The Tennessee Lady Vols turned a Saturday celebration into a show at Neyland Stadium on May 23, joining the Savannah Bananas as special guests one day after locking up a trip to the Women's College World Series. Karlyn Pickens started the festivities with a ceremonial first pitch, standing in front of her Lady Vols teammates as a sold-out crowd roared.
The pitch hit home plate and the umpire comically fell backward, giving the evening the kind of highlight the Bananas have built their brand around. The Lady Vols then worked the edge of the field, high-fiving fans on their way out after taking a loud ovation inside Tennessee's iconic football stadium.
The moment came less than 24 hours after Tennessee beat Georgia in the NCAA super regional on May 22, a win that sent the Lady Vols to Oklahoma City for the third time in the last four seasons. That run will continue on May 28, when Tennessee opens the double-elimination bracket against the winner of No. 2 seed Texas and Arizona State.
Saturday's scene also turned Neyland Stadium into something few would have imagined. A quirky baseball diamond had been built inside UT's football home for the Banana Ball event, giving the Lady Vols a chance to celebrate their postseason breakthrough in front of one of the biggest crowds they will see all year. For Tennessee, the night was both a reward and a reset: one last public moment of joy before the hard work of the Women's College World Series begins.
For Pickens and the rest of the roster, the ovation said enough. The Bananas supplied the spectacle, but the louder message came from the crowd's reaction to a team that has already cleared one major hurdle and now heads to Oklahoma City with another in front of it.
