Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes spoke to the media after the Auburn Tigers won at the Volunteers 85-63 Saturday afternoon.

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – No. 11 Tennessee was unable to overcome a slow start in a 5-4 loss to open its weekend series against Wright State on Friday at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.

The loss was the Vols’ first of the 2020 season after starting the year 13-0.

Sophomore infielder Jake Rucker led Tennessee (13-1) at the plate with three hits, a run and an RBI while Alerick Soularie was the only other Vol with multiple hits, finishing the day 2-for-5 with a run and an RBI.

Chad Dallas got the start but was chased after 4.1 innings after allowing three runs on seven hits. Sean Hunley was effective in his 3.1 innings of relief, allowing one run on four hits while striking out three.

Redmond Walsh was the hard-luck loser for the Vols, falling to 1-1 on the year after giving up an unearned run in the top of the ninth inning.

Jake Schrand got the win for Wright State (4-8) after striking out five in three innings of relief. Raiders’ starting pitcher Daniel Kreuzer did well to keep UT’s hitters off balance during his five innings of work, allowing just two runs on four hits to the nation’s highest-scoring offense.

Connor Pavolony gave UT a 1-0 lead in the second inning with a solo home run to straightaway center field. It was the fourth of the year for the Vols’ sophomore catcher, who is now tied for the team lead in homers.

However, the Raiders were able to hold Tennessee’s potent lineup in check after Pavolony’s homer and scored the game’s next three runs to take a 3-1 lead into the bottom of the fifth. Jay Luikart doubled in a run to tie the game in the third before Zane Harris hit a 2-run single into center field to put Wright State ahead in the fifth.

UT responded with a run in the bottom of the fifth to cut the deficit to one, but the Raiders regained their two-run advantage on an RBI groundout by Alex Alders in the seventh.

It looked like the Big Orange would earn their third comeback win of the year after scoring a pair of runs in the bottom of the eighth to tie the game at four, but UT ended up leaving the bases loaded to end the inning. Soularie and Luc Lipcius both drove in runs for the Orange and White in the inning to tie the game.

Wright State took advantage of a UT error and scored an unearned run in the top of the ninth as Alders singled to center field to drive in Gehrig Anglin for what turned out to be the game-winning run. The Vols went down in order in the bottom of the ninth to end the game.

Tennessee will look to bounce back tomorrow in game two of the series. First pitch is slated for 2 p.m.

Notable
Win Streak Ends at 13
Tennessee’s 13-game win streak to start the year was snapped on Friday. This was the second straight year that the Vols started the season with a double-digit win streak after going 15-0 to start 2019.

Home Run Streak Continues
One streak did continue on Friday thanks to Pavolony’s solo home run in the second inning. Tennessee has hit at least one homer in all 11 of its home games this season.

Box Score (PDF) | Season Stats (PDF) | VIDEO: Vitello Postgame | VIDEO: Rucker Postgame

-UT Athletics

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee men’s basketball team returns home to Thompson-Boling Arena for its regular-season finale in a Saturday afternoon contest with SEC rival Auburn. Tipoff from Knoxville is set for Noon ET on ESPN2.

Prior to tipoff, seniors Lamonte Turner and Jordan Bowden will be honored during UT’s senior day ceremony

Saturday’s game can be seen on ESPN2, online through WatchESPN and on any mobile device through the ESPN App. Fans can access WatchESPN at espn.com/watch. Mike Morgan and Jimmy Dykes will have the call.

Fans can also listen live on their local Vol Network affiliate to hear Bob Kesling and Bert Bertlekamp describing the action.

Last time out, the Vols used a dominant second half to battle past Kentucky inside Rupp Arena, 81-73. Junior All-SEC candidate and SEC Community Service Team member John Fulkerson, led the Vols with a career-high 27 points, knocking down 10-of-15 attempts from the field, while also finishing a perfect 7-of-7 from the foul line.

Freshman Josiah-Jordan James was huge in the second half for UT, scoring all 16 of his season-high point output in the contest’s second frame, shooting 5-of-9 from the field, pulling in seven rebounds and dishing off five assists.

A victory on Saturday would end UT’s four-game losing skid against Auburn and give the Vols four wins over top-25 opponents this season.

Up next, Tennessee will travel Nashville to take part in the 2020 SEC Tournament. The Vols are set to begin play on Thursday with a time and an opponent to be determined following the conclusion of Saturday’s SEC contests.

THE SERIES
• Tennessee leads its all-time series with Auburn, 78-42, dating to 1927.
• The Vols have a 48-8 edge when the series is played in Knoxville.
• Tennessee has won 11 of the last 16 meetings in the series.
• The Tigers won this season’s first meeting back on Feb. 22 by a score of 73-66 at Auburn Arena.

A WIN WOULD…
• Give Tennessee a three-game win streak to end the regular season (against teams who occupied the top three spots in the SEC standings last Saturday morning when this three-game stretch began).
• Snap UT’s four-game losing skid in this series.
• Give the Vols four wins this season over top-25 opponents.

STORYLINES
• Senior guards Lamonté Turner and Jordan Bowden will be honored Saturday during a pregame Senior Day ceremony.
• The Vols are 3-1 on Tennessee’s Senior Day during the Barnes era.
• Tennessee ranks fourth nationally in average home attendance, drawing 18,854 fans per game this season.
• UT is holding opponents to 58.1 points per game at Thompson-Boling Arena this season.
• In SEC home games, junior forward John Fulkerson leads the Vols in scoring (15.4 ppg), rebounding (6.9 rpg) and field-goal percentage (.614).
• Josiah-Jordan James had a plus/minus of +19 Tuesday at Kentucky and controlled the second half.
• During SEC play, freshmen account for 40.0 percent of Tennessee’s total minutes played.

LAYUP LINES
• During SEC play, Tennessee leads the league in blocks (5.7 bpg) and owns the conference’s best scoring defense (66.7 ppg).
• SEC Defensive Player of the Year candidate Yves Pons has blocked at least one shot in every game this season.
• Yves Pons leads the SEC and ranks 24th nationally with 2.4 bpg. His 2.4 bpg during SEC play also leads the league.
• Barring injury or illness, senior guard Jordan Bowden will finish his career in the top five on Tennessee’s list for career games played. Saturday will be the 132nd game in which he’s appeared—tying him with former teammate and current NBA rookie Admiral Schofield for fifth-most all-time.
• Saturday will be Jordan Bowden’s 99th career start. Only 13 Vols have ever logged 100 starts.

ABOUT AUBURN
• Auburn is coming off consecutive losses for the third time this season after falling on the road at Kentucky (73-66) on Saturday and at home against Texas A&M (78-75) Wednesday night. The Tigers’ loss on Wednesday was their first home defeat of the season. Auburn currently sits at 24-6 (11-6 SEC).
• As the regular season comes to a close on Saturday, the Tigers have already clinched a double-bye to the quarterfinals of next week’s SEC Tournament in Nashville. Auburn is the defending SEC Tournament Champion after winning four games in four days at last year’s event.
• On offense, Auburn is led by senior guard Samir Doughty. Doughty’s 16.2 ppg not only leads the Tigers, but also ranks 10th in the SEC. This year he has been a consistent threat, scoring 20+ points on 10 different occasions, while pouring in a career-high 33 points back in November.
• Underneath the rim is Auburn’s senior center Austin Wiley. Wiley leads the Tigers and ranks second in the SEC in rebounding with 9.3 boards per game. He’s also been a force on the defensive end, ranking fifth in the SEC with 1.6 blocks per game. Along with crashing the glass, he has also been an effective scorer, recording 13 double-doubles this season.
• Since returning from injury in Auburn’s win over Ole Miss, the Tigers’ second-leading scorer and rebounder, Isaac Okoro, has made an instant impact, averaging 11.3 points per game in those contests.
• The Auburn football team was coached by the famous John Heisman, the namesake of college football’s premier individual award, from 1895-1899.

LAST TIME VS. AUBURN
•  A career-high 28 points from senior Jordan Bowden wasn’t enough to push the Tennessee men’s basketball team past 13th-ranked Auburn, as the Vols fell, 73-66, inside Auburn Arena on Feb. 22, 2020.
•  Bowden scored his 28 points on 9-of-12 shooting from the field, and he was 7-of-7 from the foul line. He also added a game-high six assists to his already stuffed stat line.
•  Junior Yves Pons was efficient on the boards, pulling in a game-high 10 rebounds, with five of them coming on the offensive glass.
•  After a slow start from the Vols and three early baskets from Auburn, Tennessee ripped off a 15-6 run, during which UT held the Tigers without a field goal for more than five minutes of game action. The run gave the Vols an 18-14 lead at the under-12 media timeout.
•  As the half wore on, the Vols were balanced on offense and used timely stops to take a 41-33 lead into the halftime break. UT was propelled by 17 first-half points from Bowden.
•  Out of the break, hot shooting from the Vols allowed them to increase their lead to as many as 17 points in the second half’s opening six minutes.
•  Auburn responded, cutting into the Vols’ lead to bring the score to 54-47 in favor of the Orange & White at the period’s midpoint.
•  At the under-eight media timeout, the Tigers rode a 20-2 run to take a slim 57-56 lead, holding the Vols without a bucket for nearly seven minutes.
•  With less than two minutes remaining and the score knotted at 64, a 9-2 run, pushed the Tigers past UT.

MEMORABLE VOL PERFORMANCES AGAINST AUBURN
• Carl Widseth made a then-school-record 17 free throws on The Plains against the Tigers en route to another school record, 47 points, on Feb. 25, 1956, in a 91-87 Tennessee triumph.
• Dalen Showalter recorded a double-double with 27 points and 13 rebounds as the unranked Vols upset No. 2 Auburn, 56-55, at UT’s Armory Fieldhouse on Feb. 23, 1959.
• Playing a team four times in a calendar year is rare. In 1979, UT played a home-and-home series with Auburn. They met again in the 1979 SEC Tournament. The first game of the 1979-80 series was played in December. The Vols were 4-0 vs. Auburn in 1979 (Feb. 2 & 7, March 2, Dec. 12).
• Tony White broke UT’s single-game scoring record with 51 points against the Tigers in Stokely Athletics Center on Valentine’s Day 1987. UT won 103-84.

THE INCREDIBLE (ALL-SEC) FULK
• Junior forward John Fulkerson is playing at an All-SEC level in his first year as a starter, and the numbers back it up.
• He ranks second in the SEC and 11th nationally with a .616 field-goal percentage this season.
• Fulkerson has drawn 46 fouls over UT’s last six games (7.7 fdpg).
• He is 20-for-30 from the field over UT’s last two games (wins over Florida and Kentucky), averaging 24.5 ppg. In those wins, he has battled head-to-head against the preseason SEC Player of the Year (Kerry Blackshear) and a leading candidate for actual SEC Player of the Year honors (Nick Richards).
• Fulkerson is averaging a team-best 1.66 points per shot this season.

DIVING INTO TENNESSEE’S UPSET WIN OVER #6 KENTUCKY
• Prior to Tennessee’s 81-73 win at sixth-ranked Kentucky Tuesday, the Wildcats were 129-0 over the last 10 seasons when leading by double digits at halftime. That mark was blemished when UT rallied from an 11-point halftime deficit—and a 17-point deficit at the 17:31 mark in the second half—to win.
• The win made Rick Barnes the first coach to lead Tennessee to multiple wins at Rupp Arena. He also became the first UT coach to log multiple wins over the Wildcats in Lexington since Ray Mears (four).
• With Tuesday’s win, Tennessee has now won six of the last nine meetings in the series, and Kentucky was ranked in the top 10 for four of those wins.

BOWDEN’S SUCCESS VS. BORDER RIVAL KENTUCKY UNCOMMON
• Senior guard Jordan Bowden is 6-4 against Kentucky during his career and stands as one of only three Vols ever to play in six or more wins over the rival Wildcats.
• Terry Crosby (1975-79) played in seven wins over UK, while Bowden and Johnny Darden (1975-79) played in six.
• Bowden averaged 30.1 minutes and started seven of the 10 meetings. He averaged 7.8 points and 3.8 rebounds and totaled 12 assists, three blocks and nine steals against UK.
• Bowden and junior teammates John Fulkerson, Yves Pons and Jacob Fleschman are among only 12 all-time Vols who played for teams that won multiple games at Kentucky’s Rupp Arena.

-UT Athletics

SCHEDULE NOTE: Friday’s game has been moved to a 4 p.m. start. The game was originally slated to begin at 6:30 p.m.

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The high-scoring Tennessee baseball team is back in action at home this weekend as the 11^th-ranked Vols host Wright State Friday-Sunday at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.

The Big Orange enter the series unbeaten at 13-0 after a midweek thrashing of Longwood. UT is one of only four undefeated teams remaining in college baseball.

Broadcast Info
All three games will be streamed on WatchESPN.com and the ESPN app. Joel Silverberg will have the call for Friday’s contest, while Vince Ferrara will call the action on Saturday and Sunday.

Fans can also listen to the games on UTSports.com and the UT Gameday app.

Projected Starting Pitchers
Game 1: RHP Chad Dallas (3 GS, 3-0, 1.59 ERA) vs. RHP Daniel Kreuzer (3 GS, 0-3, 7.04 ERA)
Game 2: TBD vs. RHP Bradley Brehmer (3 GS, 0-3, 8.36 ERA)
Game 3: RHP Chase Wallace (3 GS, 1-0, 3.21 ERA) vs. RHP Austin Cline (3 GS, 1-2, 7.90 ERA)

Series History vs. Wright State
Overall: UT leads, 1-0
In Knoxville: UT leads, 1-0
In Dayton: N/A
Neutral Sites: N/A
Last Meeting: W, 16-4 (March 20, 2007)

Notable
Vols Rank Among the Nation’s Leaders
Tennessee enters this weekend ranked among the nation’s leaders in a handful of statistical categories. The Vols rank among the top 25 in the country in each of the following categories:

Offense

• Batting Average: .325 (12^th)
• Doubles: 32 (9^th)
• Hits: 149 (4^th)
• Home Runs: 24 (1^st)
• On-Base Percentage: .458 (3^rd)
• Runs: 153 (1^st)
• Runs/Game: 11.8 (1^st)
• Slugging Percentage: .560 (4^th)
• Stolen Bases: 26 (14^th)
• Walks: 109 (1^st)

Pitching

• ERA: 1.46 (3^rd)
• Hits Allowed/Nine Innings: 5.54 (6^th)
• Shutouts: 3 (4^th)
• Strikeout-to-Walk Ratio: 5.63 (2^nd)
• WHIP: 0.82 (2^nd)
• Walks Allowed/Nine Innings: 1.85 (2^nd)

Here Come the Vols
Tennessee moved up or into all of the major college baseball polls this week after posting a 5-0 record last week. The Vols debuted at No. 11 in the USA Today Top 25 poll, their highest ranking in any poll since being ranked No. 11 in Baseball America’s 2007 preseason poll.

UT entered play this week ranked No. 16 by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper (up seven spots), No. 16 by the NCBWA (up eight spots), No. 17 by Perfect game (up two spots) and No. 20 by D1Baseball.com (up four spots). The Big Orange also made their season debut in Baseball America’s poll, coming in at No. 18.

Historic Home Run Pace
UT has come out of the gates swinging this season with a nation-leading 24 home runs through 13 games this season. The Vols have hit multiple home runs in 11 of their 13 games and have hit more homers (24) than runs have been scored against them (22).

Tennessee hit 11 home runs in five games last week with eight different players going deep. In total, 13 different players have already hit a home run for the Vols this season.

Precision Pitching
The Vols’ pitching staff has been every bit as impressive as the offense so far this season, leading the SEC in ERA (1.46), strikeout-to-walk ration (5.63), WHIP (0.82) and walks allowed per nine innings (1.85).

Over five games last week, UT’s pitching staff posted a 1.00 ERA and allowed just six runs (five earned) over 45.0 innings. The staff held opposing hitters to a .184 batting average and had 43 strikeouts while issuing just six walks.

The bullpen was even more dominant than the starting pitching, allowing just two runs and one walk while striking out 23 batters in 26.1 innings pitched. In UT’s series sweep of George Washington, the bullpen did not allow a single run or walk in 14.0 innings and racked up nine strikeouts.

Soularie Starting to Heat Up
After a slow start to the season, Tennessee preseason All-American Alerick Soularie has started to heat up over the past few weeks. The Houston native ranked second on the team with a .412 batting average last week, racking up seven hits, five runs scored, two homers and five RBI. In Tuesday’s midweek win over Longwood, Soularie hit his third home run of the year and finished the night with two hits, three runs and four RBI.

Opponent Scout
Wright State Raiders (3-8)

• 2019 Record: 42-17 (22-8 Horizon League)
• 2019 Postseason: N/A
• Head Coach: Alex Sogard (2^nd season) // Was named Horizon League Coach of the Year during his first season at the helm in 2019 after leading the Raiders to a regular-season conference title.
• Wright State was picked to finish second in the Horizon League Preseason Poll.
• Tennessee will be the third SEC opponents for the Raiders already this season. They were swept by Mississippi State to open the year and were also swept by Auburn last weekend.
• One of Wright State’s three wins on the year was against then No. 1 Louisville, 10-3, on Feb. 19.
• The Raiders returned 21 players from last season’s team, including sophomore infielder Tyler Black, who was named to the 2019 Horizon League First Team and All-Freshman Team after hitting .353 with 11 doubles, seven home runs and 41 RBI. They also return Horizon League All-Freshman team honoree Damon Dues, who hit .307 with 14 extra base hits and 33 RBI in 2019.
• Redshirt junior outfielder Quincy Hamilton leads the team with a .357 batting average, 15 hits, one home run and seven RBI entering this weekend’s series.
• Wright State’s pitching has struggled so far this season. The Raiders have a 6.56 team ERA and their projected weekend rotation on Daniel Kreuzer, Bradley Brehmer and Austin Cline are a combined 1-8 so far this season.

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

ALL SERIES

• Second Harvest Weekend: Free general admission ticket with the donation of two (2) canned food items.

FRIDAY

• Free Food Friday: First 75 students will get free Chick-fil-A.
• Student Rewards Swipe In:  On the plaza down the right-field line.
• Dads & Daughters Day: Delta Gamma and Kappa Kappa Gamma

SATURDAY

• BASEketball: Free admission to the baseball game if you show your men’s basketball ticket for the game versus Auburn.

SUNDAY

• Kids Day: All kids 12 and under receive free admission. Run the bases and get postgame autographs from select players (weather permitting).
• First 50 kids in attendance will receive a free Kids Combo meal.

On Deck
The Vols will wrap up their 10-game homestand with a midweek matchup against in-state foe ETSU on Tuesday, March 10 at 6 p.m. General admission tickets for the game are just $2 as part of our year-long $2 Tuesday promotion. Get your tickets at AllVols.com.

Gameday/Stadium Policies & Information
All of the information listed below and more can be found on the Tennessee Baseball Gameday Information page HERE.

Parking
Baseball parking is located primarily in Lots GF3, GF4, and S23 at the Haslam Music Center. Lots C1, C22 and G16 are available only on dates that Thompson-Boling Arena and Neyland Stadium have no scheduled events.

Additional street parking is located in C10 along Todd Helton Drive and Chamique Holdsclaw Drive, as well as along West Volunteer Blvd.

Parking for MVP ticket holders is located in Lots GF1 and GF2.

Handicap parking is located in marked handicap spaces on Pat Head Summitt Street and in the G16 Volunteer Blvd garage.

A parking map for the 2020 season can be found by clicking HERE.

Beer Sales Policy
New this season, beer will be sold at Lindsey Nelson Stadium. Protocol for beer sales will be consistent with all other on-campus venues that have sold alcohol this season.

For more information, click HERE.

Clear Bag Policy
In an effort to enhance safety and expedite fan entry at Tennessee athletic events, UT has implemented a clear bag policy at Lindsey Nelson Stadium and all other athletic facilities. Only one clear bag no larger than 12 inches by 6 inches by 12 inches (gallon size) per person is permitted. Fans are also allowed a small clutch purse not exceeding 4.5 inches by 6.5 inches. Gates will open until 90 minutes prior to game time.

-UT Athletics