An Endangered Child Alert has been issued on behalf of the Knoxville Police Department by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation for 20-month-old Jaisy Hollins and 4-year-old Joshua Hollins Jr.
They are believed to be with their non-custodial mother, 34-year-old Tiana Shelton, who is wanted by the KPD for Custodial Interference.
Her oldest son, Raymond McAlpin, is also missing from Knoxville and could also be with her.
Anyone with information is asked to call 1-800-TBI-FIND.
Becoming a new mom can be difficult, and for those who are already mothers, ensuring they have all the supplies they need is not easy. A community baby shower is aiming to help with some of those needs.
Knoxville native Ty Roberts is the executive director of Genissi Charitable Birth Services, a company she created to help support mothers and mothers-to-be in need.
“When I was pregnant with my daughter, there were a lot of things I didn’t have, but there were also a lot of barriers to things I wanted,” Roberts said. “I felt, what better way than to have these moms celebrated and to feel like this is about me, this is about enjoying myself, that someone really cares enough about me to pour into me.”
As executive director of Genissi Charitable Birth Services, Roberts is now planning to host her third community baby shower, aiming to help as many women and newborns as she can.
Roberts said, “I’ll have a mom say, ‘You know what? I need to be around some other women, some other moms, to remind me I’m not by myself.’ You’re talking about 100 or so pregnant women or moms who just gave birth, and that’s the perfect atmosphere for relationships to be birthed.”
Lannette Harris, a mother of two, took full advantage of the baby shower opportunity, finding community and relief in the comfort of being surrounded by others experiencing a similar journey.
“It made me happy there’s a community out there, like you have a community that cares about you, about your baby, about your pregnancy,” Harris said.
Harris received diapers, a car seat and more at the shower. Afterward, she explained the importance of community and what it means to her to have assistance when navigating something brand new, saying, “It means people care about you. The community reaches out and helps us. And you play games and it makes you feel included and loved.”
Both Harris and Roberts know tackling something new in life isn’t easy, and asking for help can sometimes be the hardest part. “Make a decision for yourself that you’re going to do something different for your life and your baby’s life, and when you do that, I promise something is going to change around you,” Roberts said.
If you or someone you know is interested in participating in one of these baby showers by Genissi Charitable Birth Services, you can go to https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSclVpfixIA7DONp3oNjAIi8fwPjn6jkHSZ5hXQxjGNcTXZCXw/viewform to sign up.
Knox County Public Library is pleased to present Truth and Consequences: film and conversation on information integrity in today’s world from April 25-28, 2024. All events are free and open to the public.
With AI, deep fakes, and online influencers adding to the already complex landscape of media disruption and information integrity, the Library is partnering with experts to take a close look at how news and information have changed in the last decade. This is a follow-up to its 2016 symposium.
Screening and Discussion: A Tennessee Waltz: Ray Blanton’s Last Dance
Thursday, April 25 | 7-9 | East Tennessee History Center (601 S. Gay Street)
Murder-for-hire and paid pardons—discover a Tennessee governor’s buried history in WVLT’s first-of-its-kind investigation into former Governor Ray Blanton and his administration. This hour-long documentary shares the story of the shocking allegations and the unprecendented early inauguration of Governor Lamar Alexander.
The media played an important role in exposing the scandal. How does the current enviornment of media distruption and changes in local journalism factor into these kinds of investigations today?
Joining us to discuss the scandal and its impact are:
Panel Discussion: AI, Deep Fakes, Online Influencers & Political Communication
Friday, April 26 | 9:00 – 10:30 | East Tennessee History Center
Evolving technologies and social media practices have impacted our news and information in unprecedented ways. With technological advances, it’s more important than ever to learn how to identify and verify legitimate news sources. Join us for an insightful panel discussion presented by UTK’s Information Integrity Institute with:
Conversation: First Amendment, Social Media, and Democracy
Friday, April 26 | 10:45 – noon | East Tennessee History Center
Social media seems to be pushing the limits of the first amendment, but where is the line? Recent court decisions have weighed in on the subject. Join us for a conversation about the intersection of democracy, free speech, and social media.
Presenters:
Glenn Reynolds, author of “Social Media Upheaval” (2019), is the Beauchamp Brogan Distinguished Professor of Law at UTK.
Jesse Mayshark is the co-founder of “Compass“, an online news site that provides news, insights and analysis of Knoxville and Knox County government, politics and business
Screening: “Marie” (1985)
Sunday, April 28 | 3:30 – 5:00 | Central Cinema (1205 N. Central St)
Sissy Spacek stars as whistle-blower Marie Ragghianti in this dramatized story of the federal investigation of the pardon and parole corruption under Tennessee Governor Ray Blanton. PG-13. Presented by TAMIS.
Truth and Consequences was made possible through partnership with these organizations:
The Tennessee Senate passes the bill that would arm teachers with concealed guns in schools. It passed yesterday (Tuesday) on the Senate floor with 26 votes for and five votes against. The bill does not require but would allow people who work at schools to carry concealed guns on school property. Teachers who decide to carry would have to undergo 40 hours of annual gun training at their own expense, in addition to receiving approval from the school director, passing a mental health evaluation, and passing an FBI background check. Democrats suggest that would pose a liability. The bill will now go to the House, where it has been placed on the regular calendar for April 17. If it passes, it will become law once the governor either signs it or allows it to go into law without his signature.
Tennessee’s Senate has also unanimously signed off on legislation requiring minors to have parental consent to create social media accounts. The Tennessee Senate approved its version without debate, though lawmakers tacked on a last-minute addition to clarify the bill only applied to social media websites. That means the House chamber must approve those changes before it can go to Governor Bill Lee’s desk for his approval. However, Tennessee lawmakers are hoping to require social media companies to provide parents with options to view privacy settings, set daily time restrictions and implement mandatory breaks. If enacted, the attorney general would be permitted to investigate and sue a social media platform for possible violations.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee football will culminate its spring with the 2024 Orange & White Game at 1 p.m. ET on Saturday, April 13 in Neyland Stadium, which will be at a significantly limited capacity of approximately 10,000 fans due to construction.
Construction continues on the stadium’s south end, west side and upper north end as part of the historic Neyland Stadium renovation project.
Tickets/Entry
Game tickets are sold out. Fans in attendance will enter through Gate 21 on the stadium’s northwest side. Gate 21 will open at noon, and the stadium’s clear bag policy will be in effect. All tickets will be digital and can be accessed via a mobile device—identical to the regular season. All seating is reserved, and fans are encouraged to add their tickets to their Apple or Google Wallet before arriving on campus.
Broadcast Information
The contest will be televised live on SEC Network+ with Mike Couzens and Dustin Fox on the call. Vol Network affiliates will carry the action with Bob Kesling, Pat Ryan, Brent Hubbs and Jayson Swain on the call.
Vol Walk
Vol Walk will start on Phillip Fulmer Way at the corner of Peyton Manning Pass at 11:10 a.m. The 2023-24 SEC champion and Elite Eight men’s basketball team will join the football team in the march into Neyland Stadium.
Vol Village Music Festival/Watch Party
The second annual Vol Village Music Festival surrounding pregame and postgame festivities of the Orange & White Game will feature award-winning, chart-topping artist Lindsay Ell and Knoxville-raised singer/songwriter Greylan James.
Vol Village opens at 10:30 a.m. in Lot 9 and is free admission. For fans unable to make it into Neyland Stadium, big screens will be stationed in Lot 9 and the amphitheater outside Gate 21 to watch the Orange & White Game live, as well as the Vols’ 5:30 p.m. baseball game versus LSU.
Vol Village will feature food trucks, vendors, beverage stations, an appearance by the Spirit Squad, Smokey and VFL Sterl The Pearl. There will be free sponsor giveaways, interactive displays, face painting and fun activities for all ages.
The free pregame concert begins at 11:15 a.m. in Lot 9 with Ell, one of country music’s most celebrated female voices, taking the stage. Ell has been lauded as one of the most exciting and talented young artists and holds a No. 1 platinum single with Brantley Gilbert in 2019.
The free postgame concert starts at 3:15 p.m. with James taking the Lot 9 stage. The Knoxville-raised singer/songwriter has written multiple No. 1 songs for Kenny Chesney and Jordan Davis. Greylan was nominated for CMA Song of the Year “Next Thing You Know” with Davis. A rising country artist in his own right, Greylan just wrapped up his run supporting Scotty McCreery’s CAB IN A SOLO TOUR and will open on select dates of Adam Doleac’s WRONG SIDE OF A SUNRISE TOUR beginning on April 25.
Parking
On-campus parking lots will open at 7 a.m. on gameday. Season ticket holders will receive information regarding on-campus parking availability. Free parking will be available at Ag Campus with shuttles to and from beginning at 9:30 a.m. Free parking will also be offered at the White Avenue and 11th Street parking garages. Phillip Fulmer Way will be closed from Lake Loudoun Blvd. to Cumberland Ave.
Format
Similar to previous Orange & White Games in the Josh Heupel era, offense will wear white jerseys and be on the home sideline. Defense will wear orange jerseys and be on the visiting sideline. Quarterbacks will wear Smokey Grey jersey tops. Normal game scoring will apply with offense (while wearing white jerseys) alternating possessions for Orange and White. The first half will be timed normally with two 15-minute quarters. There will be a 10-minute halftime before a second half that features a running clock.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — University of Tennessee Vice Chancellor/Director of Athletics Danny White and Chancellor Donde Plowman welcomed new Lady Vol basketball head coach Kim Caldwell to Rocky Top, introducing her on Tuesday afternoon at a press conference in the Ray and Lucy Hand Digital North Studio.
Caldwell, who has a 217-31 career record with eight NCAA Tournament berths in eight seasons as a head coach, most recently led Marshall University to a school-best 26-7 overall record and 17-1 league mark in her first year there in 2023-24. She was named the 2024 Spalding Maggie Dixon NCAA Division I Rookie Coach of the Year and the Sun Belt Conference Coach of the Year after directing the Thundering Herd to both the league’s regular season and tournament titles as well as the school’s second NCAA Tournament berth ever and first since 1997.
Prior to that, she served as head coach at NCAA Division II Glenville State, leading her alma mater to a pair of DII Final Four appearances and the 2022 national championship. From 2016-23, she directed GSU to six Mountain East Conference regular season titles (2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022, 2023) and four MEC Tournament trophies (2018, 2019, 2020, 2023), earning MEC Coach of the Year honors four times in 2018, 2019, 2022 and 2023, and accepting the WBCA’s Pat Summitt Trophy as the NCAA Division II National Coach of the Year in 2022.
Opening Statement…
“What an incredible honor it is to be the head coach of the Tennessee Lady Vols. Danny White, thank you for believing in me. You have an incredible track record of selecting head coaches, and I appreciate being a part of the list. Chancellor Donde Plowman, thank you for taking time to visit with me and listen to me, and thank you for everything you do for our program and this university. Marshall Steward and Angie Boyd-Keck, you guys have been by my side every step of the way, and you’ve made this transition for me seamless, and I already feel like I am home because of you two. All of you guys are great, but did you hear that Peyton Manning texted me? I do really feel welcomed here, and I appreciate that so much.
“I’d like to thank Marshall University, Christian Spears, Brad Smith, Beatrice Crane Banford for making Marshall feel like home. You created a loving and supportive environment for me, and Marshall will always be a very special place in my heart. I also need to thank Glenville State University, Jessie Skiles, Ike Morris, Doug Cottrill and our entire loyal fan base there. You guys gave me my start, you will always be my family, and I love you. I really need to thank every single student-athlete at both of those institutions who helped me get here today. I love you. Thank you for helping me live this dream that so many people want to have. It’s not always fair that the coach gets the glory and the coach gets the reward for the work that the players have done. From the bottom of my heart, I love you and I appreciate you, and you will always have a place with me.
“Mom, thank you for coming all this way. Thank you for being my cheerleader, thank you for being my support system and my best friend. My dad would be so excited. He would be up here trying to take the microphone and probably sing the words to Rocky Top. I would not be here today if it was not for you and dad, I won the parent lottery. You’re the best team mom, and the Lady Vols will soon know that. To my husband Justin, thank you for being my hype man and humbling me when I need that, too. Not a day will go by that I don’t thank you for that. I can’t wait for my two older sisters who I’ve always looked up to see how amazing this place is. They’re going to be so jealous. When I told my 96-year-old grandma about the transition, her first response was, ‘Oh, I have a lot of friends in Knoxville, but I think they’re all dead.’
“I haven’t been here long, and I know I have a lot of history to catch up on. Thank you Joan Cronan for meeting me Sunday and for the advice that she gave me. Trust me, as soon as I’m done here, I’m going to get back to work.
“The part of history that I need no catching up on is Pat Summitt’s legacy and how powerful the Lady Vol family is. When I say I am honored and humbled to be here, there is not a single person who has gone through this program that I could even come close to beating one-on-one. It is a remarkable program. I can’t wait to connect with our former players and listen to their stories, hear their history and pass on what it means to be a Lady Vol and represent that in our program. Pat Summitt changed the game of basketball, and wouldn’t she love to see where the game is now? I will never be Pat Summitt; nobody can be. I will strive every day to be somebody that she would be proud of.
“I am so excited to get to work with this team. I got to meet them Sunday night. They are a great group with a big personality, and they are hungry to get back to the top of the SEC. We’re going to play an exciting brand of basketball. We want to play fast, we want to play up-tempo, and we want to be the hardest-playing team in the country. We want to give Lady Vol nation something very exciting to watch. I know what this job means, and I am honored to be here. I will work every day to make sure I can take care of this special program and give God His glory in the process.”
On what drove her to become a coach…
“When I was younger, I loved basketball, and I always wanted to play basketball as long as I could. I was a 5’10” post player, so I learned pretty quickly in my career that there was nothing after college in my future, and I knew that coaching was the route I had to take. My dad was my high school coach. He coached us from the time that we were in elementary school all the way up, and I saw his passion. I saw how hard he worked, and I wanted to be exactly like him, so he’s the reason that I got into coaching. I was able to work with him. He was my assistant at Glenville State the entire time up until he passed away in 2021, and so I learned a lot from him. He did a great job of teaching me how to be a leader without ever having to say a word.”
On why she feels ready to step into the expectations that Tennessee Women’s Basketball holds…
“You want to be somewhere where the expectations are high. I’ve had a lot of opportunities in my career to look at jobs and was never interested in a job that did not have high expectations, did not have a loyal fan base, did not have a hungry crowd that wanted to pay attention to what was going on, so I think that was something that makes this program incredibly special, and I’m going to work very, very hard to make sure that we keep it there.”
On if it’s ‘clicked’ that she’s the head coach for Tennessee Women’s Basketball…
“It hasn’t really clicked yet. There are some times I have to just remind myself, ‘I’m really here. I’m really seeing what I’m seeing.’ It’s an incredible opportunity, and I’m so grateful for that but, no, it has not clicked yet and I will let you know when it does.”
On her timeline as the new head coach…
“There’s a lot to do. We need to get a great staff put in place. I need to form relationships with current players that are here, and then we need to make some additions and get in the portal and start to recruit. It’s all hands on deck right now.”
On how her experience turning around a program at Marshall prepared her for Tennessee…
“It’s helpful. It’s nothing that I planned. I was planning to be at Marshall for quite some time, and this was not something that we planned to do. It does help the fact that less than a year ago, I was doing a press conference, and less than a year ago, I was trying to recruit the roster that we had while recruiting another team and put a staff together. It’s familiar in that sense.”
On what her expectations are for this first year…
“We want to be the hardest-playing team in the country. We want to establish our culture. We want to score a lot of points and be an exciting brand of basketball in the SEC. We want to make people proud. We want to make sure that we get back on top.”
On how she expects her style of basketball to translate to the SEC…
“It looks like a lot of pressure and a lot of shots being taken. It’s playing a lot of players, trusting your players, giving them freedom and putting them in situations where they can make good choices and have a lot of athletes on the floor. We are going to cross half-court a lot but press almost non-stop. It’s a really aggressive and fun style of play.”
On how different she expects the recruiting process to look in the SEC…
“Everyone I text has responded to me, so that’s the difference. It’s really nice, but it’s the same thing. Players are players. People who are transferring and high school players are looking for the same thing but at different levels. They just happen to be taller in the SEC.”
On whether her style of play can translate to a higher level…
“I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t think we could do it here.”
Opening Statement…
“I appreciate you all coming together today. It’s a big day on Rocky Top, and we are excited about our future and understand how important these transitions, these pivots, are in the history of a program. I want to thank Kellie Harper, her husband Jon and their family for all they did for the basketball program the last five years. Obviously, Kellie is a Lady Vol for Life as a former student-athlete. An enormous part of why we are here and why women’s basketball and women’s sports at large is where it is in this country is because of the legendary Pat Summitt. We understand the enormous responsibility that being a caretaker and steward of this program is because of all she accomplished here. I also want to thank Holly Warlick and all the contributions she made as head coach of our program.
“This is only the fourth head coach of our women’s basketball program who we will be introducing today, which is a rare thing in college athletics these days. This is a historic program in a historic moment, and it gives us great excitement about our future. We had a great search committee of athletics leadership and athletic administration. I want to thank all of those [who served]. A lot of folks put in a lot of time on this search. We took it extremely seriously, and the time investment and work involved was significant.
“Our student-athletes were awesome. I met with our team first. As you’ve heard me talk about before, it’s the first thing we always do. They voted on a leadership group, and then we met with that group. It was very helpful to give us insight on what’s going on inside the program. There are a lot of great things happening in our program. We talked about—spinning off our chancellor’s comments from earlier this year—as a university, we are good but want to be great. Sometimes the enemy of great can be good. As a women’s basketball program, we want to get back to competing for Southeastern Conference and National Championships. Our student-athletes have that ambition, and we are not on a three-, four- or five-year plan; they talked about wanting to win next year. We wanted to make sure we are positioning ourselves to be competitive right away. Their comments and their education were very helpful for me when understanding what’s going on in our program and helping me vet candidates. I know we’ve matched the very best coach for our team now in the present and certainly in the future.
“As we went through this, we were looking for a coach for them. I felt like it was important as a committee and as an athletic director that we needed to be selfless in these endeavors and make sure that we are trying to find the right individual for this institution and for our team. We were very fast; it took us about a week, but we were very methodical and weren’t going to rush a decision. We cast a very wide net and talked to basically anybody you could think of or connected to people you could think of. Candidates at all different levels all across the country. There was no stone unturned. The prerequisite for this search, and something I was unbending on, was how was this person going to bring us back to the top. We weren’t looking for a possible solution that got us back to being maybe more relevant. We wanted someone with an enormous upside and trajectory, and I will tell you why I think we found that. [We looked at] different styles of play. We were open to all sorts of ways to approach the game, but we are never going to hire a head coach who lacks integrity and strong character. [We want] someone who cares about student-athletes and is coaching for the right reason. We have that person. We wanted someone who is competitive and confident. You will see that we have a very competitive new coach. We wanted someone who wasn’t afraid of the challenge to restore this legendary program to where we all want it to be. I’ve talked about this before when introducing coaches. There’s a lot of speculation around coaching searches, and we like to talk about names. Interviews do matter. In a search, we pay attention to and do a lot of research beforehand, but the interviews do matter. I think anyone on our committee would tell you that there was one interview that stood out above the rest in a significant way. It was a really impactful interview in terms of who she is as a leader and as a person and how she presented herself. I think the style of play is very compelling with where the game is going. I think it resonates with the current players, and I was happy to see you all smiling when I was introducing Kim to you. In terms of prospective players in the future, I think it’s a compelling and exciting style of play. For fans, if you like what you’re seeing inside of Neyland Stadium in terms of the amount of points we score, I think you are going to like what you see on the basketball floor, with the offensive and defensive attacking in a competitive style of play. In very short order, we will have the fastest style of basketball in the country.
“I’m really excited about Kim and introducing her to you today. I think she’s not only going to make an enormous impact with our current student-athletes but build a program that is distinctive and allows us to compete with some formidable opponents in the Southeastern Conference and get us back to competing for National Championships. With that, I am proud to introduce to you the fourth head coach in Lady Vol basketball history, your new head coach of the University of Tennessee women’s basketball, Kim Caldwell.”
On the importance of hiring someone with a noticeable playing style…
“We talk about our history, looking back, and so then looking forward, what our expectations might be – how are we going to get there? I think anytime that I’m in a coaching search, I’m thinking about what makes us distinctive. In this instance, I think she makes us distinctive in terms of who she is and how she conducted herself in the interview. I think she’s going to really connect with our players, but her style of play certainly makes us very distinctive, and I think that’s where the sport is going. The pace of play, both in men’s and women’s basketball, is becoming more and more a factor, and I think that she’s on the cutting edge. We talk about leading the way in college sports here at Tennessee, and I think Kim helps us do that.”
On what Coach Caldwell said in her interview that impressed him…
“What she said and how she said it. A lot about how she coaches her teams and connects with her players. Then also the style of play and the reasons behind it; it’s very well thought out. The numbers and metrics, which made me want to talk to her, speak for themselves. It’s pretty compelling.”
On the benefits of hiring a coach that’s ‘on the rise’…
“I think it gives us tremendous upside and excitement about where we can go. We have an unbelievable, historic brand. We have great support with this fan base. Players want to play at Tennessee. I think we can get talent here; I know we can. With this exciting style of play, I think it makes it even more compelling for players to want to come here.”
On how Coach Caldwell’s introductory press conference compared to her interview…
“I would agree with your [positive] assessment of today, and it didn’t surprise me. She’s a pretty talented leader and she’s going to be great for our team.”
On whether it was important to hire someone who was not a part of the Lady Vol program previously…
“I was obviously aware of that history; it’s something that we thought about. That is a characteristic when you talk about fit that would be one of the things we would consider. Did we have a candidate pool that was restricted to only former players? No. We also weren’t averse to having former players; we just want to pull a bunch of candidates.”
On her initial thoughts of Coach Caldwell…
“She seems like a good personality, fun, upbeat person. You could tell she really cares for us, and she wants what’s best for us for the little time we got to meet her. When she first got here, we kind of toured her around a little bit.”
On how exciting it is to have the opportunity to get Tennessee back…
“Yeah, it’s exciting. I’ve seen a lot of good statistics about her and what she has planned for us here offensively and defensively. It’s an exciting brand of basketball, and I’m just trying to see how it will come together for all of us.”
On whether she was a part of the team leadership group advising Danny White and what was important to them…
“I was a part of that group. My teammates look at me as a leader, and I look at myself as a leader as well. We really just talked about things that we want in a program going forward. We all want to win here. Not that we didn’t do that with Coach Kellie, I have the utmost respect for her and love for her and appreciate her for even bringing me here, but I think we were just talking about how we can get back to the top of the SEC and top of the nation.”
On what Coach Caldwell told them in their first meeting…
“We actually have our first team meeting tomorrow. Some of us have done one on ones, I’ve done one on ones and talked to her, and she’s told me my plans and what she has in store for me and how I can help this program. I’m really excited about that.”
On what she knows about her style of play…
“I got to watch it. They’re very fast paced, like she said, she want to cross half court a lot, get a lot of threes up, a lot of shots from different players, fast paced and then, defensively, get in people’s grills, really try to turn people over and really force the hand.”
On if it is something that fits her play style…
“It fits my playing style. I like to shoot. I like to defend. I can be a better defender. I think she [Kim Caldwell] can help me do that. From what I have seen, it looks like there is a lot of space on the court to get down hill and make plays offensively.”
On if this style of play is the direction college basketball is going…
“I think it is. You have seen it with Iowa, Oklahoma and Florida State. Teams that want to get up and down transitionally on offense and score at will when you can, and just making it harder for other teams to guard you.”
On how she helped lead the team throughout the past week…
“Coming together. We are a really close team; a poised team on the court and off the court. We really value relationships within each other and our coaches. Sticking together. Always being there for each other. If we have any questions or anything like me being the leader, just answering them. Giving the young ones or anybody as much comfort as possible.”
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – No. 4/4 Tennessee continued to score runs in bunches with its 13th run-rule victory of the season, toppling Alabama A&M, 20-2, in seven innings on Tuesday night at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.
The Vols (27-6) had 12 different players record one hit apiece as a multitude of players got opportunities at the plate. Christian Moore, Ariel Antigua, Colby Backus and Camden Bates drove in three runs each while Cannon Peebles and Bradke Lohry both had two RBIs to lead the offensive onslaught.
Moore and Antigua both recorded bases-clearing doubles while Backus hit a two-run homer and drew a bases-loaded walk to drive in his three runs. Bates added a three-run home run during UT’s nine-run sixth inning, the first of his collegiate career.
Seven different pitchers saw action for the Big Orange, all of which threw exactly one inning. Freshman lefty Dylan Loy made his second start of the year and tossed a scoreless first inning with a pair of strikeouts to get the Vols off to a strong start.
JJ Garcia was the first arm out of the bullpen and earned his first-career victory after retiring the side in order with two punchouts in the second inning.
Marcus Phillips, Austin Hunley, Brady Robertson and Luke Payne all threw one shutout frame apiece, as well.
Brycen Hammonds led Alabama A&M with a pair of hits while Blake Martin and Jared Tribett both had an RBI.
The Bulldogs (5-26) struggled mightily on the mound, issuing 13 walks and hitting five batters as all four pitchers who saw action allowed five runs.
STAT OF THE GAME: With Tuesday’s victory, UT improved to 9-0 in midweek games this season and has posted five run-rule wins in those nine contests, outscoring their opposition 101-19.
UP NEXT: The Vols host the defending national champion LSU Tigers at Lindsey Nelson Stadium this weekend. First pitch for Friday’s series opener is slated for 7:30 p.m. and will be televised on ESPNU.
A man from Jacksboro who was charged with illegally killing two elk on North Cumberland Wildlife Management Area (NCWMA) last November, entered a plea agreement in court last week.
In a plea agreement, Preston William Douglas, 34, of Jacksboro, appeared in Campbell County General Sessions Court on April 4 and was found guilty on two counts of illegally taking big game. Douglas had his hunting license revoked for five years, is banned from NCWMA for three years, and was put on supervised probation for three years. He forfeited a rifle and a handgun and was ordered to pay $10,000 in restitution, plus fines and court costs.
Just before 9 a.m. on November 19, 2023, Wildlife Manager Darrell England was contacted by an informant who reported that he had heard multiple shots while deer hunting on NCWMA. The informant went to investigate and spoke with another hunter who said he had shot two “deer,” one being a doe and the other a six point buck. The limit for deer on NCWMA at the time was one per person.
Using vehicle tag information, England identified Douglas and he and Wildlife Sgt. Dustin Burkevisited him at his home the following day where he admitted to firing shots, but claimed he didn’t kill anything. The officers returned to NCWMA and searched the area where Douglas had been parked but were unable to locate any evidence. England then spoke with the informant again and decided to revisit the scene with Burke where they discovered the decomposing carcasses of a bull and a cow elk, both with bullet wounds to the bodies and heads.
Both carcasses were removed from the woods and were taken to UT College of Veterinary Medicine for a necropsy. Further investigation over the following days produced shell casings from a .40 caliber handgun and a 6.5 Creedmoor rifle, as well as a bullet inside a gut pile. The officers also located one unspent rifle cartridge from a 6.5 Creedmoor.
The officers met with Douglas again who gave a full confession of hunting, killing, and not retrieving both animals. He was charged with two violations each of hunting and killing big game in closed season, illegally taking big game, tagging violations, and failure to retrieve big game. The officers also seized a 6.5 Creedmoor rifle and a .40 caliber handgun.
Since the reintroduction of elk into Tennessee in the year 2000, TWRA is aware of 14 cases where elk have been poached. To date, eight of those cases have been solved. Elk hunting in Tennessee is only legal for a limited number of participants through the annual quota hunt system. Anyone with information about poaching in Tennessee is encouraged to call the poaching hotline at 1-800-831-1174.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The University of Tennessee men’s basketball is fifth in both major polls to conclude the 2023-24 season.
Tennessee (27-9, 14-4 SEC) holds the fifth position in both the Associated Press Top 25 Poll and the USA TODAY Coaches Poll, as revealed Tuesday afternoon.
The Volunteers moved up one spot on each list, as they entered the NCAA Tournament sixth in the country. Tennessee defeated Saint Peter’s, Texas and then-No. 11 Creighton to reach the Elite Eight for the second time, before falling to the eventual NCAA runner-up, Purdue.
Tennessee’s fifth-place finish in the AP Poll ties a program record set in both 2021-22 and 2007-08. This is the first time the Associated Press has released a year-end poll after the NCAA Tournament, as the final poll from 1948-49 through 2022-23 came beforehand.
Additionally, the Volunteers’ fifth-place position in the Coaches Poll—the organization has traditionally released a post-NCAA Tournament list—sets a program best. Their prior top mark was seventh in 2007-08.
This is the ninth AP top-five ranking of the year for the Volunteers, good for the second-most in a campaign in program history, behind just the 14 they earned in 2018-19. Barnes has steered Tennessee to 27 AP top-five rankings, all in the last six years, after it had 17 all-time before his arrival in 2015-16.
Tennessee is in the AP top 25 for the 59th consecutive week, good the third-longest streak in the country behind just Houston (85) and Kansas (64). The only other team with a tally of even 40-plus in Arizona (57).
The Volunteers’ 59-week mark is 22 longer than the program’s prior best of 37 from March 1999 to Feb. 2001. Tennessee has now been ranked in every poll for three straight seasons, earning a top-10 spot in 32 of those 59 releases.
This is the 15th consecutive week Tennessee is in the AP top 10, passing a stretch in 2000-01 for sole possession of the second-longest ledger in school history. The only longer span was a 20-week run in 2018-19, also in head coach Rick Barnes‘ tenure.
Of the Volunteers’ five all-time double-digit streaks, three are under Barnes, who has led the program 57 of its 151 total AP top-10 rankings, 37.7 percent of its all-time total. This year, Tennessee earned a top-10 spot in 18 of the 20 releases, including ranking eighth or better in each of the final 15.
Tennessee, which won the outright SEC regular season title, collected 1,203 points in the AP Poll voting, a 45-point increase from last week and just 14 shy of the co-third-place teams, Alabama and Houston, and 108 ahead of sixth-place Illinois. In the Coaches Poll, the Volunteers accumulated 638 points, just 13 back of third-placed Houston and four behind fourth-place Alabama, as well as 60 in front of sixth-place North Carolina.
Five SEC teams ended the year in the top 25 of both polls. Alabama placed No. 3/4, with Auburn at No. 18/17, Kentucky at No. 20/19 and South Carolina at No. 24/23. In addition, Florida and Texas A&M received votes in both polls, while Arkansas did so in the AP Poll.
To keep up with the University of Tennessee men’s basketball team on social media, follow @Vol_Hoops on Instagram and X/Twitter, as well as /tennesseebasketball on Facebook.
The Knoxville Fire Department is on the scene of a fire in the 300 block of East Caldwell Ave in North Knoxville. (Wednesday morning)
The fire is contained to the outbuilding with only minor damage. KFD says it is under control.
