Why series win over Alabama is important for Tennessee softball postseason

Tennessee softball made a statement in its series win over Alabama . The No. 8 Lady Vols (40-8, 14-7 SEC) opened with a 12-0 loss in five innings to the No.

3 Tide (44-6, 16-5), the second-worst margin in program history. Then Tennessee turned around and won two straight, sending Alabama to its first shutout loss of the season 2-0 in Game 2 and beating the Tide 4-1 in Game 3. Here's what this all means for the Lady Vols.

Tennessee softball in position for top-eight seed The series with Alabama had significant postseason implications for Tennessee, which needed a big win to put itself in position to secure one of the top-eight seeds in the NCAA Tournament. The top 16 seeds host NCAA regionals, and the top eight host super regionals. Clinching the series against Alabama means the Lady Vols have all but locked up a top-eight seed.

"It's huge. These kind of series are an opportunity, because that is a team that's ranked higher than us, that is having an incredible season, that is going to be a top-eight seed that has an opportunity to win a national championship," Tennessee coach Karen Weekly said. "For us to be able to win two out of three this time of year is big time.