Baseball Preview: #1 Vols Square Off with Notre Dame in Super Regionals

Baseball Preview: #1 Vols Square Off with Notre Dame in Super Regionals

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – With a trip to the 2022 College World Series on the line, the top-seeded Tennessee Volunteers welcome Notre Dame to Lindsey Nelson Stadium for the NCAA Knoxville Super Regional.

The Volunteers are looking to punch their ticket to a second consecutive College World Series and need to win two games in the series to do so.

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

Tickets for this weekend’s regional are sold out. A limited number of standing room only tickets will be made available at the Lindsey Nelson Stadium ticket office 90 minutes prior to each session.

PARKING INFORMATION & ROAD CLOSURES

In an effort to eliminate heavy traffic and promote a safe environment for all fans and staff attending this weekend’s regional, road closures will be in effect for the duration of the tournament. Closures will go into effect at 8 a.m. ET on Friday, June 3, and can only be accessed with a valid NCAA parking pass.

Chamique Holdsclaw Dr. and Todd Helton Dr. will be closed from the intersection of Chamique Holdsclaw Dr. and Lake Loudon Blvd. to Todd Helton Dr. and the entrance of lot GF4.

Pat Head Summitt St. will also be closed after the entrance to G16 Garage. Fan parking will be located in the following areas: S23 behind the Haslam School of Music – as well as C8, C6, C22 and G16. Additional street parking is located along West Volunteer Blvd. Please plan to use alternative lots as needed during this event.

An updated parking map for this weekend can be seen HERE (PDF).

BROADCAST INFO

The whole weekend will be broadcast with Tom Hart (PxP) and Kyle Peterson (analyst) on the call. Friday’s series opener will be broadcast on ESPN2 while Saturday’s contest will appear on the flagship ESPN channel. Sunday’s if necessary game will have a channel determined if needed, based on the results of Games 1 and 2.

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.

Bristol: WOPI (FM 98.1, AM 1490)
Camden: WRJB (FM 95.9)
Chattanooga: WFLI (FM 97.7, FM 100.3, AM 1070)
Cleveland: The Buzz (FM 101.3)
Cookeville: WKXD (FM 104.7)
Johnson City: WKPT (FM 94.3, AM 1590)
Kingsport: WKTP (FM 97.7, AM 1400)
Lawrenceburg: WWLX (FM 106.1, FM 93.1, AM 590)
Muscle Shoals, Ala.: WSBM (FM 97.9, AM 1340)
Nashville: WGFX (FM 104.5 The Zone)
Oneida: WBNT (FM 105.5)
Pulaski: WKSR (FM 107.7, FM 100.9, AM 1420)
Wartburg: WECO (FM 101.3)

WEEKEND SCHEDULE/PROJECTED STARTING PITCHERS

Game 1 – Friday, May 10 (6 p.m.)
RHP Blade Tidwell (3-1, 2.00 ERA) vs. RHP Austin Temple (4-1, 3.46 ERA)

Game 2 – Saturday, May 11 (2 p.m.)
RHP Chase Dollander (9-0, 2.38 ERA) vs. LHP John Michael Bertrand (9-2, 2.27 ERA)

Game 3 – Sunday, May 12 (TBD)
TBD vs. TBD

SERIES HISTORY

Overall: Tennessee leads, 4-2
in Knoxville: Tennessee leads, 3-1
in South Bend: N/A
at Neutral Sites: Series tied, 1-1
Last Meeting: L, 3-2 on March 1, 2013 (Cary, N.C.)

Tennessee will host Notre Dame in Knoxville for the first time since 1966. In the ’66 season, the Vols pulled off a doubleheader sweep of ND in a pair of seven-inning contests.

NOTABLE

HOME SWEET HOME TO ME
Tennessee has won its last 12 NCAA postseason games in Knoxville, its last postseason loss on Rocky Top came back in 2001 when it fell to Wake Forest in the first regional final, 10-3. In its last 19 NCAA postseason games at Lindsey Nelson Stadium, the Vols are 18-1, dating back to 1995 –the year UT made its second Omaha appearance. The Vols started 4-4 at home NCAA postseason games prior to the 1995 season.
 
KEEP IT ROLLING
The Volunteers have never lost a Super Regional game since the format first took place in 1999. Tennessee is 6-0 in that span.
 
POSTSEASON HONORS
Tennessee has amassed a number of impressive postseason accolades, both in the SEC and nationally:
 
Dick Howser Trophy Finalist – Trey Lipscomb
Collegiate Baseball National Co-Freshman of the Year – Chase Burns
NCBWA Stopper of the Year Finalist – Redmond Walsh
SEC Coach of the Year – Tony Vitello
SEC Pitcher of the Year – Chase Dollander
SEC Freshman of the Year – Drew Beam
SEC Tournament MVP – Drew Gilbert
NCAA Knoxville Regional MOP – Jorel Ortega
Collegiate Baseball All-America Teams

CoSIDA Academic All-America Teams

All-SEC

SEC All-Tournament

NCAA Knoxville Regional All-Tournament

OPPONENT SCOUT

Notre Dame Fighting Irish

  • Record: 38-14 (16-11 ACC)
  • Head Coach: Link Jarrett (10th season)
  • Postseason Conference Honors:
    • All-ACC First Team
      • LHP John Michael Bertrand
    • All-ACC Third Team
      • OF Ryan Cole
  • Stat Leaders:
    • Batting Average: David LaManna (.359)
    • Runs: Carter Putz (49)
    • Hits: Carter Putz (71)
    • Home Runs: Jack Zyska/Brooks Coetzee (11)
    • RBI: C. Putz/J. Brannigan/B. Coetzee (42)
    • Stolen Bases: Ryan Cole (20)
    • Wins: John Michael Bertrand (9)
    • Saves: Ryan McLinsky/Alex Rao (3)
    • ERA (min. 25 IP): Jack Findlay (2.11)
    • WHIP (min. 25 IP): John Michael Bertrand (1.03)
    • Innings Pitched: John Michael Bertrand (99.0)
    • Strikeouts: John Michael Bertrand (103)

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.

Big Orange Watch Party

Tennessee athletics will host a Big Orange Watch Party for this weekend’s NCAA Knoxville Super Regional games against Notre Dame.

The watch party will be located in the green space just beyond the outfield wall down the right-field line of Lindsey Nelson Stadium between the GF1 and GF2 parking lots. CLICK HERE (PDF) for a map showing the location.

The new location for this year’s watch party is due to the current construction of Haslam Field as well as the street closure of Pat Head Summitt Street to create the extended concourse for ticketed fans.

This weekend’s watch party will feature a live big-screen game broadcast, tailgate games, a pep rally with the Tennessee Spirit Squads, DJ Sterl the Pearl, food trucks, face painting, a VolShop merchandise stand and more.

More details for the watch party are listed below:

  • Begins 90 minutes prior to first pitch each day
    • Friday at 4:30 p.m.
    • Saturday at 12:30 p.m.
    • Sunday TBD (If necessary)
  • Free Admission
  • Chairs, blankets, etc. will be permitted. Coolers, glass bottles and glass containers are prohibited.

Parking Info for Big Orange Watch Party

Fans attending the Big Orange Watch Party are encouraged to park for free in the G-7 Garage located at 2401 Volunteer Blvd. and walk down Volunteer Boulevard to Todd Helton Drive to access the watch party.

Additional parking will be located in lots GF5 – GF9 located on Fraternity Park Drive, which are located off of Volunteer Boulevard. Fans parking on Fraternity Park Drive may use the sidewalk between Sigma Phi Epsilon and Pi Kappa Phi to access the watch party.

ON DECK

Should Tennessee win the Knoxville Super Regional, it would advance to the 2022 College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska beginning the following weekend.

-UT Athletics

Vols SS Cortland Lawson / Credit: UT Athletics

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