Tennessee softball is wearing a unique combination of socks for Game 2 against Florida.
The Lady Vols are wearing mismatched socks, one of them orange and the other white with Summitt Blue and orange stripes on it, in honor of World Down Syndrome Day on March 21.
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The No. 1 Lady Vols (28-1, 6-1 SEC) face the No. 5 Gators (29-2, 6-1) at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium in Gainesville, Florida, on March 21 (1 p.m. ET, SEC Network+).
“Down syndrome is when you have an extra chromosome, and the socks came from the fact that chromosomes are shaped like socks,” Tennessee coach Karen Weekly said in a video posted by UT. “So, wearing mismatched or crazy socks on March 21st is a way to bring awareness to Down syndrome.”
Weekly said the day means something to the program with two alums who have children with Down syndrome. Erinn Webb and Ellisha Humphrey both have sons who have Down syndrome.
Webb played for Tennessee from 2007-10 and Humphrey, who was a standout pitcher at Halls, played for the Lady Vols from 2000-04. Webb’s son is named Garrett, and Humphrey’s son is named Elite.
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“It really brings it close to home for us,” Weekly said. “Hopefully (it’ll) get people talking about it and just recognize how special, unique and loved these children are.”
Cora Hall is the University of Tennessee women’s athletics reporter for Knox News. Email: cora.hall@knoxnews.com; X: @corahalll; Bluesky: @corahall.bsky.social. Support strong local journalism and unlock premium perks: subscribe.knoxnews.com/offers
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Why is Tennessee softball wearing mismatched socks for Game 2 vs Florida?
