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• Hosfield earns national award; Spigner honored in California
• Lady Vols finish No. 14 in fastpitch coaches' poll
• Callahan a Honda Award finalist

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Tennessee co-head softball coach Ralph Weekly knows replacing SEC player of the year Tonya Callahan at third base will not be easy.

But Weekly also knows the Lady Vols have found a special talent in third base signee Jessica Spigner.

"Jessica is a very talented player and we're excited she's a part of our team," Weekly said. "She's the kind of player that will give you 150 percent each time out.''

Spigner is also a winner, twice leading Valencia High School to the Southern Section California Division I championship.

She plays third base for her Gold-level travel team, the Haning BatBusters out of Orange County, Calif., but she pitched for Valencia. Her numbers were overwhelming: 29 wins, 236 innings, 12 shutouts, 222 strikeouts and a 0.62 ERA in talent-rich Southern California.

Among those shutouts was a 3-0 state title game win over Simi Valley, a team previously ranked No. 1 in the nation by Studentsports.com.

And yet, Spigner is best known for her hitting.

She batted .480 last season with a .575 on-base percentage, a .930 slugging percentage and 12 home runs. Spigner's 23 career home runs surpassed a Southern California mark set by U.S. Olympian Crystl Bustos.

Approaching Callahan's numbers at UT will prove to be more of a challenge. Callahan left the Lady Vols having set the career marks for home runs (51), RBIs (241), total bases (492), walks (154), slugging percentage (.646) and on-base percentage (.487).

"Tonya Callahan is the greatest player of all time,'' Spigner said. "She's such a role model and so well-respected. She was the ideal player. I want to be like her when I'm there.''

Spigner said she'll strive for the same results Callahan achieved at UT, but she'll do it her way.

"I just approach it like I'm my own person. Tonya Callahan has shoes no one else can fill,'' Spigner said. "I can only try to fill my own shoes and make my own mark on the team.''

Spigner had her pick of most any school, choosing Tennessee after a memorable visit to the Appalachian Mountain region.

"I like the school's location; it's beautiful,'' she said. "It feels like home to me because I love the outdoors.''

Spigner said she knows there will be an adjustment in leaving home, but she's ready for the challenge.

"In travel (softball) you have your parents there, but in college, you make a new family,'' Spigner said. "You don't have anyone else to pick up your mistakes - it's all you."

© 2008, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.