OFFENSE EXPLODES IN MIDDLE INNINGS AS #7/9 VOLS SECURE SERIES WIN OVER GREAT DANES
Courtesy / UT Athletics

OFFENSE EXPLODES IN MIDDLE INNINGS AS #7/9 VOLS SECURE SERIES WIN OVER GREAT DANES

Posted on February 25, 2024

Game Recap: Baseball | February 24, 2024

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – No. 7/9 Tennessee secured its first weekend series win of the season in emphatic fashion with a 21-6 victory over UAlbany on Saturday afternoon in front of a program record crowd of 5,127 fans at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.

After falling behind 1-0 in the top of the first and managing just two hits through the first three innings, the Volunteers got the bats going in a big way with a nine-run fourth inning to take control.

UT totaled 18 of their 21 runs in the middle three innings of the game, adding four in the fifth and five in the sixth before tacking on another three in the eighth to wrap up the scoring.

The Big Orange (6-1) finished the afternoon with 15 hits, 10 of which went for extra bases, including four home runs.

Kavares Tears hit his third long ball of the year in the fifth inning and finished with a team-high four RBIs while Dalton Bargo had his best game as a Vol with a team-leading three hits and three runs scored to go along with a two-run homer.

Billy Amick also had another strong day at the plate, recording a pair of hits, including a bases-clearing double in Tennessee’s nine-run fourth inning. Robin Villeneuve continued his hot start to the year, as well, going 2-for-3 with a walk, two runs scored and a monster 448-foot two-run homer over the batter’s eye.

Drew Beam got the start on the mound and earned his first win of the year after 5.2 solid innings. The junior right-hander allowed two runs on six hits and struck out four with no walks. Aaron Combs and Dylan Loy both pitched a scoreless inning of relief while freshman left-hander Luke Payne made his UT debut, posting a pair of strikeouts in the eighth inning.

UAlbany’s top two hitters in the order combined for seven of the team’s 12 hits as Ryan Ferremi went 4-for-5 with two runs and two RBIs and Jared Toby went 3-for-5 with a run, an RBI and two doubles. Thomas McElwee and John Vitucci also had multi-hit efforts for the Great Danes (0-2).

UP NEXT: The Vols will look to complete the series sweep in Sunday’s series finale, which is slated for a 1 p.m. start.

STAT OF THE GAME: Tennessee had 10 different players record at least one hit and had seven players finish with multiple RBIs on the day. Bargo tied a career high with three hits and finished a triple short of the cycle.

Another Big Third Inning Propels #7/9 Vols Past UAlbany in Series Opener
Courtesy / UT Athletics

Another Big Third Inning Propels #7/9 Vols Past UAlbany in Series Opener

Posted on February 24, 2024

Game Recap: Baseball | February 23, 2024

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – No. 7/9 Tennessee started its first home weekend series with a win after holding off the UAlbany Great Danes, 8-5, on Friday afternoon at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.

For the second consecutive game, the Vols used a big third inning to take ahold of the game, scoring five runs to break open a scoreless contest. Dylan Dreiling and Billy Amick both drove in runs with RBI singles before a wild play where the Great Danes committed two errors allowed three more runs to score.

After UAlbany’s Mike Prisco homered in the sixth to cut the UT lead to 5-2, the Big Orange added three runs in the bottom of the seventh to give themselves some more breathing room. Christian Moore scored on a wild pitch before Blake Burke hit his first home run of the year moments later to plate two runs and increase the lead to six.

The Great Danes (0-1) kept scratching away with two runs in the eighth and another in the ninth, but AJ Causey was able to close the door for his first save as a Vol, recording a strikeout to end the game.

Causey pitched the final three innings, allowing three hits and three runs (one earned) with a walk and two strikeouts. Fellow transfer Chris Stamos picked up his first win at Tennessee after tossing three solid innings in relief of starter AJ Russell, who had to leave the game after three shutout innings due to some soreness.

The middle of UT’s lineup, consisting of Moore, Kavares Tears and Amick, combined to go 6-for-13 at the dish with five runs scored, posting two hits apiece.

Prisco had two hits and drove in three of UAlbany’s five runs while leadoff man Ryan Ferremi added a hit and an RBI.

UP NEXT: The Vols (5-1) will look to secure a series win tomorrow when the two teams square off at noon ET on the SEC Network+ and ESPN app. Note that Saturday’s first pitch time was moved up two hours from its originally scheduled 2 p.m. start due to the potential for cold temperatures later in the day.

STAT OF THE GAME: After scoring 11 runs in the third inning of Wednesday’s win over ETSU and five in the third inning of today’s victory, UT has combined for 16 runs in the third inning over its last two games. The Vols have scored at least one run in the third inning in each of their last four games with 20 total third-inning runs in that span.

MILLOY BECOMES HOME RUN QUEEN, PICKENS PERFECT ON DAY ONE OF MARY NUTTER CLASSIC
Courtesy / UT Athletics

MILLOY BECOMES HOME RUN QUEEN, PICKENS PERFECT ON DAY ONE OF MARY NUTTER CLASSIC

Posted on February 24, 2024

Game Recap: Softball | February 24, 2024

CATHEDRAL CITY, Calif. – The fifth-ranked Lady Vols split two games on their first day at the 2024 Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic – beating Loyola Marymount 4-0 before falling to Cal State Fullerton 11-2 in six innings.

Graduate Kiki Milloy and sophomore Karlyn Pickens were the stars Friday for Tennessee as Milloy became the program’s all-time home runs leader, while Pickens tossed her second-career perfect game.

Milloy’s homer in the fifth inning against LMU was her 58th career home run, passing LVFL Meghan Gregg for most in school history. The Woodinville, Washington, native now holds the career mark for home runs and the single-season home run record, which she broke in 2023.

While Milloy made history at the plate, Pickens was making history of her own in the circle. The right-hander struck out 12 and retired all 21 batters she faced en route to a perfect game. The Weaverville, North Carolina, native joins Monica Abbott and Erin Gabriel as the only Lady Vols to throw multiple perfect games in program history.

GAME ONE – #5 Tennessee 4, Loyola Marymount 0
Tennessee broke through for two runs against LMU in the home half of the fourth inning, courtesy of a Destiny Rodriguez double to center field that scored Katie Taylor. With the next at-bat, Taylor Pannell knocked a sacrifice fly into shallow right field that allowed Alannah Leach to tag and score on from third.

In the fifth, Milloy led off the inning with her record-breaking home run to put Tennessee up three. Junior McKenna Gibson then added to the score with her first home run of the season – a solo shot over the wall in center.

Pickens’ 12-strikeout perfect game moves her to 3-1 on the year.

GAME TWO – #5 Tennessee 2, Cal State Fullerton 11
UT’s game against Cal State Fullerton started well as the Lady Vols took an early 1-0 lead. In the bottom of the second, Pannell lined a home run over the center field wall that bounced off the top of the center fielder’s glove.

The homer was Pannell’s first of the season and the second of her career.

Graduate pitcher Payton Gottshall cruised through the game’s first two frames, striking out the first five batters she faced.

The Titans’ first hit of the game came in the third – a single to center that scored Alexia Lopez who reached base on a hit-by-pitch and then stole second.

CSF added two more runs later in the frame as it took a 3-1 lead.

In the fourth, Cal State Fullerton tacked on three more runs before scoring twice in the fifth.

Milloy worked her way around the bases in the bottom of the fifth – getting hit by a pitch and stealing second before being moved to third on a grounder to second. Rylie West drove her home on a ground out to third for UT’s second run of the game.

The Titans then added three runs in the sixth to end the game an inning early.

Gottshall suffered the loss and is now 2-2 on the year.

UP NEXT
Tennessee plays twice on Saturday, starting with Oregon State at 5:30 p.m. ET. It ends the night versus UCF at 8 p.m. Both games can be streamed on FloSports or fans can listen live to Hunter King call the action via a free audio broadcast on UTSports.com or through the Tennessee Athletics app.

‘The NCAA is not above the law’ | Judge Grants Injunction to Allow NIL to Continue

‘The NCAA is not above the law’ | Judge Grants Injunction to Allow NIL to Continue

Posted on February 23, 2024

Knoxville, TN (WOKI / WVLT) A federal judge Friday grants a preliminary injunction in favor of Tennessee and Virginia in their fight against the NCAA.

“It is hereby ORDERED that, effective immediately, Defendant NCAA; its servants, agents, and employees; and all persons in active conce11 or participation with the NCAA, are restrained and enjoined from enforcing the NCAA Interim NIL Policy, the NCAA Bylaws, or any other authority to the extent such authority prohibits student-athletes from negotiating compensation for NIL with any third-party entity, including but not limited to boosters or a collective of boosters, until a full and final decision on the merits in the instant action.” — Court Order Obtained by WVLT News

The ruling by U.S. District Judge Clifton Corker in the Eastern District of Tennessee bars the NCAA from enforcing its rules prohibiting name, image and likeness compensation from being used to recruit athletes, effectively dealing another blow to the association’s ability to govern college sports.

This means that until the final decision on the case is ordered, the NCAA cannot enforce its NIL regulations onto any school.

“The court’s grant of a preliminary injunction against the NCAA’s illegal NIL-recruitment ban ensures the rights of student-athletes will be protected for the duration of this case, but the bigger fight continues,” Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti said in a statement. “We will litigate this case to the fullest extent necessary to ensure the NCAA’s monopoly cannot continue to harm Tennessee student-athletes. The NCAA is not above the law, and the law is on our side.”

For a link to the full court order, click here.

Structure Fire in Morristown Causes Brief Shutdown of E. Morris Blvd.

Structure Fire in Morristown Causes Brief Shutdown of E. Morris Blvd.

Posted on February 23, 2024

Morristown, TN (WOKI) E. Morris Blvd. in Morristown is reopened to traffic, but firefighters remain on the scene of a fire at a decades-old sign shop in the city.

Morristown firefighters were dispatched Friday afternoon to the scene of a structure fire reported at Morristown Signs in the 1700 block of E. Morris Blvd; the street, from Hale to Liberty Hill, was closed but has since reopened to traffic.

Details as to what caused the fire have not yet been released by Morristown Fire Department officials.

‘No Wake Zone’ Temporarily Expanded after Dock Collapse at Fort Loudon Marina

‘No Wake Zone’ Temporarily Expanded after Dock Collapse at Fort Loudon Marina

Posted on February 23, 2024

Lenoir City, TN (WOKI) The “No Wake Zone” at Fort Loudon Marina has been expanded to allow for cleanup efforts following last month’s dock collapse due to heavy snowfall.

Officials with the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency making the announcement Friday say the “No Wake Zone” expansion will be in effect for 180 days to allow crews to remove storm-related debris safely.

TWRA says the emergency rule for the expansion was filed after the State Attorney General signed it last week.

“Due to storm clean up, all vessels being operated within 1,500 feet of Fort Loudoun Marina, near Tennessee River Mile 602, shall be subject to a temporary no wake speed,” the rule states.

TWRA adds there will be buoys marking the expanded “No Wake Zone,” and boating officers will have an additional presence in the area for education and enforcement.

Tennessee Lawmaker Introduces Bill to Raise Minimum Wage

Tennessee Lawmaker Introduces Bill to Raise Minimum Wage

Posted on February 23, 2024

Nashville, TN (WOKI / WVLT) The Knoxville lawmaker looking to unseat U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn has introduced a bill to raise our state’s minimum wage from $7.25 an hour to $20.

The bill, HB 2602/SB 2646, was introduced by Representative Gloria Johnson, D-Knoxville and Senator Sara Kyle, D-Memphis on January 31. It aims to increase the hourly minimum wage in the state.

“As introduced, increases the hourly minimum wage to $20.00, or the federal minimum wage established pursuant to the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, whichever rate is greater,” the bill reads.

If the new bill passes, Tennessee would be home to the highest minimum wage in the country. Currently, Washington has the highest minimum wage of any state at $16.28.

“We are behind,” Johnson said during a Thursday press conference. “People are struggling to keep the lights on and keep food on the table. Other states that have raised the wage are doing well with it.”

Since its introduction, the bill has been assigned to committees and subcommittees for discussion in the House and Senate. Now, Johnson is calling on Tennesseans to join the cause and sign onto the bill as a citizen endorser.

Johnson said the bill will not likely pass due to opposition by the Republican supermajority, but significant minimum wage change is needed because she does not consider the current level a livable wage in the state. Rep. Johnson said if this bill doesn’t pass in Tennessee, she would push for similar legislation if elected to the Senate.

A campaign manager for Sen. Marsha Blackburn, Johnson’s likely opposition in the general election, released this statement about the bill:

“Gloria Johnson is as woke as they come, so it’s no surprise this radical socialist is trying to out-liberal Joe Biden’s minimum wage executive order,” the statement said. “It’s a clear sign she puts the liberal woke agenda and PR stunts before Tennesseans. Meanwhile, Senator Blackburn will continue to protect Tennessee and America and secure a strong economy.”

Independent non-profit group, Good Jobs Institute, said many businesses have already set their minimum wage at more than double the federal minimum. Stores like Target in Nashville are advertising starting rates at $16 per hour.

Medic Offering a Special Way to Celebrate Leap Day this Month

Medic Offering a Special Way to Celebrate Leap Day this Month

Posted on February 23, 2024

MEDIC Regional Blood Center to Celebrate Leap Day.

MEDIC is encouraging everyone to use their extra day of the year to save lives and will reward donors with a one-time special edition tumbler for their donation on February 29th. Tumblers are first-come, first-served and while supplies last.

To schedule your appointment please go to https://medicblood.org/

As a reminder, MEDIC follows FDA guidelines and there have been no changes to those related to the COVID-19 vaccine. Therefore, MEDIC will not ask vaccination status.

MEDIC is the primary blood product provider for 26 hospitals in 23 counties including Blount Memorial, Covenant Health System, East TN Children’s Hospital, Tennova Healthcare, and UT Medical Center.

As a reminder, the blood, platelets, and plasma products on the shelves now are what would be used in a trauma event, and it takes at least three days for donated blood to be processed and ready for distribution. Demand remains high while donations have been low this summer.

MEDIC is an independent, nonprofit organization. Products donated through MEDIC truly help community members in East TN and Southeastern Kentucky. Products donated through any other collection activity/organization do not stay in East TN or Southeastern Kentucky. Those products are shipped out of the area and nationally.

The Blount County Sheriff’s Office is Warning of Possible Scams Involving Shirt Sales to Benefit Deputies McCowan and Eggers

The Blount County Sheriff’s Office is Warning of Possible Scams Involving Shirt Sales to Benefit Deputies McCowan and Eggers

Posted on February 23, 2024

The Blount County Sheriff’s Office with a scam warning if you buy a shirt or other things in memory of fallen Deputy Greg McCowan and or Deputy Shelby Eggers.

They say the families of both deputies have approved three T-shirts where all the money will be donated to them.

One is at Pokey Sports in Maryville along with Blue Line Tennessee and Bougie Lady.

BCSO says they are not aware of any other T-shirt sales. A reminder that the memorial ride for Deputy McCowan is happening on Sunday.

A Wildfire in Campbell County has Grown

A Wildfire in Campbell County has Grown

Posted on February 23, 2024

A wildfire in Campbell County has grown.

Crews say the fire has grown and strong winds may have been a factor.

At last check that fire burned 115 acres is 50% contained according to the Tennessee Division of Forestry.

Crews say 30 to 50 homes could be in danger. Strong winds and steep slopes are making it difficult for them to tackle these wildfires and they hope the rain will help significantly.

There’s no word yet on what caused the fire. The Division of Forestry is investigating.

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