University of Tennessee Athletics
Lee Stadium One of Nation's Best Home Environments
May 30, 2017 | Softball
By Tyler Hotz
UTSports.com
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Home field advantage can sometimes be an overplayed part to a team's success, but when it comes to Sherri Parker Lee Stadium, the Volunteers always do their best to rise to the occasion.
Cruising to their fifth NCAA Super Regional appearance in six years, the Tennessee softball team has seen consistent success, especially at home. Even before the Volunteers make it into the postseason, the Orange and White faithful have helped their team take care of business.
Finishing with a 27-6 home record, the Vols dominated conference and non-conference opponents throughout the season. In the past five years, Tennessee is 121-18 at Sherri Parker Lee Stadium.
Though falling short against Texas A&M in the NCAA Super Regionals, the home field advantage was evident to players and coaches alike.
"It was huge, the stands were packed," second baseman Aubrey Leach said. "You were hearing people yell from right field, behind the plate and everywhere.
"The atmosphere was awesome, couldn't ask for anything better."
Featuring an avid fan base led by the Vol Locos, the atmosphere at Lee Stadium is always rocking, especially whenever major conference foes roll into town. The buzz around the Vols continues to grow, especially with a renovation that will be able to pack 400 more Volunteer supporters into each contest.
Lee Stadium's new outfield bleachers have added an extra 400 seats for fans to enjoy Tennessee softball games from.
Before the final home series against Florida, the stadium added bleachers behind the right field wall, boosting the official capacity to 2,200. Over the weekend, 6,670 fans made their way into Lee Stadium, smashing the previous three-game record. That record was broken again during this past weekend's NCAA Super Regionals against Texas A&M, as 7,176 fans watched the Vols take on the Aggies for a spot in the Women's College World Series.
Adding more fans has gained more attention for the program, strengthening the unique fervor around the Big Orange.
"I could see some of the people who have come in the past month and sat in bleachers come back and be more interested in our softball program," athletic event management graduate assistant Jordan Bearden said. "Some may not have even known how lively our crowd is."
One person who does understand the atmosphere at Lee Stadium is one of UT's former All-Americans, Madison Shipman. Concluding her career on Rocky Top with 44 home runs and 207 RBIs, Shipman is one of the best players in the history of Tennessee softball.
After her record-breaking career on the diamond came to a close, Shipman returned in 2014 as a volunteer assistant coach, and what amazed her during her recruiting visit years ago keeps her in Knoxville today.
"It was something that I didn't see at some other schools that I visited, and everybody around here is die hard, bleed orange which is so awesome and that's why I've been here for the past seven years," Shipman said. "It was the one place that felt like home because of that atmosphere, and I am still here."
Entering Sherri Parker Lee Stadium as a player and now a coach, Shipman realizes that the postseason offers fans and players an even more special experience. And even though the Vols fell just short of their eighth Women's College World Series berth, they know they can count on their home field advantage to help them get back to Oklahoma City.
