It has been a long, hard year for Tennessee athletics, and quite honestly, fans of the Volunteers have never experienced this kind of agony.
The turmoil has been caused by Vanderbilt's ability to beat the Vols in just about every sport because the Commodores don't have a softball program.
John Adams, a senior sports columnist for the Knoxville News Sentinel, suggests a wild idea for how Vanderbilt could start one, and it's not the traditional way.
"Tennessee should start a GoFundMe account for Vanderbilt softball," Adams writes. "If that means donating enough money to buy land for a softball stadium, so be it."
Until Vanderbilt has a softball team I refuse to believe that we take athletics seriously. Repost this if you think Vandy needs a softball team. We are the ONLY SEC school without one.
Vanderbilt is the only school in the Southeastern Conference that doesn't sponsor softball, and Adams' idea is an answer to an email regarding the Big Orange Caravan stop in Nashville on April 29.
The email from a man named Eddie reads, "In light of the fact that the Vols were mauled by Vandy in football, lost three of four basketball games to the Commodores, lost the baseball series – not to mention the Illinois basketball game at Bridgestone Arena and the Music City Bowl – maybe it would be a good idea to skip the Big Orange caravan stop in Nashville.
"We’ve been embarrassed enough. Maybe switch to Memphis, which no longer is on the caravan trail. Memphis would probably be more appreciative."
Adams ran with the email and recommended that if Tennessee can't beat Vanderbilt, then the Vols should be them.
"Maybe that’s too much to ask of Tennessee’s generous fan base," Adams says. "But if the 2026-27 school year goes Vanderbilt’s way as much as this past school year, my guess is UT would pay whatever it takes to beat Vanderbilt in something."
Vanderbilt is coming off a historic year, athletically. The Commodores almost made the College Football Playoff, and head coach Clark Lea was named the 2025 Coach of the Year. Lea took a 2-10 football program in 2023 and turned it into a 10-3 team in 2025, led by 2025 Johnny Unitas Golden Arm award winner Diego Pavia.
Per @chrislee70 of https://t.co/ouD20NK4Qy, Vanderbilt is exploring the addition of softball.
This is all we know. pic.twitter.com/VUMt2ycGLb
The women's basketball team finished in the Sweet 16 and saw head coach Shea Ralph win the 2026 Naismith women's college coach of the year. Led by SEC Player and Freshman of the Year Makayla Blakes and Aubrey Galvan, the Commodores were a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Mark Byington led the men's basketball team to a 27-9 record and a No. 5 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
There's also the women's soccer team, led by Darren Ambrose, which won the SEC Tournament and then advanced to the program's first Elite Eight in 2025.
Athletic Director Candice Storey Lee reinstated the volleyball program and has been at the helm of the athletic department as it rose to dominance in the SEC. If there is one person who might go for this type of crazy idea, it would be her.
Lee is one of five finalists for the Sports Business Journal's Athletic Director of the Year award, which will be announced on May 20.
As for the softball thing, Tennessee will just remain unbeaten against Vanderbilt for the foreseeable future.
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Maren Angus-Coombs was born in Los Angeles and raised in Nashville, Tenn. She is a graduate of Middle Tennessee State University and has been a sports writer since 2008. She has been covering college softball since 2016 for various outlets including Softball America, ESPNW and Hurrdat Sports. She is currently the managing editor of Softball On SI and also serves as an analyst for Nebraska softball games on Nebraska Public Media and B1G+.
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