Wade Bowen scored one of the best albums of 2018 with the release of Solid Ground, an 11-song offering that was produced by Keith Gattis. The gritty collection of tunes—Wade co-wrote 10—serves as a love letter to his home state of Texas by incorporating many of his musical influences, everyone from Guy Clark to ZZ Top.
“This song has always been on the back burner for me waiting for an album,” says Wade. “I’ve loved this song since Sean McConnell and I wrote it. It was a tad too happy for the record for the original release but I feel it was maybe the best song on the album. Sometimes we have to cut our favorites to make the album make sense. I’m glad this song is finally being heard by the world. Love the lyrics and maybe my favorite melody I’ve ever had the pleasure writing.”
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – No. 12-seeded Tennessee came out on top, 2-0, in yet another pitcher’s duel against North Carolina in the NCAA Knoxville Regional final on Sunday to advance to the program’s 11th Super Regional.
Caylan Arnold spun a gem of a shutout in the circle, throwing 6.0 innings to pick up her 10th win of the season. In the seventh inning, the Orange and White called on Matty Moss to deliver one final shutout frame.
In the start, Arnold allowed just four hits and struck out six while Moss earned her fourth save of the year and fanned two of her three batters. The duo did not allow a runner to advance past second base.
At the plate, Tennessee was led by Kaili Phillips (2-for-2) and Aubrey Leach(2-for-3) who each totaled two hits while Ashley Morgan came up clutch in a key situation, drilling a two-RBI single to center field to give UT the lead.
The Lady Vols (42-15) went 4-1 on the weekend to advance to the Gainesville Super Regional where they will face the Florida Gators this coming weekend. To start SEC play back in March, UT took the series at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium and looks to repeat for a tip to the 2019 Women’s College World Series.
After a quiet first inning, North Carolina moved runners into scoring position in the second and third frame. The Tarheels relied on a hit-by-pitch and bunt single to get runners on. In both situations, UNC then sacrifice bunted the runners to second but was held scoreless by UT.
Likewise, the Lady Vols moved runners into scoring position in the bottom of those two frames.
In the second stanza, Haley Bearden hit a one-out single to center and advanced to second on one of Phillips’ singles before the inning ended with a strikeout. Again, with one out in the third, Tennessee put runners on second and third thanks to back-to-back hits from Leach and Jenna Holcomb. The pair was left stranded as a strikeout and flyout to left were recorded.
In the fifth inning, the Lady Vols broke open the shutout, scoring two runs on two hits. Holcomb first reached base on a fielder’s choice and then advanced to second on Chelsea Seggern’s walk. With runners on first and second, Ashley Morgan roped a two-RBI double center field, giving Tennessee its first lead of the day.
It wasn’t until the top of the seventh inning that North Carolina put another runner in scoring position as Berlynne Delamora led off with a double. UT then turned to Moss for the save and the Greeneville, S.C., native delivered, retiring her three batters faced.
The Super Regional against Florida will either take place on Thursday-Saturday or Friday-Sunday. Details will be released once all Regional competition is finished. All updates will be posted to UTSports.com, Twitter (@Vol_Softball) and Facebook (Facebook.com/TennesseeSoftball).
Co-Head Coach Karen Weekly
Opening Statement:
“Well, I said it on the first day of the regional event…Just how proud I am to be a part of the University of Tennessee system and the athletic department and what a first class job they do sponsoring, putting on this event, hosting it. The compliments that we received from all the other teams that participated just really makes you proud and there’s a lot of people that are part of that, that never get any credit. You don’t see them, you don’t know their names, but I just want to give them a shout out because it makes me super proud to wear the orange and know how much work goes into everything that they do. Today, the whole day was just really, really tough, and we knew it was going to be that way. North Carolina has an exceptional softball team. This game all starts in the circle. Brittany Pickett is one of the best pitchers that we faced all year and our kids just battled. They just battled and battled and that was kind of our theme, just fight the fight, and just keep fighting. In the first game, I felt like we were getting to her in the seventh inning and just kind of ran out of time, and they just kept fighting and just really, really proud of them but ton of respect for North Carolina. They battled really hard too. It was a tough game for anybody to lose.”
On Caylan Arnold’s performance:
“She did and she’s been pitching really well lately. I don’t think she has the wins to show for it, but the last probably four or five outings I think, like she said, she’s back to her normal self and we need all of our pitchers to be at their best this time of year. I think you saw this weekend how we needed every single one of them at different points in time. When I think back to just not only today but we faced North Carolina three times now, and we gave up one run—the run today—and that’s a real credit to this pitching staff. When we needed it the most our backs were to the wall, and she gave us an awesome performance.”
On facing an SEC opponent in Super Regionals:
“We are kind of used to it. It’s the fourth year in a row that when you look at the pairings when they are announced on that Sunday night that we are matched up with an SEC opponent. So, I do not think it’s any surprise and it’s four for Florida too as a matter of fact. It is a familiar opponent, and I guess the if there is anything good about it, we played down there this year. So, all of our kids have been in that venue. They know what it is like. Nothing is going to be new and different. We had success down there. That is not something that we can puff out our chest about. It is going to be really, really tough, just like today was. I turned to somebody in the dugout in about the fifth inning and said, ‘welcome to postseason softball.’ This is what it’s all about, nail biter games that turned on one mistake.”
First Baseman Ashley Morgan
On her two-RBI double:
“I knew that we really needed these runs and I was just going to have to fight the entire at-bat. She was not giving anything, for the most part, and once I got two strikes, I knew that, hey, I was going have to foul off some pitches and I was going to have to drill the one she gave me, so that’s what happened. It felt good off the bat and when I was finally on second base, it felt great to know that we finally got some runs on the board and, you know, just seeing everyone in the dugout was awesome.”
On figuring out Brittany Pickett’s speed:
“Her speed was really good, and her movement was really great and especially her being a lefty, that was a different look that we’ve seen. So, I think we just kept fighting and finally got to her.”
Pitcher Caylan Arnold
On her performance:
“It was amazing. I’ve worked really hard this year to get back to feeling like myself and going out there and attacking and being dominant. To have my teammates behind me like that and to make such awesome plays like Kaitlin Parsons made, and she did absolutely amazing, and then have Kaili Phillips behind the plate working her butt off for me, that’s what really pushed me and what kept me going and what kept me fighting the way that I did for this team.”
On Kaitlin Parsons’ plays at second base:
“I mean, the first one that she made, I was just like, ‘wow, like that was amazing. That was awesome like holy crap.’ And then the second one I literally just squatted in the middle of the circle and was, I was just blown away because she just did such an awesome job. I know Chelsea came over and she’s like, ‘I know bud, I know. I know it’s just crazy, just get up.’ I was like what the heck, and she is just awesome. To see my team fighting like that, it just pushed me even more.”
North Carolina Head Coach Donna J. Papa
“I thought it was two really well-played games. I thought the defense was outstanding on both sides. When we looked at Game 1, with Brittany Pickett and Ashley Rogers, they pretty much had identical stats. And we came out on the winning end of that one. I thought Brittany did a great job in Game 2. We had opportunities in the game and didn’t get that hit, and they had an opportunity and Ashley Morgan came through and got a double and scored. The games were so well played, I thought, and when you have a 1-0 and a 2-0 game, it’s not a ton of offense, and it’s a lot of good pitching and good defense.”
On what fighting despite a loss means to the program:
“Yeah, I mean, you know, it was great. I mean, for our program, this is another step for us. This is the furthest we’ve ever gone. And to come out of the loser’s bracket after a tough, 1-0 game that Brittany, I thought, pitched well enough to win. And, you know, yesterday we said there’s no tomorrow unless you get it done today. And that was kind of what we just kept on doing and trying to, you know, stay in our moments and create our own opportunities. And this team is a very connected team. They have a lot of fun with each other. We had a great time. I, for the first time in my career, loved the lightning delay and the rain that we had with Ohio State because it gave us the opportunity in between the Longwood and Ohio State game to get a little bit of a break and these guys had a blast in the dugout. They’re just a very loose team and they truly care about one another. They spend a lot of time with one another, they love one another. I can’t say I’ve had other teams that are like this team in particular and a lot of the credit goes to our seniors Leah Murray, Berlynne Delamora, Destiny DeBerry and Kiani Ramsey. The four of them made a huge difference. They made a big commitment this summer with our team and investing in them and more in the culture than anything. It showed a lot of benefits for us because that’s half the battle. If you really like each other out on the field, you’re going to play great together regardless of if we don’t have big hitters, big home run hitters. We have a lot of speed and we kind of create chaos a little bit with our speed and our slappers and hopefully we’ll get some hits to help them. I mean, I’m just extremely proud of what we accomplished. I certainly am not satisfied that we’re sitting here and Tennessee’s moving on to the Super Regional but kudos to them. They played a great second game. They got the runs they needed to win and move on, but to come out of the loser’s bracket and come to the championship game and go to the second game is pretty big.”
Pitcher Brittany Pickett
On Tennessee’s go-ahead two-run double:
“I think she saw the ball well. I thought it was a well-executed pitch too on my end. That’s kind of where I was looking to throw anyways. But kudos to her, she got her hands through and stayed with an off speed and got some runs on the board for her team. But overall, it wasn’t the heat or anything, it was just kind of battling through it all and trying to pull out a win on our side.”
On the defensive support she had behind her in both games:
“It’s great. I think, overall, all of us played really loose from inning one to inning seven and that’s all you can really ask for. Making routine plays as well, that’s a big part of the game and making the ESPN plays are fun, but bringing the momentum back into the dugout off of defensive plays like that, that’s really important too.”
On whether Tennessee made adjustments in the second game:
“Yes, most definitely. I think they came out swinging early. And you know, that’s kind of what we would do on our end if we were to lose the first game. They adjusted well, but I think I handled it well enough until they scored late in the game. I know my go-to pitch, obviously it being a curve, but they sat on that well, then just being able to mix it in with slower pitching and my off-speed stuff, that kind of handled them. I saw that adjustment pretty early in the game.”
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – No. 12-seeded UT fell in Game 6 of the NCAA Knoxville Regional, 1-0, to North Carolina, forcing a deciding Game 7 on Sunday afternoon.
Freshman pitcher Ashley Rogers was charged with the loss after allowing just one run on two hits in the complete-game performance. She threw eight strikeouts in the outing.
Brittany Pickett earned the win for the Heels as she threw 7.0 shutout frames, also allowing two hits.
In the pitcher’s duel, the lone run of the game, a homer to right field, came in the sixth inning off the bat of UNC’s Kristina Burkhardt.
Prior to the sixth, the Tarheels had one runner move into scoring position using a UT fielding error and stolen base.
Tennessee had threatened with runners on third in the sixth and seventh innings, but both frames ended in strikeouts.
In the sixth, Aubrey Leach laid down a bunt single and then stole her 19thbase of the season before moving to third on Chelsea Seggern’s flyout to right, however, the third out was recorded in the next at-bat.
Attempting a rally in the final frame, Haley Bearden led off with a single to the pitcher and advanced to second on Kaili Phillips’ sacrifice bunt. Cailin Hannon then ground out to first, allowing Bearden to reach third before Ashley Morgan was hit by a pitch. The rally was cut short as a swinging strikeout ended the game.
The final matchup of the Knoxville Regional is underway at Sherri Parker Lee Stadium. The winner will advance to the NCAA Super Regional in Gainesville, Fla., to face the No. 5-seeded Florida Gators.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee will be the No. 9 seed for this year’s Southeastern Conference Baseball Tournament, which is set to begin on Tuesday, May 21 in Hoover, Ala.
The Vols (38-18, 14-16 SEC) will face the No. 8 seed Auburn Tigers (32-23, 14-16 SEC) in the opening round of the tournament on Tuesday. UT and Auburn will play the third game of the day, which is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. ET first pitch. The winner of the contest will advance to the double-elimination portion of the tournament to face top-seeded Vanderbilt on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. ET and the loser will be eliminated from the tournament.
Tennessee will have a chance at some redemption after being swept by Auburn on the road to open SEC play back in March.
The Big Orange enter the tournament coming off back-to-back series wins over Florida and No. 15 Ole Miss. The Vols’ 14 conference wins were the most since racking up 18 back in 2005 and their third-place finish in the eastern division was also their highest since coming in second in 2005.
This will be Tennessee’s first SEC Tournament appearance since 2016 and just its fourth since 2010. The Orange and White will be looking to earn their first victory in the tournament since defeating Vanderbilt, 6-4, in the first round back in 2007.
The Vols have won three SEC Tournament championships in program history (1993, 1994, 1995) and are 25-24 all time in the tournament in 15 appearances.
To view the complete bracket for this season’s SEC Tournament, click HERE.
Fans interested in attending this year’s tournament can find ticket information by clicking HERE.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The No. 12-seeded Lady Vols used hot bats and a strong relief appearance from Caylan Arnold to down Ohio State, 12-4, in Game 3 of the NCAA Knoxville Regional.
With the win, Tennessee (41-14) advanced to the NCAA Regional final game on Sunday at noon ET. The Orange and White will face the winner of Saturday’s Game 5 featuring Ohio State and North Carolina.
In what turned into a three-hour contest, UT was led by Aubrey Leach (2-for-4), Haley Bearden (2-for-3) and Cailin Hannon (1-for-2) at the plate. The trio combined to score six runs and record six RBI while six other Lady Vols notched hits.
All three of Tennessee’s pitchers saw action in the game with Arnold earning the win. The junior tossed the final 4.2 innings, allowing two runs on four hits while firing five strikeouts. Of her 58 pitches, 43 were strikes.
The Big Orange struck early on Saturday, plating one run in the first inning. Leach led off with a bunt to the pitcher and then stole second base before Bearden hit a single to the left side. With Kaili Phillips at the plate, Leach capitalized on a wild pitch to the backstop to score the first run of the contest.
In the bottom of the frame, Ohio State evened it up and then took a 2-1 lead off the bats of Lilli Piper and Ashley Prange who both hit solo home runs.
Responding in the third, Tennessee jumped back out front on Hannon’s fourth long ball of the year. Chelsea Seggern first reached on an error and advanced to second on a wild pitch before Phillips worked the count for a walk. Two at-bats later and with two outs, Hannon crushed a three-run bomb to the outfield bleachers, giving UT the advantage, 4-2.
In the fifth inning, the Big Orange extended their lead by two runs. Amanda Ayala roped a triple to right field to start the stanza before Hannon walked and proceeded to steal second. With two outs, Gracie Osbron knocked a two-RBI single to left field, making it a 6-2 game.
The Lady Vols added two more runs in the sixth as Leach led off with a bunt single and moved into scoring position on Seggern’s one-bagger to center. In the next at-bat, Bearden roped one to left-center field, driving in Leach. OSU’s center fielder then misplayed the ball, allowing Seggern to come around to score.
Ohio State got two runs back in the bottom of the frame as Emily Clark led off with a single before Prange hit her second homer of the game, trimming UT’s lead to 8-4.
Tennessee went on to add four more insurance runs in the top of the seventh on four hits and an error. Both Leach and Bearden drew bases-loaded walks to bring in two runs before Phillips notched a two-RBI single to make it a 12-4 game.
Arnold and the defense held the Buckeyes scoreless in the bottom of the frame for the 12-4 final.
STRETCH IT OUT: Saturday’s three-hour-plus game marked the longest seven-inning outing for UT since the first game of the 2018 Athens Super Regional on May 25. That contest lasted just over four hours.
CRUSHED IT: Junior Cailin Hannon hit just the fourth home run of her career in Saturday’s game against OSU. Her three RBI in the contest also tied her career high that was last achieved at Mizzou on April 10 of this season.
Tennessee Co-Head Coach Ralph Weekly
Opening Statement:
“Well, to start with it was a very hot day out there with humidity and everything else and we used everybody got into the game except for Katie Weimer, who is a very good player but who was warming up pitchers during the entire time. I thought Ohio State was a very good team. I thought that coming in. We looked at a lot of film on them last night and knew what we had to do to beat them. I know we used all three pitchers which was a plan that we had. We didn’t just plan to change that early though, and we wanted to use Matty (Moss) for transition in between the two. We felt like Caylan (Arnold) would be the best to go against them and she proved that when she came in and did what she did because they’re a very good hitting team.”
On needing to be beaten twice tomorrow:
“Well, it’s a great place to be. It’s what we strive to be and when we qualified for the playoffs we figured we had so many games that we needed to win if we wanted to get to the World Series. We’ve been in this for many years, you know, and it’s always worked out best when we get through the first two days. That’s why this game was so important and we were willing to pull out anything we could to win it. It’s still going to be tough tomorrow though. Every time we’ve gone out and had to be beaten twice, we didn’t always win that first game so we’re going to be as prepared as we can for tomorrow.”
On the team being relaxed:
“They were. You know they have a lot of faith in Ashley (Rogers) because of some of the things that she’s done this year but the other two, they know are really good. And, you know, this is a game like any game where you’re going to get hit in the mouth and you got to get up and go again. When we got down like that, it just really didn’t seem to matter. They kept saying we’re going to come back, we’re going to do this, we’re going to do that. They’ve been that way all year though, you know, so I’m proud of them and we’ll just see how far they can go.”
Caylan Arnold
On her mindset during the game:
“Well, anytime I go in there I always try to have the same mindset which is just to attack the hitters and to throw my best stuff. I think that’s what I did today and, you know, I think we have a great staff and we are used to throwing at least two pitchers during a game because we are all really talented. My mindset going into it was just to hold them until my team can get the runs up on the board which we did, and it was awesome having that offense behind me and that helps me a lot to keep going and keep attacking.”
On being in the winner’s bracket and getting to rest:
“Yeah, it’s great. It’s a great advantage to be able to be in the winner’s bracket and have to be beaten twice. That was definitely what we wanted going into this game and I know so many girls commented on that being the longest game we’ve ever played. It was and it was really hot but we were doing what we could in the dugout to stay hydrated and stay cool. It’s really great going into tomorrow knowing that we’ve got this advantage.”
Cailin Hannon
On her three-run home run:
“I was trying to make an adjustment from the first at-bat. Actually, Ralph called timeout and he told me that I really needed to make an adjustment, so I knew that I was struggling a little bit. Seeing the pitch, I just knew that if I kept battling no matter what pitch it was, she’d bring one that I could hit, and she was a really good pitcher. Basically, I just tried to stay in the zone and just swing hard at anything.”
On the momentum from the home run:
“I think it definitely gave us some momentum which is a big part of the game. Having momentum during the whole game is just really important to keep the team rolling and passing the bat. I was just really happy that I could give that to our team and allow us to get excited and Karen (Weekly) got super excited after it which I think fed off to the all the girls on the team. It just got us rolling, so I was very pleased about that.”
Ohio State Head Coach Kelly Kovach Schoenly
Opening statement:
“There was so much happening in that game that it was hard to take it down to one point. I think Tennessee just was relentless on offense and any mistake we made they made us pay, and I think that was the difference in the game.”
On giving up the lead early in the game:
“We went into the game knowing that it would be high scoring, because we know their offense, so we were not surprised that they scored. I think our pitcher was a little disappointed in the execution of her pitches. That is too bad, because she had worked the count really well. The thing about this game is that great players make you pay, and that kid put a great swing on a ball that almost hit her. We did not fold, if you can tell, we are not really that kind of team.”
On the execution of her team:
“I think each at-bat was a little different. With the error, it was the speed of the runner. With the walks, I have a lot of faith in Katya Duvall, and that was a big pressure situation for her. Mechanically, she was just pushing the ball outside of the zone. She had some really good pitches the inning before to get us out of that jam. We got ourselves into it, so she did not have a free base to give. Credit to their batters for taking that ball four because a lot of average hitters would just swing. So, it was good for them that they were that disciplined.”
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – No. 23 Tennessee rallied late but came up a run short in Saturday afternoon’s series finale versus No. 15 Ole Miss, losing 5-4 at Lindsey Nelson Stadium to cap off the regular season.
The Volunteers entered the bottom of the fourth trailing 5-0 but scored four straight runs to make things interesting down the stretch. Pete Derkay and Alerick Soularie both had a pair of hits to lead UT’s attack while Tyler Keenan had the biggest hit of the game for the Rebels with a three-run homer in the top of the third. Jacob Adams drove in what turned out to be the game-winning run for Ole Miss with a sacrifice fly in the fourth.
Freshman right hander Gunnar Hoglund earned his second win of the year after tossing six solid innings, allowing three runs on five hits. UT starter Zach Linginfelter took the loss after giving up five runs on four hits in 3.1 innings of work.
The Rebels manufactured a run in the top of the second to open the scoring. Cole Zabowski led off the inning with a walk, advanced to second on a single and moved to third on a deep fly out before scoring on a double steal to give UM a 1-0 lead.
Ole Miss added to its lead with Keenan’s homer in the top of the third to put the Rebels ahead 4-0. It was the team-leading 13th home run of the year by the sophomore third baseman.
Consecutive singles with one out chased Linginfelter from the game in the top of the fourth. The Rebels went on to score another run later in the inning on Adams’ sac fly to make it 5-0 before reliever Will Heflin got the Vols out of the inning.
The Big Orange got on the board with a run in the bottom of the fourth to cut the deficit down to four when Evan Russell drove in Soularie with a two-out single to make it 5-1.
A three-run seventh inning got the Vols right back in the game. Tennessee loaded the bases with nobody out for Derkay, who delivered with a two-run double down the first-base line to cut the deficit to two. Landon Gray drove in the third run of the inning with a sacrifice fly to make it a 5-4 game heading into the eighth.
The duo of Tyler Myers and Ryan Olenek were able to hold off the Vols over the final two innings to preserve the win. Olenek retired the side in order in the bottom of the ninth after playing the first eight innings in center field.
NOTABLE VOLS FINISH THIRD IN SEC EAST: With Missouri’s loss to Florida on Saturday, the Vols finished third in the SEC East this season, which marks their highest finish in the division since coming in second back in 2005.
CRACKING THE TOP 10: Jay Charleston stole third base in the bottom of the first inning for his 38th steal of the season, which moved him into a tie for 10thon the program’s single-season list with Danny Ramirez (1990).
STRIKEOUTS GALORE: With five strikeouts on the day, Tennessee’s pitching staff reached the 500-strikeout mark for the season (503). The last time the Vols struck out 500-plus batters in a season was 2005 when they struck out a school-record 568.
UP NEXT: The Vols will head to Hoover, Alabama for the 2019 SEC Tournament, which begins on Tuesday. UT will be either the No. 8 or No. 9 seed and play the third game of the day on Tuesday, which is slated to start at 5:30 p.m. ET. The game will be televised on the SEC Network and as always fans can also listen live as John Wilkerson calls the action for the Vol Radio Network (FM 99.1/AM 990).
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – No. 23 Tennessee came out with a 7-5 victory over No. 15 Ole Miss in a rollercoaster of a game on Friday night at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.
With the win, the Vols clinched their fifth SEC series win of the season and improved to 14-15 in conference play, their most wins in league play since the 2005 College World Series team went 18-11.
Andre Lipcius had yet another big night at the plate to lead the Big Orange, going 3-for-3 with a pair of intentional walks and two runs scored. Evan Russell and Pete Derkay both drove in a pair of runs as well for the Orange and White.
Tennessee scored three runs without registering a hit in the bottom of the eighth immediately after the Rebels tied the game at four with a run in the top of the inning. Despite allowing a run in the ninth, redshirt sophomore closer Redmond Walsh was able to finish the game off to earn his first win of the season.
The Rebels struck first on Friday with a pair of runs in the top of the first. Thomas Dillard led off the game with a double and came home on a passed ball to open the scoring. Dillard was a thorn in the side of the Vols all night, finishing with four of the Rebels’ seven hits. Tyler Keenan drove in Grae Kessinger with an RBI ground out to put Ole Miss ahead 2-0 later in the inning.
Sophomore left hander Garrett Crochet got the start for UT and bounced back nicely from a rocky first inning until a scary moment forced him to have to leave the game with one out in the top of the third inning after taking a line drive off his jaw. Camden Sewell came in to replace Crochet and was able to strand runners on the corners to end the frame.
The Vols took their first lead of the night with a three-run fourth inning. Russell drove in UT’s first run with a sacrifice fly and Derkay singled a few batters later to bring in two more runs to give the Big Orange a 3-2 advantage.
The Rebels scratched across a run in the top of the fifth with the aid of a Tennessee error. Kessinger drove in the run on play later with an RBI ground out to tie the game at three.
It looked like Ole Miss was on its way to tying the game with runners on first and second and nobody out in the top of the sixth, but some heads-up defense by the Vols and poor base running by the Rebels led to an unorthodox double play.
Colton Johnson was caught too far off second base after the pitch, prompting a throw to second by catcher Landon Gray. Johnson was thrown out at third for the first out before Lipcius quickly fired across the diamond to catch Cole Zabowski off the base at first to erase both base runners. Pinch hitter Anthony Servideo flied out to right field to end the inning as UT was able to preserve its one-run lead.
Tennessee had chances to add to its lead with multiple runners in scoring position in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings but was unable to take advantage. UT left 11 runners on base in the game.
The Rebels tied the game at four with a run in the top of the eighth on a two-out RBI double by Kevin Graham. Alerick Soularie misread the ball in left field, allowing it to get over his head to bring the tying run home. Soularie recovered nicely on the play, however, starting a 9-6-2 relay play to cut down the potential go-ahead run at the plate on the play to end the inning.
The Big Orange took advantage of four walks, a wild pitch and a passed ball in their pivotal three-run eighth inning and held on in the ninth for their 38th win of the year, the most in a season since 2005 (46).
NOTABLE THE CENTURY MARK: With two stolen bases in the fourth inning, Tennessee reached 100 steals for the season, marking the first time the Vols have stolen 100 or more bases in a season since stealing 113 bags in 2005. UT finished with three stolen bases on the night and has 101 for the year.
SEC SUCCESS: With Friday’s win, the Vols locked up their fifth SEC series win of the season, which is the most since the 2007 team also won five conference series. UT will go for its second SEC sweep tomorrow afternoon in the series finale.
UP NEXT: The Vols will look to complete the series sweep of the Rebels tomorrow afternoon. First pitch for the series and regular-season finale is slated for noon and will be televised on the SEC Network. Fans can also listen live as John Wilkerson and Vince Ferrara call the action for the Vol Radio Network (FM 99.1/AM 990).
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The No. 12-seeded Lady Vols continued their shutout streak against Longwood on Friday afternoon, downing the Lancers, 8-0, in Game 2 of the NCAA Knoxville Regional.
Throwing her 13th complete game of the season, freshman Ashley Rogers tied a career-high with 13 strikeouts through 6.0 innings. The righty allowed just two hits in the contest en route to her seventh-career shutout.
Tennessee was led offensively by Chelsea Seggern who dominated at the plate. The junior went 3-for-4 and drove in six of UT’s runs. Jenna Holcomb also went 2-for-2 and scored three times for the Lady Vols.
After two quiet innings, UT strung together a pair of hits to take a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the second. Holcomb led off with a single to short before moving into scoring position on a sacrifice bunt. Seggern then blasted a two-run bomb off the SEC tarp on the outfield bleachers to give the Lady Vols the advantage.
The Orange and White continued to pour it on in the fifth frame to take a six-run lead. Cailin Hannon opened the inning with a double up the middle before Holcomb laid down a bunt single to third base. Hannon then scored on a delayed double steal before an Aubrey Leach walk put runners on first and second. In the next at-bat, Seggern launched her second homer of the game to the bleachers again, making it a 6-0 game.
Looking to bring the run-rule into play, UT added two more runs to the board in the bottom of the sixth. Holcomb walked with one out before Leach laid a bunt down to third base. Seggern then hit an RBI single through the left side, plating one run. One at-bat later, Haley Bearden hit an RBI groundout that sealed UT’s 8-0 win over Longwood.
Tennessee will play Ohio State in Game 3 of the Knoxville Regional beginning at noon ET on Saturday. Per NCAA Tournament guidelines, the Lady Vols will be the visiting team and Ohio State will be the home team.
Broadcast information will be shared as it comes available following the conclusion of the remaining Regional games across the country on Friday night.
DON’T CALL IT A STREAK: In UT’s overall series vs. Longwood, the Big Orange have held the Lancers scoreless since the first meeting in 2005. Overall, the Lady Vols have out-scored the Lancers 35-0 through six games.
CAREER DAY: Junior third baseman Chelsea Seggern had a career game on Friday, hitting two home runs and six RBI in the contest against Longwood. Previously, she had driven in a career-high four RBI four times. This marked the first game she had two home runs in an outing.
SHE’LL CUT YOU DOWN: Freshman pitcher Ashley Rogers tied a career high in strikeouts with 13 on Friday. She previously fanned 13 batters against Boston University in February. The outing vs. the Lancers marked her fifth game of the season with 10+ strikeouts.
Tennessee Co-Head Coach Karen Weekly
Opening Statement:
“First, I’d just like to thank our university for the tremendous job they do hosting the NCAA Regional event. I know we have a lot of experience at this, but I never take it for granted what a professional job they do and how great the event runs. I’m really proud of our girls and the way they came out today. Our pitching performance was stellar and I’m really proud of the way we swung the bat and put some good innings together to get some runs on the board. That’s something that we’ve been struggling with lately. We worked really hard in our practices this week and that hard work paid off today. I have a lot of respect for Longwood. They’re a tough program. We’ve played them here before in the same event and had wins like this and then faced them in the championship and had really tough games. So, I know they’re going to bounce back and I wouldn’t be surprised to see them later on in this event.”
On why the floodgates open after one run comes in:
“I think sometimes we’re up there thinking too much and I think when the kids are in the dugout watching each other and kind of taking inventory of their at-bat, they can see that and it takes them a while to just get loose with their swings. I didn’t think our swings were really good at first. We had a couple good swings the first time through the order but after that we just kind of cut loose. That’s what we were doing all BP, getting the barrel out and driving the ball. We shouldn’t have the check swings and the jam jobs that we were getting and that’s what we were seeing and they saw each other.”
On what she knows about Ohio State:
“I’ve looked at them a lot. You don’t want to give your players too much information because you want them focused on Longwood. They’ve seen a little bit of every team and a lot of Longwood. But now it’s going to be a deep dive on Ohio State. They come from a very good conference. I think the Big 10 was as strong as they’ve been in many years this year. So to finish where they did in the Big 10, it was a very good season for them. We just saw their pitcher shut down North Carolina. We played North Carolina earlier this year, and we thought they were a pretty darn good team. So she’s one of the top pitchers in the Big 10 this year, and they played some really strong opponents outside of their conference and did very well. They’ve got a pretty powerful hitting team. It’s going to be a real challenge.”
Chelsea Seggern
On if she’s been able to appreciate the career game she had:
“Someone said to me that six RBIs is my career high. I didn’t even know I had that many to be honest. We’re just out here to win ballgames and compete for each other and compete for our pitchers because they compete for us. We’re just trying to make it to the end, that’s our main goal.”
On what she knows about Ohio State:
“We definitely have looked at all their pitchers and their hitters and we just know they’re going to be a competitive team. They’re coming from a great conference and we definitely can’t overlook them. We’re going to be looking at them more tonight. Kudos to them for winning, but it’s going to be a matchup tomorrow. We’re excited.”
Ashley Rogers
On pitching in her first NCAA Regional:
“At the very beginning, I was really fired up and ready to go. I feel like I haven’t pitched in forever. I was really fired up and the first batter I got behind and then she got a hit, so I had to calm myself down a little bit and just take a few breaths and get locked in from then on. I felt like I did a pretty good job staying locked in and attacking batters from the very beginning.”
On staying mentally locked in throughout the season:
“Coming in as a freshman it’s definitely a challenge just because it’s so mentally exhausting. Every single game you have to be locked in and on your toes, which is pretty much the deciding factor every single game or somebody will beat you. It’s just something you have to practice and just build up over time. And I think that Karen’s really helped me and the team and the other pitchers have really helped me build that over the season.”
Longwood Head Coach Kathy Riley
Opening Statement:
“I just didn’t think we played well. So it was really difficult to see what we were truly capable of doing because we did not play good defense and didn’t have very good at-bats, so it was really tough to kind of get a feel for what we’re capable of doing.”
On how the pitching made it tough for the team to kind of find a groove today:
“Tennessee pitchers get to face a lot of really good batters during the season. So you guys know as well as I do play in the SEC means that you have to figure it out. Because you’re facing so many people and learning how to follow up certain sequences with pitches that are going to be to your advantage is something that they get to do really often and they’re good at. Even when it goes to play discipline on our part, we have less opportunities to really have to work at it at the level that’s necessary. When you get to a regional, it’s always like that for us a little bit simply because it’s a little bit out of the norm to face as good pitching as we see here. So even if you do your non-conference schedule, you’re doing all early, and then the last half is usually in your conference. So, it’s definitely more difficult.”
On Chelsea Seggern and the home runs or if there were pitches she could have back:
“That’s a good question. I didn’t call the pitch and it almost looked like she was really picking up the pitch early. I mean, both pitches look like they were off-speed pitches and it looked like she was really comfortable. So, I think she was really seeing the pitch early. In watching, it almost looked like if we could have thrown speed pitches just a little quicker; it might have been more effective. It looks like it would just slow enough for her to really pick it up and have a chance to sit back and still hit it well.”
On the crowd and atmosphere here compared to what she was used to seeing:
“I love the atmosphere, and I always love when people come out and want to support their own team and although you know, as a coach, you want to take up for your own players. To me, that’s what it’s all about is to, you know, you go to college, have that college atmosphere and have college athletics be a part of your community and them being able to get engaged with their hometown team. So, I’m all about that. I enjoy it, enjoy seeing them come out all the time and their school spirit.”
Tennessee coach Rick Barnes has been pushing for several college basketball rules changes.
He may soon get his wish.
The NCAA has proposed a number of alterations that will be voted on June 5. If adopted, they would be effective immediately.
The proposals range from moving the 3-point line back to the international distance, allowing coaches to call timeouts in the final two minutes of a game, resetting the shot clock to 20 seconds on an offensive rebound to reviewing goal-tending in the final two minutes of regulation and overtime.
Barnes, in his second year on the NCAA basketball rules committee, endorses each one.
The only proposal Barnes supported that didn’t pass was widening the lane, shaping it like a trapezoid.
“I would eventually like to see us have a universal game, more like the Olympics,’’ Barnes said.
Barnes thinks widening the lane would help with movement and spacing. He also said officials feel it would help them officiate games.
“Sometimes I think we’ve got to do stuff to help them,’’ Barnes said.
Moving the 3-point line back about 16 inches (to 22 feet, 1 ¾ inches) will initially lead to a lower shooting percentage from beyond the arc, but Barnes thinks players will eventually adjust.
Another impact of the 3-point line moving back: “It will open up driving,’’ Barnes said.
Barnes said he doesn’t want the college game to look like the NBA, where players either dunk or shoot a 3.
“I’m a believer in, we can post the ball up,’’ Barnes said. “We do not want to lose the low-post game and we don’t want to lose the mid-range game.’’
Barnes has long opposed not allowing coaches to call timeouts from the bench. He said the rule was put in because coaches were calling timeout from the other end of the court when there was a scrum and no team had possession.
“The referee shouldn’t award a timeout unless your team has control (of the ball),’’ Barnes said. “But that was not happening.’’
Barnes said there were two instances during the most recent NCAA tournament when he wanted players to call a timeout but the players didn’t see or hear Barnes. So they played on.
“We’ve got to be able to help our players,’’ Barnes said.
Resetting the clock to 20 seconds after an offensive rebound is a “great rule,’’ Barnes said. “You shouldn’t have 30 (seconds) when you don’t need that 10 seconds to get the ball across half court. I think it will allow for more possessions.’’
The new goal-tending rule to allow for replay goes back to LSU beating Kentucky on an offensive goal-tending call at the buzzer that was not reviewable. The only thing reviewable was whether the ball went through the hoop with time left on the clock.
“All players and coaches just want the game called right,’’ Barnes said.
“You could imagine if that (LSU-Kentucky) had been the national championship game,’’ Barnes said, “and it ended on that play. We would all be sick about it.
“In those critical situations, I think everyone wants to see the right call made.’’
As expected, Tennessee’s two-time SEC Player of the Year Grant Williams announced Friday he is staying in the NBA draft.
What was not expected were the numbers posted by UT guard Jordan Bone at the NBA Combine in Chicago.
Among the 66 invited to the combine – not all competed in drills – Bone was No. 1 in vertical jump (42.5 inches), standing vertical (36 inches), three-fourths court sprint (3.03 seconds), lane agility (9.97 seconds) and NBA shuttle drill (2.78 seconds).
The lane agility time was the fastest since 2001.
While Bone is not projected by most mocks to be drafted, he might be the best NBA prospect of UT’s trio that is trying to make it this year. He has elite speed and leaping ability. His assist-to-turnover ratio ranked among the best in the SEC. He can penetrate and hit pull-up jumpers near the basket.
Bone needs to improve his 3-point shooting and make better decisions when passing. At times he leaps in the air without knowing where he’ll pass.
But his measurables are off the chart.
His 3.03 in the three-fourths of a court dash were better than Derrick Rose (3.05) and Russell Westbrook (3.08). His vertical was better than Rose (40 inches) and Westbrook (36.5)
That doesn’t mean Bone can or will be as good as Rose and Westbrook – both are far better scorers than Bone. But it does enhance Bone’s draftability.
Tennessee coach Rick Barnes confirmed in an interview earlier this week on Sports Talk, WNML radio that Bone was going pro.
“We felt that all along,’’ Barnes said when asked if he expected Bone to stay in the NBA draft. “When he left, that was pretty much his thought process.’’
While Bone had an outstanding junior season at Tennessee, he will be easier to replace than Williams. The Vols have two solid guards returning in Lamonte Turner and Jordan Bowden and UT signed a 5-star recruit in Josiah James, who could easily be among UT’s top two scorers this season.
Williams measured 6-5 ¾ with a four percent body fat and a 6-9 ¾ wing span.
Admiral Schofield had 6.8 percent body fat with a 6-10 wingspan on a 6-4 frame.
Replacing Williams and his 18.8 points and 7.5 rebounds per game will be much more difficult than losing Bone – in part because UT doesn’t have anyone waiting in the wings to bang inside.
Is John Fulkerson ready to step up?
Is DJ Burns, who redshirted as a freshman last year?
What about Zach Kent?
Burns has the best chance to be physical inside, but he has no experience going against SEC big men. Neither does Kent. And Fulkerson was inconsistent.
Tennessee’s outlook would be much more favorable if they could sign the 7-foot-1 transfer from Arizona State or Virginia Tech grad transfer Kerry Blackshear, who could be worth four or five wins. Blackshear has entered the NCAA transfer portal and the NBA draft.
Without a proven inside presence, UT could go from 31 wins to an NIT team.
Much depends on the development of current players or the addition of an impact transfer.
