University of Tennessee co-head softball coach Karen Weekly, formerly at UT-Chattanooga, has been chosen for the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Hall of Fame. The induction will be almost a year away, on Dec. 7, 2018, in Chicago, so Weekly may have time to absorb it by then. “I am incredibly humbled. It hasn’t sunk in, and I don’t know if it ever will,” she said in a UT release Monday. Her husband and co-head coach, Ralph Weekly, was inducted in 2011. Together they have a record of 802-245-2 with the Lady Vols, with nine NCAA regional championships, seven Women’s College World Series appearances and national runner-up finishes in 2007 and 2013. That 2007 team was the first Southeastern Conference program to gain a No. 1 national ranking. “I have so much respect and admiration for the coaches in our Hall of Fame and the trails they blazed in fastpitch softball,” Karen said. “To hear my name called to join that special group is an indescribable honor.”
* Former Tennessee All-American India Chiles is returning to the Lady Vols softball program as a volunteer assistant coach, the Weeklys announced Monday. Chiles (2004-07) will be working primarily with the outfielders and slap hitters, according to the school’s release. She owns and operates SlapperNation LLC. “Ralph and I are extremely happy to have India join our coaching staff,” Karen Weekly said. “India checks all of the boxes from a softball perspective, as she was an outstanding player for the Lady Vols and is one of the best short-game clinicians and instructors in the country.” Chiles helped Tennessee get to the WCWS three times, and as a senior she batted .459 with 89 hits, 44 stolen bases and 57 runs scored and was the SEC player of the year. “For the past several years she has been a top performer in pharmaceutical sales, and you can’t put a price on the experience she brings from the competitive corporate arena,” Karen Weekly said. “She is a passionate teacher, motivator and leader and will make an immediate impact on our players and program.”
Tennis
* UTC men’s tennis coach Chuck Merzbacher announced Monday the addition of Mississippi state champion Bo Nash for the Mocs’ 2018-19 season. Nash is a two-time Mississippi first-team all-state honoree who has helped Oxford High School go 55-3 the last three seasons with Class 5A state championships in 2015 and 2016. He is 37-6 individually and is the reigning state singles king after winning a doubles title as a sophomore. Nash is rated the No. 4 prospect in Mississippi by TennisRecruiting.com and has been on Southern Junior Cup teams in 16s and 18s. An honor student who plans to major in mechanical engineering, he also won the statewide Powers Moore Sportsmanship Award. “We are excited to add Bo to our roster for next year,” Merzbacher said in a UTC release. “He is a very hard worker and tough competitor, and with this type of work ethic he will flourish at the college level.”
Basketball
* Bryan College junior Amber Levi from Rhea County High School was chosen the Appalachian Athletic Conference women’s basketball player of the week after scoring 29 and 20 points in wins over 18th-ranked Reinhardt and Montreat. She made four 3-point baskets in each game and also totaled eight rebounds while shooting 66.7 percent from the field.
* The Harlem Globetrotters’ 2018 “Amazing Feats of Basketball World Tour” is coming to McKenzie Arena on Jan. 26, with the show beginning at 7 p.m. The Globetrotters’ opponent will be the Washington Generals, after a two-year absence, and as usual there will be much more than a basketball game – including flashy dunks, 4-point shooting, the new “Flying Globies” acrobatic trampoline dunk team and entertaining interaction with fans. Part of that is the pregame “Magic Pass” with some fans getting on the court. Prices start at $27.50, and tickets are available at utc.edu/tickets, the McKenzie box office and 423-266-6627 as well as harlemglobetrotters.com.