Baseball Preview: #1 Vols & #17 Auburn Set for Top 20 Showdown

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The top-ranked Tennessee Volunteers are back home this weekend as they host No. 17/19 Auburn in a battle of ranked foes at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.

The Big Orange will look to continue their record-setting start to Southeastern Conference play and pick up another series win against a ranked opponent.

Vols 2B-OF Christian Moore / Credit: UT Athletics

GAMEDAY INFORMATION

For the most updated gameday information related to Tennessee baseball, please visit our Gameday Central page by clicking HERE. The baseball Gameday Central page contains info in regard to tickets, parking, stadium policies and more.

TICKET INFORMATION

Season and single-game tickets for all remaining home contests are SOLD OUT. Limited standing room only tickets will go on sale for all games 90 minutes prior to first pitch at the Lindsey Nelson Stadium ticket office.

Single-game tickets for all games can also be purchased through Vivid Seats, the exclusive resale marketplace for Tennessee Athletics, by clicking HERE.

In order to keep Lindsey Nelson Stadium as full as possible, we are encouraging season ticket holders who are unable to use their tickets for a game(s) to either transfer your tickets to someone else (Instructions HERE).

BROADCAST INFO

Friday and Saturday’s games will be broadcast live on the SEC Network with Dave Neal (PxP) and VFL Chris Burke (analyst) on the call. Sunday’s series finale will be streamed live on SEC Network+ and the ESPN app with Bob Kesling (PxP) and VFL Cody Hawn (analyst) providing commentary.

The online broadcasts can be accessed on any mobile device through WatchESPN. WatchESPN can be accessed through the ESPN App, or online at espn.com/watch.

Fans can also listen to the Voice of Tennessee Baseball John Wilkerson and Vince Ferrara call the game on the Vol Network (FM 99.1/AM 990) as well as UTSports.com and the Tennessee Athletics App.

New Vol Network Radio Affiliates
The Vol Network had added multiple radio affiliates to broadcast remaining Tennessee baseball SEC games this season. The complete list of new affiliates is below. Please check your local listings prior to each weekend to see which games will be broadcast on each station.

Chattanooga: WFLI (FM 97.7, FM 100.3, AM 1070)
Cleveland: The Buzz (FM 101.3)
Lawrenceburg: WWLX (FM 106.1, FM 93.1, AM 590)
Muscle Shoals, AL: WSBM (FM 97.9, AM 1340)
Nashville: The Zone (FM 104.5)
Oneida: WBNT (FM 105.5)
Pulaski: WKSR (FM 107.7, FM 100.9, AM 1420)

WEEKEND SCHEDULE/PROJECTED STARTING PITCHERS

Game 1 – Friday, April 29 (7 p.m.)
RHP Chase Burns (7-1, 2.12 ERA) vs. LHP Hayden Mullins (2-1, 3.55 ERA)

Game 2 – Saturday, April 30 (7 p.m.)
RHP Blade Tidwell (1-0, 1.59 ERA) vs. RHP Trace Bright (2-4, 4.24 ERA)

Game 3 – Sunday, May 1 (1 p.m.)
RHP Drew Beam (8-0, 1.86 ERA) vs. RHP Joseph Gonzalez (6-0, 1.71 ERA)

SERIES HISTORY

Overall: Auburn leads, 96-39
In Knoxville: Auburn leads, 40-21
In Auburn: Auburn leads, 54-18
Neutral Sites: Auburn leads, 1-0
Last Meeting: L, 5-3 (5/21/19 in Hoover, Ala.)

Auburn has had the upper hand in the series in recent history, winning 13 of the last 16 matchups. The Vols will be looking to win their first series against the Tigers since 2011.

NOTABLE

Success vs. Ranked Foes
Tennessee has played some of its best baseball when facing top 25 teams, posting an 8-2 record against ranked opponents this season, including a pair of sweeps over top 10 foes Ole Miss and Vanderbilt. Since Tony Vitello took over as head coach in 2018, the Vols have posted 41 wins over ranked foes, including 20 victories over teams ranked in the top 10 and six wins over top-ranked teams – Ole Miss (x3) in 2022, Arkansas in 2021, Texas Tech in 2020 and Florida in 2018.

Vitello’s record against ranked teams at UT is 41-40 and UT has won 12 series over ranked teams during his tenure.

Best of the Best
With a series sweep over Florida last weekend, Tennessee became the first team in SEC history to start league play 17-1. The only other team to start 16-1 was the 1951 Vols, who finished as the runner-up at the College World Series.

Blade is Back
Preseason All-American pitcher Blade Tidwell made his first SEC start of the year last Saturday at Florida and looked like the dominant force everyone expected to see this season before he was shut down for the first half of the year due to injury. Tidwell gave up just two hits in 4.2 shutout innings while striking out five batters.

Vols Cleaning Crew Back in Business
Tennessee recorded its eighth series sweep this season last weekend at Florida, setting a new single-season program record. The only other UT team to even sweep seven opponents was the 1994 SEC Championship team.

Last weekend’s sweep of the Gators was the Vols’ first in Gainesville since 2001 and marked the first time UF was swept at home in SEC play since 2006.

Not including tournaments, the Vols have recorded 20 series sweeps since 2018 when Tony Vitello took over as head coach.

Series Sweeps by Year Under Vitello
2022: 8 | 2021: 5 | 2020: 2 | 2019: 3 | 2018: 2

OPPONENT SCOUT

Auburn Tigers

Record: 30-12 (11-7 SEC)
2021 Postseason: N/A
2022 SEC Preseason Poll: 7th in West
Head Coach: Butch Thompson (7th year)
Preseason Conference Honors: N/A
Stat Leaders:
- Batting Avg: Sonny DiChiara (.448)
- Runs: Sonny DiChiara (38)
- Hits: Blake Rambusch (66)
- Home Runs: Sonny DiChiara (12)
- RBI: Sonny DiChiara (38)
- Stolen Bases: Blake Rambusch (11)
- Wins: Joseph Gonzalez (6)
- Saves: Blake Burkhalter (11)
- ERA (min. 15 IP): Joseph Gonzalez (1.71)
- WHIP (min. 15 IP): Blake Burkhalter (0.77)
- Innings Pitched: Trace Bright (51.0)
- Strikeouts: Trace Bright (55)

GAME PROMOTIONS

Gameday promotions for all Tennessee athletics home events can be found on the UT Fan Experience page by clicking HERE.

Fans are encouraged to download the My All App for their phones and devices this season. The app is available on the Google Play Store and Apple App Store and will allow fans to participate in in-game trivia, the custom filter selfie cam and more throughout the year.

FRIDAY SEC BLOCK PARTIES

Friday SEC Block Parties will take place for ticketed fans on Pat Head Summitt Street for every Friday SEC contest (weather permitting). The area will only be accessible for fans with tickets to Friday’s game. This Friday’s block party will open at 5 p.m.

Friday’s SEC Block Parties will feature music, giveaways, face painting, food/beverage options, VolShop sales locations and Vol Network sponsor activations. Additionally, VFL Sterl the Pearl will join various SEC weekend games to add to the electricity in Lindsey Nelson Stadium.

Food, drink, and anything else acquired at the block party can be brought inside the stadium. Gates 10A and 11 will be open for fans to use to enter the stadium. Fans may come and go from stadium to the block party as they please.