#8 Tennessee Takes Down #10 Clemson on the Road, 2-1
Courtesy / UT Athletics

#8 Tennessee Takes Down #10 Clemson on the Road, 2-1

Posted on March 6, 2024

Game Recap: Softball | March 05, 2024

CLEMSON, S.C. – No. 8 Tennessee won an extra-innings pitcher’s duel Tuesday at No. 10 Clemson, knocking off the Tigers 2-1 at McWhorter Stadium.

The win marks Tennessee’s second consecutive victory over a top-10-ranked Clemson team, following last season’s 1-0 win over the then fifth-ranked Tigers.

Tied 1-1 in the ninth inning, junior newcomer Sophia Nugent hit a game-winning double off the wall in center that senior Rylie West raced around from first to score on – beating the throw to home as she slid in for the go-ahead run.

Sophomore Karlyn Pickens came out of the bullpen in the fourth inning and shut down the Tigers as she held them to three hits. The Weaverville, North Carolina, native tossed six innings with four strikeouts and two walks.

Pickens earned the win – her eighth of the year – and is 2-0 versus Clemson in her career.

Graduate Payton Gottshall got the start for UT and went three innings, allowing one run on three hits. She fanned two batters and walked one.

Clemson (13-5) started Valerie Cagle – the 2023 USA National Collegiate Player of the Year – in the circle. She went the distance for the Tigers with 10 strikeouts and three walks. She allowed two runs on five hits, suffering the loss and dropping to 6-3 in 2024.

Senior Kiki Milloy opened the scoring with a double to right in the third inning before the Tigers loaded the bases and answered back in the fourth inning, scoring on a wild pitch. Pickens was able to work out of the jam and limit the damage to just one run.

STAT OF THE DAY
Tennessee’s win is its first over a top-10 opponent since defeating No. 10 LSU on March 19 last season.

UP NEXT
Tennessee is back at home March 8-10 as it plays host to Ohio State, Missouri State and South Dakota in the Tennessee Invitational.

CURLEY’S RECORD-SETTING NIGHT LEADS #7/8 VOLS TO 11TH STRAIGHT WIN
Courtesy / UT Athletics

CURLEY’S RECORD-SETTING NIGHT LEADS #7/8 VOLS TO 11TH STRAIGHT WIN

Posted on March 6, 2024

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – A record-setting night from freshman shortstop Dean Curley led No. 7/8 Tennessee to an emphatic 15-5 win over Kansas State on Tuesday at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.

The California native tied UT’s single-game record with three home runs and finished with nine RBIs, a Tennessee freshman record and one shy of the program record of 10 set by Joe Randa against Louisville in 1991.

Curley nearly completed the home run cycle but flew out to the wall in right field in his final at-bat of the night. His first homer of the night was a grand slam in a six-run third inning for the Big Orange that busted open a 4-2 game. Curley followed that with a three-run blast in the fourth inning and capped his incredible night with a two-run shot in the sixth.

Despite the lopsided final score, the Vols (12-1) had to battle out of an early hole after falling behind 2-0 in the top of the first inning. The Wildcats’ lead was short-lived, as UT answered with three runs in the bottom of the second to take the lead for good.

Tuesday’s victory marked UT’s fourth straight contest scoring double-digit runs and the seventh time total this season through 13 games. Seven different Vols registered multi-hit efforts on the night as the team finished with 17 base hits for the second consecutive game, tying a season high.

Christian Moore, Blake Burke, Billy Amick, Cannon Peebles, Dylan Dreiling and Hunter Ensley all finished with two hits apiece while Moore, Amick and Dreiling all added home runs, as well.

On the mound, Nate Snead improved to 3-0 on the year after pitching four innings out of the bullpen while Andrew Behnke and Dylan Loy combined to strikeout out four batters across the final three innings.

Kansas State (7-4) was led by leadoff man Chuck Ingram, who finished 3-for-4 with an RBI. Starting pitcher Owen Boerema was tagged for nine runs on nine hits and two walks in three innings of work to fall to 1-1 on the year.

UP NEXT: The Vols continue their midweek slate with a Wednesday night matchup against Southern Indiana at 6 p.m. on SEC Network+ and the ESPN app.

STAT OF THE GAME: Tennessee continued its power surge with a season-high six home runs on Tuesday night, giving them 32 on the year. UT has homered in all 13 games this season.

DOJ: Former Loudon County Corrections Officer Sentenced for Using Excessive Force

DOJ: Former Loudon County Corrections Officer Sentenced for Using Excessive Force

Posted on March 5, 2024

Knoxville, TN (WOKI) A former Loudon County corrections officer was sentenced to prison on Monday for using excessive force.

A release from the Department of Justice says 32-year-old Brian Phillips, of Georgia, was sentenced to five months in prison as part of a plea agreement.

Phillips pleaded guilty to one count of use of excessive force under color of law in connection to an incident at the Loudon County Jail in January of 2021.

Court records indicate Phillips “hipslammed” a detainee headfirst into the concrete floor for getting a second dinner tray, which is not permitted.

Following his incarceration, Phillips will be on supervised release for two years.

ACSO: Two charged After Leading Police on High-Speed Chase in Oak Ridge

ACSO: Two charged After Leading Police on High-Speed Chase in Oak Ridge

Posted on March 5, 2024

Oak Ridge, TN (WOKI) Two people are arrested after a high speed chase through Oak Ridge.

Anderson County Deputies were called to the Marathon Gas Station on Oak Ridge Highway after a man was spotted at the gas pumps putting on a ski mask Monday morning.

When deputies arrived, the man fled the scene, and the chase went from Laurel Road through Oak Ridge ending on Southwood Lane.

ACSO: Two charged after leading police on high-speed chase in Oak Ridge (Courtesy: ACSO)

Twenty-three year-old Devon Pride and 24-year-old Destiny Simonds are charged with more than a dozen offenses including evading arrest, reckless driving and driving under the influence.

The investigation is on-going.

UT Medical Center Introduces Cutting Edge Cancer Treatment

UT Medical Center Introduces Cutting Edge Cancer Treatment

Posted on March 5, 2024

Knoxville, TN (WOKI) There are only 30 hospitals in the country that offer a newly FDA-approved T-cell treatment for cancer, and the University of Tennessee Medical Center is one of them.

Through this new treatment process, UTMC staff are able to take the cells that your body naturally produces to fight cancer, reproduce more of the effective cells, then inject them back into a patient with the hopes of reducing or eliminating the tumor altogether.

This new treatment became FDA approved on February 16, and it has already brought multiple patients to UT hospital to seek this treatment out.

It is the only hospital in the state to offer the treatment, the next closest option being Louisville or Atlanta.

JACKSON REPEATS ON COACHES’ ALL-SEC FIRST TEAM
Courtesy / UT Athletics

JACKSON REPEATS ON COACHES’ ALL-SEC FIRST TEAM

Posted on March 5, 2024

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Tennessee women’s basketball standout Rickea Jackson has repeated as an All-SEC First Team selection by the league’s coaches, the conference office announced on Tuesday morning.
 
Jackson, a 6-foot-2 forward, became only the fifth Lady Vol since 2012 to do that in back-to-back campaigns. The previous repeat first-teamers during that stretch were Meighan Simmons (2013, 2014), Isabelle Harrison (2014, 2015), Rennia Davis (2020, 2021) and Jordan Horston (2022, 2023).
 
The SEC’s active career scoring leader, who is in her second season at UT after beginning her career at Mississippi State, collected the third all-conference recognition of her career. She also was the recipient of second-team acclaim in 2019-20 while with the Bulldogs.
 
Jackson leads Tennessee and ranks second in the SEC this season in scoring at 19.7 points per game (19.9 in SEC play) and contributes a team-high 7.9 rebounds per contest while adding 2.2 assists per outing. She is shooting 46.7 percent from the field and 76.1 percent from the free throw line after overcoming an early-season injury that sidelined her for eight games. Jackson also is tied for the team lead in charges taken with five.
 
In match-ups against ranked teams, Jackson has elevated her play even more, putting up 23.8 ppg. and 10.3 rpg. in those contests. Over UT’s last five outings, which have included a pair of meetings with No. 1 South Carolina and one with No. 9 LSU, the Big Orange star has averaged 23.0 ppg. and 7.4 rpg. while shooting 50 percent from the field and 75 percent from the charity stripe.
 
A native of Detroit, Jackson has recorded three double-doubles this season and nine games with 20 or more points scored. The latter number has increased her two-year total on Rocky Top to 25, which ranks as the fifth-best ever by a Lady Vol behind only program legends Chamique Holdsclaw, Bridgette Gordon, Candace Parker and Tamika Catchings.
 
Also reflective of her scoring prowess, Jackson has tallied 1,065 points in only 55 games at Tennessee, ranking No. 46 on a list that primarily features players who spent three or four seasons in Knoxville. For career point production, she has generated 2,150 in 122 career contests, ranking sixth among anyone who has played at UT, including transfers. In recent games, she passed Tamika Catchings (2,113) and Candace Parker (2,137) and ranks behind only Cindy Brogdon (3,204), Chamique Holdsclaw (3,025), Jill Rankin (2,851), Bridgette Gordon (2,462) and Patricia Roberts (2,447).
 
Jackson and her teammates finished the regular season at 17-11 overall and 10-6 in league play, grabbing a tie for fourth place. They’ll be in Greenville, S.C., this week, where they will open play in the SEC Tournament as the No. 5 seed on Thursday vs. the winner of Wednesday’s game between No. 12 seed Kentucky and No. 13 Georgia. Tip-off on Thursday will be at approximately 2:15 p.m. ET, with SEC Network televising and the Lady Vol Network broadcast available on radio stations statewide and via live stream on UTSports.com.

The Murder Trial of a Fountain City Woman Accused of Killing Her 5-Year-Old Daughter is Underway

The Murder Trial of a Fountain City Woman Accused of Killing Her 5-Year-Old Daughter is Underway

Posted on March 5, 2024

It’s day two (Tuesday) in the murder trial of a Fountain City woman accused of killing her young daughter.

Robin Howington is accused of shooting her 5 year-old daughter at a home on Balsam Drive in 2019. She’s charged with felony murder, child neglect, false reporting and tampering with evidence.

In court yesterday (Monday), Prosecutors say Howington changed her story multiple times saying she told police different things about what happened that night.

The Prosecution showed the jury security footage from a neighbor claiming she hid the gun while on the phone with 911.

The Defense made several arguments in its opening statement as well saying there were issues with the interviewing process.

The trial is expected to last all week long.

A Lawsuit is Filed in Meigs County on Behalf of Woman Who Died in the Back Seat of a Deputy’s Vehicle that Ran Into the River

A Lawsuit is Filed in Meigs County on Behalf of Woman Who Died in the Back Seat of a Deputy’s Vehicle that Ran Into the River

Posted on March 5, 2024

A lawsuit is filed on behalf of a Meigs County woman who died in the back of a deputy’s vehicle last month.

On February 14th, the Meigs County Sheriff’s Office says Deputy Robert “RJ” Leonard accidentally took a wrong turn and drove into the River after arresting Tabitha Smith.

As the cruiser hit the water, Smith was handcuffed in the back seat and unable to free herself. Leonard’s body was found the next day in the river but not inside the patrol car.

The lawsuit was filed by Nathan Smith on behalf of his mother, Tabitha against the Meigs County Government and Deputy Leonard and alleges Leonard “was not properly trained by the County and his mother suffered a horrific death.”

The lawsuit requests a jury trial and $10 million in damages.

A Deadly Plane Crash in Nashville

A Deadly Plane Crash in Nashville

Posted on March 5, 2024

A deadly plane crash in Middle Tennessee on I-40 E in West Nashville just past the Charlotte Pike exit., all five people on board the single engine plane died in the crash.

Officials say the pilot of the plane requested an emergency landing at John C Tune Airport saying they were experiencing engine problems. The FAA is on scene.

According to FlightAware, the plane was traveling from Mount Sterling, Kentucky.

The NTSB is expected on scene later today.

New Assistant Coaches Inge, Sims Preview Spring Football
Courtesy / UT Athletics

New Assistant Coaches Inge, Sims Preview Spring Football

Posted on March 5, 2024

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – New Tennessee assistant coaches De’Rail Sims and William Inge met with the media on Monday, two weeks before the Volunteers begin spring football practice in the fourth year of the Josh Heupel era.

Sims joins the program as running backs coach after serving in the same role at James Madison, East Carolina, Louisville and most recently Cincinnati, which had the nation’s fifth-best rushing attack last fall (217.1 ypg).

“When I was growing up, being able to watch them (UT) on Saturdays, and in my opinion it was RBU,” Sims said. “You turn around and you watch Jamal Lewis when I was growing up, Travis Stephens when I was growing up. Seeing them run through that Power T to come in here, and they were beating up on everybody. It was one of those deals that you had admiration for the program.”

Inge comes to Knoxville after serving as the co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach for College Football Playoff national title game participant Washington. He takes over a room led by veteran Keenan Pili and talented young players in Elijah Herring, Arion Carter, Jeremiah Telander, Jalen Smith and Kalib Perry.

“Starting from scratch, we have a really good room of guys that are ready to take the next step,” Inge said. “It just excites me as a coach continuously putting them into scenarios where they can be developed and getting them to be able to do things that they couldn’t ordinarily do themselves.”

Tennessee begins four weeks of spring practice on Monday, March 18. The Volunteers host the annual Orange & White Game on Saturday, April 13 at 1 p.m. ET in a limited capacity Neyland Stadium.

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