem to stay away from each other in the postseason.
No. 7 seed Tennessee softball faces the Buckeyes in the NCAA regional in Knoxville on May 17 (noon ET, ESPN2), marking the third time the schools have met in the NCAA tournament in three different sports during the 2024-25 season.
It’s not unusual for softball to host Ohio State in an NCAA softball regional due to the NCAA’s priority of limiting flights during the tournament. Tennessee hosted the Buckeyes in the 2019 NCAA regional and won 12-4 in their lone matchup.
With other sports, like football and men’s basketball, it’s more reliant on seeding. But women’s basketball and volleyball tournaments have campus hosts for the first two rounds. So if the seeding lines up for Tennessee and Ohio State, it’s likely one will host the other because of the relatively close distance. Tennessee volleyball played at OSU in 2021 and lost to the Buckeyes in the second round.
The first postseason meeting between the Vols and Buckeyes this calendar sports year was in the College Football Playoff. No. 9 seed Tennessee lost 42-10 to No. 8 seed Ohio State at Ohio Stadium on Dec. 21, 2024.
Lady Vols basketball was more successful in its matchup with the Buckeyes, which hosted the opening rounds of the tournament as a No. 4 seed. But No. 5 seed Tennessee won the battle of the full court presses, coming out on top with an 82-67 win over Ohio State. The Lady Vols pulled off the upset to return to the Sweet 16 in coach Kim Caldwell’s first season.
Tennessee softball dominated its first NCAA regional matchup May 16, beating Miami (Ohio) 17-0 in five innings. The Lady Vols scored 11 runs alone in the third inning against the RedHawks.
The matchup between Tennessee and Ohio State pits the top-ranked offense against one of the best pitchers in the nation. SEC Pitcher of the Year Karlyn Pickens owns a 0.91 ERA, which ranks No. 2 in the country, and has thrown 237 strikeouts this season. She’ll face an offense that has hit a nation-leading 143 home runs and scored 482 total runs.
Cora Hall covers University of Tennessee women’s athletics. Email her at cora.hall@knoxnews.com and follow her on X @corahalll. If you enjoy Cora’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that allows you to access all of it.
