Chris Young cranks up the volume in his new video for “Raised On Country.”
Directed by Peter Zavadil, the new clip was filmed at a Nashville-area dive bar, as well as the WSM Radio Tower, a historic tower built in 1932 that was responsible for broadcasting the Grand Ole Opry from New York to California.
“As a member of the Opry, I was honored to be allowed to film ‘Raised On Country’ in and around the WSM Radio Tower and the same airwaves where songs from my musical icons have played over the years,” said Chris. “It was a long day and I had a lot of fun filming the video, even in the scenes where we had debris flying in our faces inside the studio.”
Chris is trying to score the 12th No. 1 single of his career with “Raised on Country,” which is currently No. 29 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart after nine weeks. Co-penned by Chris with frequent collaborators Corey Crowder and Cary Barlowe, “Raised on County” name-drops some of Chris’ country music heroes, including George Strait, Merle Haggard, Joe Diffie and Willie Nelson.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — No. 8 Tennessee opens play in the SEC Tournament on Friday night in the quarterfinals against Mississippi State.
The game will tip at approximately 9:30 p.m. ET and will be televised on SEC Network and can also be viewed online through WatchESPN. Fans can listen live on their local Vol Network affiliate to hear Bob Kesling and Bert Bertelkamp describing the action.
Tennessee (27-4, 15-3 SEC) claimed the No. 3 seed in the tournament and earned a double bye. The Vols are one of the favorites to win the championship and have the opportunity to earn a top seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Earlier this week, Grant Williams became just the 10th player in conference history to win SEC Player of the Year in back-to-back season and was the first since Arkansas’ Corliss Williamson did so in 1994 and 1995. Williams was also tabbed first-team All-SEC after finishing the regular season as the top scorer in the SEC with 19.3 points per game. He has been one of the nation’s most versatile and reliable players this season, averaging 7.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.5 blocks and 1.2 steals per game.
Senior wing Admiral Schofield earned first-team All-SEC recognition from the coaches after averaging 16.3 points per game, which ranked second on the team and fifth in the SEC, to go along with 6.3 rebounds and 2.0 assists. Jordan Bone rounded out the Vols’ All-SEC performers, earning a nod on the second team by both the coaches and the AP. The junior point guard led the SEC in assists per game (6.1), ranked second in assist/turnover ratio (3.0) and seventh in field-goal percentage (.475).
Tennessee won of its lone matchup against Mississippi State this season. UT bested the Bulldogs at home for Senior Night, 71-54, to cap a perfect 18-0 slate in Thompson-Boling Arena this year. MSU cruised past Texas A&M, 80-54, in the second round of the tournament to advance to the quarterfinals.
FRIDAY’S OPPONENT
• Tennessee is 1-0 against Mississippi State this season, posting a 71-54 win in Knoxville.
• The Vols are 1-0 against Texas A&M this season, defeating the Aggies 93-76 in College Station.
• Tennessee swept Vanderbilt this year, winning 88-83 in overtime in Nashville before posting a 58-46 victory in Knoxville.
• Tennessee is 2-1 at neutral sites this season.
A WIN WOULD…
• Give Tennessee 28 wins this season, tying for the second-most victories in program history.
• Signal the most victories by a Rick Barnes-coached team since his 2010-11 Texas squad finished 28-8.
• Prevent the Vols from suffering back-to-back losses, which hasn’t happened since UT’s first two SEC games of last season.
ABOUT MISSISSIPPI STATE
• Ben Howland’s squad was one of five teams in a battle for the four seed and a double bye in the SEC Tournament during the final week of the regular season. Mississippi State has a chance to compete for the championship and will be a tough test for the Vols in the quarterfinals.
• The Bulldogs (23-9, 10-8 SEC) are led by four-time All-SEC performer Quinndary Weatherspoon (18.3 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 2.8 apg, 1.7 spg). The senior guard led the SEC in scoring (19.4 ppg) during league play and has dropped 20 points in 14 games this year.
• Junior guard Lamar Peters leads MSU in assists (5.2 apg), steals (1.7 spg) and 3-pointers made (79) and is second on the team in scoring with 11.6 points per game. Peters, junior Tyson Carter (59) and Weatherspoon (53) are all capable of going off from beyond the arc on any given night. Carter (10.7 ppg, .455 FG%) dropped a season-high 22 points behind four threes against Missouri earlier this season.
• As a team, the Bulldogs are one of the best squads at blocking shots (5.1 bpg), ranking 10th in the country and second in the SEC behind the Vols. They lead the league 3-point field-goal percentage (.376) and are second in second in the league in 3-pointers per game (8.5). MSU is 22nd in the nation and fourth in the conference in steals per game (8.2), as well.
SEC TOURNAMENT HISTORY
• Tennessee is 67-54 (.554) in 58 all-time previous SEC Tournament appearances.
• The Vols own the third-best SEC Tournament winning percentage among league schools, trailing only Kentucky (.842) and Alabama (.559).
• Since the tournament was renewed in 1979, the Vols are 32-39 (.451).
• Tennessee has won the SEC Tournament four times, tying Florida for third-most among league schools. The Vols won the event in 1936, 1941, 1943 and 1979.
• UT has reached the championship game 11 times (tied for third-most among league schools), most recently last season in St. Louis.
• Tennessee has been the No. 3 seed only once previously, and the Vols fell to sixth-seeded Ole Miss, 81-72, in the 1981 tournament in Birmingham.
• This is the 10th time Nashville has hosted the SEC Tournament. UT is 11-9 in the tournament when it takes place in “The Music City.”
• Tennessee’s SEC Tournament record at Bridgestone Arena is 7-7.
BARNES IN LEAGUE TOURNEYS
• Rick Barnes is 35-30 (.538) in conference tournament games as a head coach.
• He led Providence to the Big East Tournament championship in 1994.
MEMORABLE VOL PERFORMANCES IN THE SEC TOURNAMENT
• Wayne Chism scored 23, JaJuan Smith added 19 and Tyler Smith put in 13, but it was Chris Lofton’s 25-footer with 12.0 seconds remaining that lifted the Vols to an 89-87 win over South Carolina in the 2008 SEC Tournament in Atlanta on March 14, 2008.
• Carlus Groves went 9-for-10 from the floor, scoring 22 points, to lift Tennessee to an 87-70 upset win over No. 18 Mississippi State in the quarterfinals of the 1991 SEC Tournament in Nashville.
• It took Tony White 45 minutes to put 30 on Florida, including five points in overtime, as the Vols beat the Gators, 80-74, in the first round of the 1984 SEC Tournament in Nashville.
• Tennessee topped Kentucky, the third time UT beat the Wildcats that year, in the championship game of the 1979 SEC Tournament in Birmingham, Ala. The Vols prevailed 75-69 in overtime on March 3, 1979.
JUST A JUNIOR, GRANT WILLIAMS JOINS ELITE SEC COMPANY
• Grant Williams has joined a prestigious group of players in SEC history by being named SEC Player of the Year in back-to-back seasons.
• Williams, who also was named the SEC POY by the league coaches last year, is the first player to repeat since Arkansas’ Corliss Williamson in 1994 and 1995.
• In total, only nine players have accomplished the achievement since the award was first started in 1965, including VFLs Bernard King and Dale Ellis and other all-time greats such as Williamson, Pete Maravich and Shaq.
• Tennessee has now tied LSU for the most players by a team (3) to earn the achievement in back-to-back seasons in SEC history. See chart below.
• And if Williams were to return next season, he would have a chance to join an even more exclusive and elite group of players during his senior campaign. King (1975-77) and Maravich (1968-70) are the only players to ever win the award in three consecutive seasons.
YEARS PLAYER TEAM 2018-19 Grant Williams Tennessee
1994-95 Corliss Williamson Arkansas
1991-92 Shaquille O’Neal LSU
1989-90 Chris Jackson LSU
1985-86 Kenny Walker Kentucky 1982-83 Dale Ellis Tennessee
1978-89 Reggie King Alabama 1975-77 Bernard King Tennessee
1968-70 Pete Maravich LSU
1965-66 Clyde Lee Vanderbilt
WILLIAMS IS TENNESSEE’S 16th FIRST-TEAM ALL-AMERICAN
• Junior Grant Williams is the 16th player in Tennessee basketball history to earn first-team All-America honors—and just the second in the last 39 years.
• The Vols had 14 first-team All-America selections between Bernie Mehen in 1940 and Dale Ellis in 1983. Since then, Chris Lofton (2008) was UT’s only first-teamer until Williams joined the club this year.
• Williams is the fifth player to earn first-team All-America laurels under head coach Rick Barnes, joining Chris Mihm, T.J. Ford, Kevin Durant and D.J. Augustin.
ADMIRAL EARNS FIRST-TEAM SALUTE
• Senior wing Admiral Schofield earned first-team All-SEC status from the league’s head coaches after landing on the second team a season ago.
• Schofield’s scoring average has increased every year during his career, and he now averages 16.3 ppg to rank fifth among all SEC players. He also ranks fifth in the SEC in field-goal percentage (.476).
BARNES A SEMIFINALIST FOR NAISMITH COACH OF THE YEAR
• For the second consecutive year, Rick Barnes is one a semifinalist for the Werner Ladder Naismith Trophy for Men’s College Coach of the Year.
• One year removed from leading Tennessee to the SEC Championship and a 26-9 overall record, Barnes this season has guided the Volunteers to a 27-4 mark. That impressive record includes a school-record 19-game winning streak and multiple victories over top-five opponents.
• The Vols spent four weeks atop the Associated Press Top 25 rankings, and for the first time in program history, Tennessee spent the entire season ranked among the top 10.
• Four finalists will be announced on March 20.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee hosted its annual Pro Day on Thursday morning with a group of draft-eligible Vols showcasing their talents in front of NFL scouts and executives.
There were a total of 12 UT athletes participating in workouts throughout the day: Micah Abernathy, Paul Bain, Keller Chryst, Malik Elion, D.J. Henderson, Alexis Johnson Jr., Jonathon Kongbo, Madre London, Jesse Medford, Kyle Phillips, Quart’e Sapp and Shy Tuttle.
The day started by the athletes getting their height and weight recorded. Shortly after, they performed on the bench press and took part in the vertical jump.
After performing in the weight room, players competed in the broad jump, 40-yard dash, pro shuttle, 60-yard shuttle and a 3-cone drill. The day ended with position specific drills for the scouts in attendance.
Phillips Taking Advantage of Opportunities
Kyle Phillips wrapped up his Vol career on Thursday morning at Tennessee’s indoor practice facility. The Nashville native, who collected 114 tackles, eight sacks and 16 tackles for loss in his four-year career, showed scouts his abilities one last time at Tennessee’s 2019 Pro Day.
“I think it’s a good opportunity to get more exposure,” Phillips said. “Last week, I went to a regional combine and all 32 teams were there. It’s about getting as many eyes on you as possible.”
Phillips assembled his best season with the Vols in 2018, posting a career-high in tackles (56), sacks (5), TFL (8), and notched a forced fumble while also recovering one fumble.
The 2018 Piesman Trophy winner, which is presented by SB Nation to ‘a defensive lineman who can do something truly special with the ball in their hands,’ flourished in his final year at UT under head coach Jeremy Pruitt.
“This coaching staff did a great job preparing us for these things,” Phillips said. “Just by doing some of these drills during summer workouts, putting them in practice. That’s always good to have these kind of drills engrained into you.”
To earn the Piesman Trophy, Phillips cut off a screen pass against Alabama and intercepted the ball, returning it 27 yards for a touchdown. The versatile lineman also registered four pass breakups and one blocked kick on the year.
The trophy wasn’t his lone one at UT, as Philips also collected the Bill Majors Award and Defensive Player of the Year at the year-end team banquet.
Phillips continued to show up in Tennessee’s biggest games of the year. In upsets over No. 21 Auburn and No. 11 Kentucky, he logged a combined 15 tackles, one TFL and forced a fumble that resulted in a touchdown against the Tigers.
Among other awards Philips collected in his four-year career at UT were three SEC Academic Honor Roll honors. Philips was also a member of the second VOLeader Academy Class in 2017.
As impressive as a career as he had at UT, Phillips is now looking forward to living out a childhood dream.
“Growing up, most of us always dreamed of playing in the NFL,” Philips said. “I’ve seen other guys go through this process, and the fact that now it’s me, it happens really fast. Time really does fly by.”
Tuttle Ready to Compete at the Next Level
Shy Tuttle’s Tennessee career concluded on the indoor practice field on Thursday morning, showing out for NFL scouts.
“It’s a good feeling,” Tuttle said. “We’ve been training for eight months. Some of us longer than that. I’m finally getting it out of the way. I feel I came out and competed well.”
In his lone season in Pruitt’s system, Tuttle started all 12 games and received the “Trenches Award” at the year-end banquet. The Midway, N.C., native posted career-highs in tackles (33), TFL (2.5), and recorded his first sack and interception in 2018.
The 300-pound lineman also showed off his versatility on special teams, blocking two FG attempts and a PAT in his career.
One of his blocked kicks came in an upset win over No. 11 Kentucky this season while also registering three tackles.
Over his time at Tennessee, Tuttle finished with 79 tackles, one sack, three fumble recoveries and one interception. Fighting injuries for the majority of his period at UT, he flourished in his final season – playing and starting in every game for the first time in his career.
After finishing his career with the Vols, he has now shifted his focus to playing at the next level.
“I’m trying to lean up my body and get in the best shape as possible,” Tuttle said. “Eating right, training and skills training. I didn’t do much football specifically; I just ran a lot. I weigh 290 right now. I’ve trimmed a bunch of fat.”
Tuttle was a participant of the 2019 NFLPA Collegiate Bowl in January.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – No. 21 Tennessee hits the road to open Southeastern Conference play this weekend against No. 15 Auburn at Plainsman Park.
The Volunteers will look to win their SEC opener for the fourth time in the last five years when they travel down to Auburn to face off against the Tigers on the Plains.
UT is coming off a midweek sweep of UNC Asheville on Tuesday and Wednesday to improve to 17-1 on the year, which is tied with the 1997 SEC Eastern Division championship team for the best record through 18 games in program history.
Broadcast Info
Friday’s series opener and Sunday’s series finale will be streamed online via SEC Network+ and the WatchESPN app. Andy Burcham (PxP) and Mark Fuller (Analyst) will have the call for those contests.
Saturday’s game will be televised on the SEC Network with Clay Matvick (PxP), VFL Chris Burke (Analyst) and Ben McDonald (Analyst) calling the action.
Fans can also listen to Tennessee play-by-play man John Wilkerson call all three games for the Vol Network on FM 99.1 / AM 990 as well as online at UTSports.com.
Projected Starting Pitchers Friday: RHP Garrett Stallings (4-0, 1.63 ERA) vs. RHP Tanner Burns (3-0, 0.67 ERA) Saturday: RHP Zach Linginfelter (4-0, 0.75 ERA) vs. LHP Jack Owen (3-0, 0.00 ERA) Sunday: RHP Will Neely (2-1, 6.16 ERA) vs. TBD
Series History vs. Auburn
Overall: Auburn leads, 92-39
In Knoxville: Auburn leads, 40-20
In Auburn: Auburn leads, 52-19
Neutral Sites: N/A
Last Meeting: April 15, 2017 in Knoxville (L, 8-1)
The Vols will look to secure their first series win over the Tigers since May of 2011 and their first series win on the road at Auburn since March of 2005.
Need to Know
The Volunteers’ 17-1 record is the best in program history entering SEC play and is tied for the best start overall through 18 games (1997).
Tennessee earned another series win last weekend, taking two of three games from Fresno State. The Bulldogs did take the series finale to snap the Vols’ 15-game winning streak to start the season. The streak was the longest to begin a season in program history and was tied for the second-longest overall winning streak as well (1951, 1994, 1997, 2004).
UT is ranked in five of the six major college baseball polls this week, marking the first time the Vols have been ranked in five polls in the same week since March 23, 2014.
The Big Orange are eighth in the country with a .424 on-base percentage and lead the nation with 122 walks.
This weekend’s series will feature two of the top pitching staffs in the SEC and the country. Entering the series, Auburn ranks fourth nationally in ERA (2.14) while Tennessee ranks sixth (2.19). The starting pitchers for Friday’s and Saturday’s games are a combined 14-0 this season.
UT is coming off of its best week of the season offensively. The Big Orange batted .320 as a team and scored 29 runs (9.75 runs/game) while also hitting six home runs and 16 extra-base hits over their four games last week.
Junior college transfer Alerick Soularie has continued his emergence for the Vols. The sophomore has belted five home runs over the past five games, including one in each of UT’s midweek wins over UNC Asheville this week. Soularie ranks third in the SEC with six long balls this season. He also leads the SEC with a .854 slugging percentage.
Veteran third baseman Andre Lipcius hit his second grand slam of the season in last Saturday’s win and led the team with 10 RBI for the week. He also hit a home run in Sunday’s loss to the Bulldogs and Tuesday’s win over UNC Asheville. He is the first UT player to hit two grand slams in a season since Blake Forsythe in 2010.
Leadoff man Justin Ammons has reached base in 17 of the team’s 18 games this season and 26 of the past 27 games dating back to last year. He also leads the team with 20 runs scored.
Saturday starter Zach Linginfelter was lights out once again in his lone appearance last week. The junior right hander tossed six shutout innings in UT’s Game Two win over Fresno State, allowing just three hits and one walk while striking out four. Linginfelter is now 4-0 on the year and leads all starting pitchers on the team with a 0.75 ERA.
Sophomore lefty Garrett Crochet struck out five in 1.2 innings of relief to earn his third save of the year in Tennessee’s series-clinching win over the Bulldogs. The Ocean Springs, Miss., native has given up just one run and five hits while striking out 25 in 13.1 innings of work this season.
Opponent Scout No. 15 Auburn Tigers (15-2)
2018 Record: 43-23 (15-15 SEC)
2018 Postseason: NCAA Gainesville Super Regional (1-2)
Auburn was picked to finish fourth in the Western Division of the SEC Preseason Coaches’ Poll after finishing in a tie for third in the Western Division last season.
The Tigers are coached by Butch Thompson, who is in his fourth season leading the program. He has led AU to a 118-84 record since taking over as head coach in October of 2015.
Auburn is ranked in all six major college baseball polls this week with its highest ranking being No. 15 in the Perfect Game poll. The Tigers are ranked No. 17 in the USA Today Coaches’ Poll, four spots ahead of Tennessee.
The Tigers lost 15 players from last season’s Super Regional team but did return starting pitcher Tanner Burns, who was a Preseason All-SEC first-team selection. Burns, a sophomore right hander, enters the series with a 3-0 record and 0.68 ERA (sixth in the SEC). He also ranks second in the conference with 39 strikeouts.
Auburn also boasts another one of the league’s top pitchers in sophomore lefty Jack Owen, who owns a 2-0 record and leads the SEC with a perfect 0.00 ERA. Owen has allowed just 14 hits and one unearned run in 25.0 innings of work this season.
The duo of Rankin Woley and Edouard Julien lead the Tigers offensively. Woley leads the team with a .348 batting average, 23 hits, six doubles and 18 RBI while Julien leads the team with 19 runs scored and five home runs.
On Deck for the Vols
Tennessee will finish its four-game road trip with a midweek contest at ETSU on Tuesday 6 p.m. ET in Johnson City. The matchup will be the first of two for the Vols against the in-state Bucs this season.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The No. 6/5 Lady Vols logged seven runs in the first inning en route to a 14-2 run-rule of BYU in five innings to open up the annual Tennessee Invitational at Sherri Parker Lee Stadium on Thursday.
Senior ace Matty Moss notched the win for the Lady Vols (20-3) in the circle, throwing five strikeouts while allowing two hits and no runs in 3.0 innings of work. Moss improved her record to 6-1 on the year and has now given up less than three hits in six of her last seven outings of two innings or more. The Greenville, S.C., native came on in relief of Ashley Rogers to start the third inning.
At the plate, Aubrey Leach (2-for-2) and Kaili Phillips (1-for-3) led Tennessee with three RBIs apiece and Hailey Bearden chipped in two of her own. Phillips and Ashley Morgan knocked home runs in the outing while Tennessee recorded a .320 batting average as a team.
The Lady Vols got on the scoreboard in no time to kick off the first inning of play, as five errors, four unearned runs and just three hits gave Tennessee a 7-0 lead. Leach and Bearden combined for three RBIs and the Lady Vols cycled through 12 batters in the frame.
In the second inning, Tennessee’s lead was trimmed by the Cougars (10-12), who answered with a pair of RBI singles to cut the Lady Vols’ lead to five runs.
Morgan responded in the following half inning with a solo shot to right-center field to give UT an 8-2 advantage going into the third frame.
To start the inning, Cailin Hannon reached first base via fielder’s choice, as Leach was walked to give the Lady Vols two runners on. Phillips then blasted a home run off the scoreboard in left-center field to score Hannon and Leach, extending the Tennessee lead to 11-2.
After holding BYU to two straight scoreless innings, the Lady Vols poured on three more runs in the bottom of the fourth. A pair of walks and a fielder’s choice put two Tennessee players in scoring position, while Leach drove two runs in with a double off the left-field wall. To finish out the inning, a Tianna Batts RBI-single brought Leach home to further the Lady Vols’ lead to 14-2.
Moss closed out the game for Tennessee in the top of the fifth with a 1-2-3 inning to secure the run-rule win.
FAST START: The Lady Vols’ seven-run outburst in the first inning was the most runs scored in an opening inning this season for Tennessee. It also tied their second-highest scoring inning of the season.
ON DECK: The Lady Vols will get back to action in the Tennessee Invitational with a matchup against No. 11/13 Texas (22-5) at 5:30 p.m. ET tomorrow. The game will be broadcast via SEC Network+ on the WatchESPN app and the live radio call can be heard on UTSports.com, the UT Gameday App or AM 990.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The No. 5/6 Lady Vols (19-3) welcome BYU and Texas to Knoxville for the annual Tennessee Invitational (3/14-17).
Tennessee is coming off an 8-0 midweek win against Middle Tennessee in the Midstate Classic after a 2-1 weekend at then-No. 4 Florida in which it secured its first series against the Gators in Gainesville since 2007. Freshmen Kaili Phillips and Ally Shipman led the Lady Vols, batting .375 each while combining for three home runs and five RBI in the series with UF.
Tennessee has hosted 11 invitationals since the inaugural 1996 season, amassing a 45-5 record. Overall, Tennessee is 113-14 in regular-season tournaments it has hosted.
Kaili Phillips is the first Lady Vol since Madison Shipman in 2014 to hit homers in four straight games. From 2/28-3/9, Phillip’s notched eight hits with six home runs in 14 at-bats.
Tennessee leads the Southeastern Conference with a .363 batting average and ranks second in fielding percentage (.990). The Lady Vols’ average at the plate ranks third in the nation while their FLD % is second.
In 2019, UT has outscored its opponents 165-38 and hit 26 home runs. Lady Vol newcomers have hit 13 of the long balls.
Senior pitcher Matty Moss is fifth in the nation with a 10.60 strikeout-to-walk ratio. The senior has issued just five walks through 40.0 innings of work.
Scouting Report
BYU
Head coach Gordon Eakin led the Cougars to their 14th straight NCAA postseason in 2018 and led BYU to a win over No. 18 Baylor earlier this season.
This past Monday, offensive leader Rylee Jensen earned her third West Coast Conference Player of the Week Award after batting .597 while tallying runs in every game of the UCLA/Long Beach State Invite.
In the circle, BYU is led by Autumn Moffat who owns a 5-5 record and 2.10 ERA through 12 appearances (55.2 IP). She also leads the staff with 46 strikeouts.
All-Time Record vs. BYU: 7-1
In Knoxville: UT leads, 1-0
At Neutral Sites: UT leads, 6-1
Last Meeting: UT won, 13-0 (5) on 2/22/18
Texas
Head coach Mike White is in his first season as head coach of the Longhorns after spending eight years at Oregon.
Texas is coming off a home weekend in which it went 3-2 as host of the Longhorn Invite. The Longhorns have faced seven ranked opponents this season and sport a 3-4 record in those contests.
Offensively, Texas is led by Janae Jefferson. She boasts a .459 batting average, 39 hits and 22 runs scored.
Shealyn O’Leary is tops on the pitching staff with a 0.48 ERA and 7-0 record through 43.2 innings of work.
Vols OFs Evan Russell & Al Soularie / Credit: UT Athletics
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — No. 21 Tennessee used a four-run seventh to run away from UNC Asheville, completing the midweek sweep over the Bulldogs with a 7-2 victory Wednesday night at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.
Junior lefty Will Heflin (1-0) picked up his first win of the 2019 campaign, dealing 3.2 scoreless innings of relief for the Big Orange with a career-high eight strikeouts and no walks. The Morristown, Tenn., native retired his first 10 batters in order, including an immaculate inning against the top of the Bulldogs’ order in the fifth.
Asheville left-hander Joe Sondock (0-1) was credited with the loss, surrendering a pair of runs with one earned across 1.2 relief innings. The freshman totaled two walks and a strikeout in his ninth appearance of the season.
Sophomore JUCO product Alerick Soularie (1-for-3, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI) tagged a two-run shot to highlight Tennessee’s offensive output – his fifth home run over the past five games. Jay Charleston (2-for-4, R, 2B), Connor Pavolony(2-for-3, 2 2B, R, RBI) and Ricky Martinez (2-for-4, R, RBI) each logged multi-hit efforts to pace the Vols at the plate.
UNC Asheville (5-11) got on the board in the top of the second with a solo homer off the bat of Brandon Lankford (1-for-4, HR, R, RBI), the Bulldogs’ top slugger entering Wednesday night. The sophomore launched a leadoff bomb to left field for his seventh of the season, putting UNCA ahead 1-0 in the early going.
Tennessee (17-1) evened it up with a run in the bottom of the third, as Charleston scored from second on a fielding error by Bulldog first baseman Jake Madole.
Asheville jumped back in front in the top of the fourth when shortstop Carmine Pagano (2-for-4, 2B, RBI) drove in a run with a single through the left side. Trailing 2-1 with a pair of runners on base, sophomore outfielder Evan Russell robbed a potential three-run homer for the second out of the inning before a flyout to right field ended the frame. The Bulldogs would not score for the remainder of the contest.
The Vols capitalized on a couple of Asheville miscues to gain their first lead of the night in the bottom of the fifth. Pavolony drew a full-count, two-out, bases-loaded walk to tie it 2-2 before Max Ferguson came home on a passed ball to give UT a one-run lead.
Tennessee plated four runs in the bottom of the seventh to put the game out of reach, taking a 7-2 advantage over the Bulldogs that would hold for the rest of the game. Soularie belted a two-run shot to left center for his fifth homer in the past six days, followed by back-to-back RBI hits from Martinez and Jake Rucker (1-for-2, 2B, RBI) to give the Vols a five-run edge.
Relievers Tanner Kohlhepp, Daniel Vasquez and Elijah Pleasants closed it out for UT, combining for 1.2 innings of scoreless relief. Pleasants sealed the win with a strikeout, the 14th of the night for the Tennessee pitching staff which matched the third-highest total for the team this season.
UT begins its Southeastern Conference slate this weekend as the Vols hit the road for Auburn. The Vols’ 17-1 record entering SEC play is the best in program history, as well as the best start for UT overall since opening the 1997 campaign 18-1.
IMMACULATE INNING: Junior lefty Will Heflin came on to relieve Chase Wallace and accomplished a rare feat for Tennessee in the top of the fifth. The Morristown, Tenn., native tossed an ‘immaculate inning’ for the Vols – striking out three-consecutive batters on just nine pitches. Heflin faced the top of Asheville’s order, fanning outfielders Wade Chandler and Dominic Freeberger on swinging Ks before catching Greg Gasparro looking for his ninth-consecutive strike.
RUSSELL ROBBERY: With momentum shifting in Asheville’s favor in the top of the fourth, junior catcher Andrew Friedholm stepped to the plate with two Bulldogs on base and a 2-1 lead. The backstop sent the 2-2 offering from Chase Wallace deep towards the porches in left field, but sophomore outfielder Evan Russell pulled off a web gem – scaling the wall to rob a potential three-run homer. A flyout to right ended the frame, and UNC Asheville would not score for the rest of the night.
STARTING SILLY: Freshman right hander Chase Silseth made his first collegiate start Wednesday evening, giving up one earned run across three innings of work for his longest outing of the season. The Farmington, N.M., native fanned a career-high four batters while allowing one walk and two hits.
UP NEXT: Tennessee travels to Auburn, Ala. for a three-game set with the 15th-ranked Tigers to open up conference play. The series is scheduled for Friday through Sunday, March 15-17 at Plainsman Park, with first pitch Friday night set for 7 p.m.
UT’s men’s basketball head coach Rick Barnes spoke to the media before the team practiced in Nashville ahead of the SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament. Our coverage is brought to you by Hiwassee Window & Door and Image Matters.
UT’s men’s basketball team practiced in Nashville ahead of the SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament. Our coverage is brought to you by Hiwassee Window & Door and Image Matters.
UT’s men’s basketball team practiced in Nashville ahead of the SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament. Vince Ferrara checks in from practice with a video look in. Our coverage brought to you by Hiwassee Window & Door and Image Matters.
