Tennessee players celebrate their win over Georgia during a softball game of the NCAA Knoxville Super Regional on Sunday.
Tennessee’s Ivy RenfroKNOXVILLE — Madison Shipman has played on the field at the American Softball Association’s Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City.
The Tennessee shortstop hasn’t been on the stage she’ll take tonight, however.
The seventh-seeded Lady Volunteers open their fifth trip to the Women’s College World Series when they face SEC rival and second-seeded Alabama tonight at 7 p.m. on ESPN2.
“It’s always been a dream of mine to play in the College World Series, so it’s been a surreal couple of days,” Shipman, a sophomore who leads UT in RBIs, said after practice Tuesday afternoon in Oklahoma City. “I’m so excited that I wish the games were today. I’m so excited to play, and I can’t wait to get out there.”
After three consecutive trips to the pinnacle of college softball, the Lady Vols (52-12) last reached Oklahoma City in 2010 following a two-year hiatus. UT lost in its own regional last season and dropped their NCAA tournament opener this season before rallying for four wins in two days. The Lady Vols then took the deciding game of the Super Regional against Georgia with a sixth-inning rally on Sunday.