99.1 The Sports Animal is proud to announce the return of Sports Animal SportsFest on Saturday, June 28th, 2025 at Knoxville Expo Center!
Sports Animal SportsFest
Saturday, June 28th, 2025
9:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Knoxville Expo Center
Tickets are $5.00 at door.
*Free Admission for Children 12 and Under
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Join us on Saturday, June 28th at the Knoxville Expo Center for Sports Animal SportsFest! This indoor festival celebrates all things sports! There will be multiple sports personalities doing Q&A’s, autograph signings, an awesome buy, sell, trade card show and more. Exhibitors will be on-site offering a fun-filled day for the entire family.
SportsFest has all your bases covered! Learn, play, watch or just get your picture with a VFL or other notable sports figure. From the novice sports fan to the diehards, SportsFest has something for everyone.
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More details coming soon…
Scheduled to appear…
Erik Ainge– VFL QB from 2004-2007 and spent two seasons with the New York Jets for 2008-2010 after being drafted in the sixth round of the NFL Draft in 2008. Sports Animal host of the Erik Ainge Show Weekdays from 9a-12pm on 99.1 FM.
Jayson Swain– VFL WR from 2003-2006 and NFL WR with the Chicago Bears in 2007. He is currently 6th all-time in UT history with 126 receptions. Swain is also 13th in career receiving yards with 1,721. Jayson also hosts the Josh & Swain show on 99.1 The Sports Animal from 12p-3p as well as his podcast The Swain Event.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee baseball legend Todd Helton is headed to Cooperstown after being selected for induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame, as revealed by the MLB Network on Tuesday evening.
In his sixth year eligible for selection, Helton appeared on 79.7 percent of the ballots from the Baseball Writers’ Association of America, surpassing the 75 percent threshold. He becomes just the second player in Southeastern Conference history to be voted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame, joining Auburn’s Frank Thomas (2014).
Selected with the eighth overall pick in the 1995 Major League Baseball Draft by Colorado, Helton spent his entire 17-year Major League career with the Rockies and is still the franchise leader in games played (2,247), runs scored (1,401), hits (2,519), doubles (592), home runs (369), RBI (1,406), total bases (4,292) and walks (1,335).
Helton was a five-time MLB All-Star (2000-04), four-time Sliver Slugger award winner (2000-03), three-time Gold Glove winner (2001, 2002, 2004) and won the National League batting title in 2000. He also helped lead the Rockies to their first and only World Series appearance in franchise history in 2007. Helton joins Larry Walker as the second Rockies’ player to be enshrined in Cooperstown.
Already a member of the Tennessee Baseball Hall of Fame (Class of 2008), the Tennessee Athletics Hall of Fame (Class of 2017) and the National College Baseball Hall of Fame (Class of 2021), Helton had arguably the most decorated and dominant career of any player in program history and is still considered one of the greatest two-way players to ever play at the collegiate level.
During his time on Rocky Top, Helton was a standout performer at the plate and on the mound, setting numerous program records during his storied career. The Knoxville native still sits atop UT’s record book in career RBI (238), walks (147) and saves (23). He also holds single-season records for runs batted in (92 in 1995), earned run average (0.89 in 1994) and saves (12 in 1995).
Helton earned a multitude of national awards and accolades during his three seasons on Rocky Top, including winning the 1995 Dick Howser Trophy and earning National Player of the Year honors by the American Baseball Coaches Association, Baseball America and Collegiate Baseball Newspaper. Helton was also named the 1995 SEC Player of the Year, a two-time first-team All-American (1994 & 1995) and a Freshman All-American (1993).
In his final season at UT, Helton helped lead the Volunteers to 1995 SEC regular season and tournament titles, as well as their first Men’s College World Series appearance in 44 years.
“What Todd Helton did for the Colorado Rockies organization is nothing short of legendary,” Tennessee baseball head coach Tony Vitello said. “Nonetheless, folks here think just as highly of all he has accomplished in our great state. What he has done in this community prior to, during and after his time on Rocky Top may never be duplicated.
“He went from being a local superstar in high school to being a hometown representative for the University of Tennessee here in Knoxville. As many I’m sure have mentioned, he was not just a two-way standout on the baseball field but also a legit two-sport athlete. Athleticism helped create those opportunities, but extreme competitiveness helped fuel his success. Ever since his days of success in Major League Baseball have concluded, he has given back to UT in every way you can possibly imagine. He truly deserves every bit of love he receives from Vol Nation.”
The official induction ceremony for the 2024 Hall of Fame selections will take place in Cooperstown, New York on July 21.
For more information on Helton’s Hall of Fame selection and this year’s National Baseball Hall of Fame Class, click HERE.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The University of Tennessee announced Wednesday that its men’s basketball game today against Alabama will be dubbed an “Orange Out.”
Fans are encouraged to arrive early and wear orange Tennessee attire to Food City Center for the matchup. Doors to the arena open at 12:30 p.m. and tip-off is set for 2 p.m.
In addition, the first 2,000 students in attendance will receive an “Orange Out” shirt for the matchup between a pair of teams in the top seven nationally in NET, KenPom, ESPN BPI and BartTorvik metrics rankings.
The contest between No. 6/7 Tennessee (13-4, 3-1 SEC) and Alabama (12-5, 4-0 SEC) is sold out and will be televised live on ESPN2. It is the third of six confirmed sellouts at Food City Center this season, a new venue record for the Volunteers.
Limited tickets are still available for just three remaining home games. Fans can buy their seats for the Jan. 30 contest against South Carolina HERE, the Feb. 7 outing versus LSU HERE and the Feb. 17 meeting with Vanderbilt HERE.
To keep up with the University of Tennessee men’s basketball team on social media, follow @Vol_Hoops on Instagram and X/Twitter, as well as /tennesseebasketball on Facebook.
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KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Behind dominant pitching from sophomore Sage Mardjetko and a clutch home run from senior Sophia Nugent, No. 7 Tennessee punched its ticket to a third consecutive NCAA Super Regional with a 5-0 win over Ohio State on Sunday at Sherri Parker Lee Stadium.
With the shutout victory, the Lady Vols (43-14) completed a 3-0 weekend in the Knoxville Regional, defeating Miami (Ohio) on Friday and taking down Ohio State on both Saturday and Sunday. This marks Tennessee’s 14th Super Regional appearance in program history and its first time advancing to the round three years in a row since 2017–19.
For the first time in program history, the Lady Vols will host Super Regionals for a third consecutive year.
Mardjetko was electric in the circle, tossing five scoreless innings against one of the nation’s top offenses. The right-hander allowed just two hits and two walks while striking out five to improve to 12-2 on the season. Junior Karlyn Pickens entered in relief in the sixth and recorded the final six outs, striking out five to notch her third save.
The duo combined to shut out the Buckeyes (45-14-1) for just the second time this season.
Tennessee broke a scoreless tie in the sixth when Nugent launched a two-out, two-run homer off the left-field foul pole — her 16th of the season. The momentum continued with a walk to McKenna Gibson, followed by an RBI double from Laura Mealer that scored pinch runner Zoie Shuler from first and pushed the lead to 3-0.
The Lady Vols added two more in the seventh. Gabby Leach led off with a solo shot to right, and Ella Dodge followed with a double before scoring on a Saviya Morgan RBI single to right.
CHECK THE STATS With a perfect weekend, Tennessee improved to 94-48 all-time in the NCAA tournament and 57-18 in regional play.
Mealer led the offense, going 5-for-7 with four runs scored, six RBIs, a double and a grand slam over the weekend. Leach (.429), Gibson (.429), and Morgan (.400) also hit over .400 in the regional.
Nugent finished 3-for-8 with three runs scored, a double, two home runs and seven RBIs across the three games.
DUE UP Tennessee awaits the winner of the Baton Rouge Regional between Nebraska and Southeastern Louisiana. Dates and times for the Super Regional will be announced by the NCAA.
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – No. 12/17 Tennessee once again jumped out to an early lead but struggled in the middle innings to drop Saturday’s series and regular-season finale by a score of 8-4 against No. 5/8 Arkansas at Baum-Walker Stadium.
Andrew Fischer was force again for the Vols (41-15, 16-14 SEC) and stuffed the stat sheet by finishing 3-for-4 with a walk, a run scored, a double, a home run and three RBIs. His two-run blast in the sixth inning was his 22nd of the year, which leads the SEC.
Ryder Helfrick homered and drove in five runs to lead the Razorbacks (43-12, 20-10 SEC), including a grand slam in the third inning that gave them a 6-2 lead they would not relinquish.
Tegan Kuhns pitched better than his final line would indicate but was stuck with the loss after giving up five runs (four earned) on three hits and three walks over just two innings of work.
A tough balk call on a pickoff attempt at first base that would have resulted in an out, followed by an error and two straight walks, kickstarted Arkansas five-run third inning and ended Kuhns’ day early.
The bullpen duo of Brayden Krenzel and Brandon Arvidson did well to stop the bleeding and keep UT in the game with five combined solid innings of relief. Krenzel finished with five strikeouts and allowed just one run on one hit over 2.2 innings before handing things over the Arvidson, who pitched 2.1 scoreless frames while retiring all six batters he faced to go along with a career-high tying four strikeouts.
Gage Wood got the win for the Razorbacks after striking out seven and allowing two runs on seven hits over three innings while Will McEntire secured his second save with 3.2 hitless innings to finish the game.
Up Next – SEC Tournament
Following Saturday’s results around the league, Tennessee will enter next week’s SEC Tournament in Hoover, Alabama as the No. 8 seed and play its opening game on Wednesday at 9:30 a.m. local time (10:30 a.m. ET) against the winner of Tuesday’s first-round game between nine-seed Alabama and 16-seed Missouri.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Junior Karlyn Pickens delivered a dominant performance Saturday as No. 7 Tennessee topped Ohio State, 4-2, at Sherri Parker Lee Stadium to secure a spot in the Knoxville Regional final.
Pickens threw her 20th complete game in Saturday’s win, improving to 22-8 on the year. The flamethrower allowed two runs – one earned – on five hits with two walks and 10 strikeouts. Pickens has registered double-digit strikeouts in 11 outings this season, including four of her last seven appearances.
Tennessee (42-14) was balanced at the plate, with eight different Lady Vols recording a hit as part of a nine-hit afternoon. Senior Kinsey Fiedler led the charge, going 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored.
The Lady Vols struck early as Fiedler led off the bottom of the first with a double to right and advanced to third on a groundout. Taylor Pannell then drove in her 62nd RBI of the season with a sacrifice fly, giving UT a 1-0 lead.
Tennessee added a run in the fourth on a clutch RBI single up the middle by Gabby Leach, scoring Laura Mealer.
A two-run fifth provided key insurance. With two on, Sophia Nugent lifted a sacrifice fly to center, allowing Saviya Morgan to tag and score. Mealer followed with a two-out RBI single to push the lead to 4-0.
Ohio State (44-13-1) rallied with two outs in the sixth, scoring a pair of runs on three hits and an error. But Pickens shut the door in the seventh, striking out two and inducing a flyout to strand a runner in scoring position.
CHECK THE STATS Tennessee held Ohio State – the nation’s top home run-hitting team – without a long ball on Saturday. It is the first time OSU has not hit a home run since April 26.
The Lady Vols are now 93-48 all-time in the NCAA Tournament and 56-18 in regional play.
DUE UP Tennessee will play again on Sunday at noon ET against the winner of Game 5 of the Knoxville Regional.
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – No. 12/17 Tennessee fell to No. 5/8 Arkansas, 8-6, in a back-and-forth battle on Friday night at sold-out Baum-Walker Stadium to set up a rubber game in Saturday afternoon’s regular-season finale.
The Volunteers (41-14, 16-13 SEC) finished with double-digit hits for the fifth straight game but also left 10 runners on base. That, along with a fifth-inning error, proved costly for the Big Orange.
UT had a pair of early leads, but an uncharacteristically tough day for starter Liam Doyle was too much to overcome against one of the country’s best lineups.
Doyle posted his seventh double-digit strikeout performance but gave up a season-high eight runs (six earned) on 11 hits in 4.2 innings to fall to 9-3 on the year.
Cannon Peebles plated the game’s first run with a two-out RBI single in the top of the second inning, but the Razorbacks responded immediately with three runs in the bottom of the inning to take a 3-1 lead.
Tennessee punched right back with three runs of its own in the top of the third, getting RBI hits from Dalton Bargo and Peebles, who finished with a game-high three RBIs on the night.
Arkansas (42-12, 19-10 SEC) took the lead right back with a two-run homer from Ryder Helfrick in the bottom of the third and extended its advantage with a solo shot from Logan Maxwell in the fourth inning.
The biggest blow, however, came in the fifth when the Hogs scored their final two runs of the game after a throwing error with two outs resulted in a run and extended the inning, allowing for another RBI single to give Arkansas a four-run lead.
Levi Clark went deep in the seventh to cut the deficit to two, but his two-run homer was the final runs UT would score on the night.
The Big Orange had the tying run on base in the eighth but grounded into an inning-ending double play to end the threat. Dean Curley, who had another multi-hit game, drew a one-out walk in the ninth to bring the tying run to the plate, but Razorbacks’ reliever Christian Foutch struck out Reese Chapman and got Clark to fly out to center field to slam the door and earn his fourth save.
The Vols’ bullpen held the Hogs scoreless over their final three innings of at-bats as Austin Breedlove, Brandon Arvidson and Tanner Franklin combined for 3.1 innings of scoreless baseball while allowing just two hits over that span.
Doyle Continues Chase for Strikeout Record
Despite his disappointing outing, Doyle moved into a tie for third on UT’s single-season strikeouts list after punching out 10 Razorbacks on Friday night. His 137 strikeouts on the year have matched Vols’ legend R.A. Dickey’s total from 1996. Doyle is just 17 strikeouts shy of Luke Hochevar’s single-season program record of 154 in 2005.
Another Productive Night for Fisch
Junior first baseman Andrew Fischer continued his hot streak with a three-hit night, including a pair of doubles and a run scored. The New Jersey native has now reached base safely in all 55 games this season.
Up Next
Tennessee will play its seventh straight rubber game when it faces off against Arkansas in Saturday’s series finale, which will begin at 3 p.m. ET on the SEC Network.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – A third-inning offensive outburst powered No. 7 Tennessee to a dominant 17-0 run-rule victory over Miami (Ohio) on Friday at Sherri Parker Lee Stadium in the opening round of the NCAA Knoxville Regional.
The Lady Vols (41-14) plated 11 runs in the third inning, recording their largest margin of victory and highest run total in NCAA Tournament history. The win marks Tennessee’s 18th run-rule victory of the season and ninth by double digits.
Senior McKenna Gibson ignited the scoring with a solo home run in the second inning—her 44th career blast, tying her with LVFL Madison Shipman for fifth-most in program history. Emma Clarke followed with an RBI double to give UT a 2-0 lead.
The third inning saw Tennessee bat around, highlighted by Clarke’s two-run double, a three-run homer from Gabby Leach, and a grand slam by Laura Mealer. The Lady Vols also added runs via a hit-by-pitch and a bases-loaded walk.
In the fourth, Saviya Morgan drove in a run with a single before Sophia Nugent launched a three-run shot.
IN THE CIRCLE Karlyn Pickens (21-8) earned the win, pitching three scoreless innings while striking out six and allowing just two hits and a walk. Sophomore Sage Mardjetko closed out the final two frames, surrendering one hit and one walk while fanning two.
CHECK THE STATS Gibson’s second-inning home run moved her into a tie for fifth on Tennessee’s all-time list.
Nugent notched her ninth double of the season, a career high.
Tennessee broke its previous NCAA Tournament scoring record of 12 runs, which it had achieved six times since 2014.
DUE UP Tennessee will take on Ohio State in the winner’s bracket game on Saturday. First pitch is slated for noon ET.
Sevierville, TN (WOKI) A Knoxville man, accused of breaking into several cars in the New Center community of Sevier County, is facing a slew of charges.
Officials with the Sevier County Sheriff’s Office say 44-year-old Brian Underwood was found thanks to “outstanding cooperation from the community.”
“This development led to a joint investigation between the Sevier County Sheriff’s Office, the Knox County Sheriff’s Office and the Sevierville Police Department,” Sheriff Michael Hodges said.
Underwood has been charged with:
Seven counts of car burglary
Vandalism
Credit / debit card fraud
Forgery
Theft
“Thank you to the folks from the New Center Community for their continued cooperation, which assisted in the apprehension of the person responsible for these crimes,” Hodges said. “Our Detectives worked diligently to solve these cases, and we are grateful for the assistance of our partner agencies.”
Underwood is being held at the Sevier County Jail.
The case centers on 44-year-old Brian Underwood, who Sheriff Michael Hodges said was found thanks to “outstanding cooperation from the community.” (Courtesy: SCSO)
Nashville, TN (WOKI) A verdict has been reached in the corruption trial against former Tennessee Speaker of the House Glen Casada and his former chief of staff, Cade Cothren.
The jury Friday morning finding Cothren guilty on all charges which include federal counts of conspiracy, public corruption by fraud, bribery and name concealment, and money laundering. Casada was found guilty on most charges, excluding two fraud charges.
“Tennesseans have a right to expect honest services from their elected leaders and their staffs,” said Robert E. McGuire, Acting United States Attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee. “Our office will continue to pursue justice on behalf of our community in cases involving public corruption and fraud committed by elected officials or their staffs. We believe that Tennesseans deserve no less.”
“Elected officials and their staff members have a duty to act honestly and ethically when serving the public,” said Joseph E. Carrico of the FBI Nashville Field Office. “Using public office for personal gain is a crime and the FBI is committed to holding those who abuse power accountable and protecting public resources.”
According to the government’s case, in 2020 more than $51,000 in state constituent mail payments were funneled to Cothren through his company, Phoenix Solutions, with Casada and Cothren getting more than $35,000 in bribes and kickbacks.
A grand jury indicted the pair in August of 2022.
The jury reached the verdicts against the former Tennessee Speaker of the House and his former chief of staff on Friday morning. (Credit: Frankly Media)
Knox County has a new neighborhood of affordable energy efficient homes.
The ribbon cut for Harvest Meadow on Babelay Road was yesterday (Thursday). It is bringing 264 single-family homes to the area and 12 homes are completel.
Kevin Clayton with Clayton Homes is helping to make this happen and he says these homes have been an 8 year process to get up and running will start around $300,000.
The median rate right now for this type of home is around $420,000.
Developers say these homes are not only less expensive, they’re built energy efficient to help with those monthly bills.
Knoxville, TN (WOKI) At approximately 5:45 this (Thursday) evening, Knox County Communications District E911 received a call that a house at 1635 Dora Street was on fire. Before crews arrived, they could see heavy black smoke in the area. Upon arrival, the first Engine on scene saw heavy smoke and fire coming from the rear corner of the house.
Crews were able to make entry and attack the fire quickly. It was reported by the caller that the home was unoccupied.
The fire was deemed knocked down by 6:20.
The fire was contained mostly to the rear of the home. Due to the condition of the structure, the house is uninhabitable. There was a significant amount of fire, water and smoke damage.
There were no injuries to report and the home is more than likely a complete loss.
