Tennessee Volunteers head football coach Josh Heupel spoke to the media after the team went through it’s first 2022 Spring football practice Tuesday morning.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The second spring of the Josh Heupel era of Tennessee football is underway and the contrast in the execution of all three phases compared to one year ago is significant. Heupel put his Volunteers through the first of 15 spring workouts on Tuesday morning at Haslam Field.
“(The) kids are able to focus on the details of what we are asking them to do, the coaching staff is in sync and on the same page and should help propel us to a great amount of growth here,” Heupel said. “The difference in year one and year two is light years different. There is so much familiarity and understanding in what we are doing, coaches and players alike.”
After guiding Tennessee to a remarkable turnaround in his first season last fall, Heupel returns his starting quarterback (Hendon Hooker), his starting running back (Jabari Small), his top receiving target (Cedric Tillman), his top tackler (Jeremy Banks) and his top pass rusher (Byron Young). That combined with the departure of only one position coach provides stability and familiarity for a group looking to make major strides this spring.
Heupel tabbed former UT offensive analyst Kelsey Pope to be the Volunteers’ new wide receivers coach after Kodi Burns accepted a similar position with the New Orleans Saints last month.
“I hired him because there was no doubt that he was the right guy for the job,” Heupel said. “I believe in who he is and how he will help those guys grow. He has done a great job with those guys in the year that he has been here. We have great trust and confidence in him. He is going to be a great recruiter because he is relationship-driven and great communicator.”
Despite the absence of a traditional spring game due to construction in Neyland Stadium, Heupel said Tuesday that he is excited about the long-term growth of the program.
“A 100+ million-dollar project inside of Neyland Stadium, what we have with the Anderson Training Center, a 30+ million-dollar expansion, they (players) can see all of that happening before their eyes, and they know there are more projects on top of that coming. It is an exciting time to be here. We have great energy and momentum inside of the building.”
The Volunteers will practice again on Thursday morning before concluding the week in pads on Saturday.
Season tickets for the 2022 football season are on sale now at AllVols.com or by contacting the UT Athletic Ticket Office at (865) 946-7000. Existing season ticket holders have until May 1 to renew their tickets.
Head Coach Josh Heupel Press Conference
March 22, 2022
Opening Statement
“I appreciate everyone being here this afternoon. I just want to start by saying congratulations to women’s basketball. Great game last night, loved the way they competed. Congratulations to the Lady Vols and Coach Harper. It’s been a lot of fun, Coach Barnes and his basketball season, a lot of fun. Great environments over in our arena. It was huge part of our recruiting there in January and March, too. So, congratulations to them too and a conference tournament championship. Excited today to get an opportunity get out on the field and be with our guys. Loved what they did in the first quarter of our offseason with strength and conditioning. A ton of growth for them and continued functional development as football players. I thought you could see some of those things just in the way they took the grass today and competed. Today was a great start, great energy. Which it should be on day one. I’m proud of the growth that we’ve had and some of the things we saw out there today. I can’t wait to watch the video and meet with our guys on the backend of it.”
On identifying the leaders …
“The leadership side of it. Not just leadership, the connections and relationships that we have, the staff and players together, there is so much known versus a last year with all the unknowns of the first day; how everything was going to be handled, how it’s going to operate, how coaches were going to handle themselves and communicate. Just a year further in that growth and development, trust, communication, respect between players and coaches. You could see that today. There’s a ton of great teaching out on the practice field today. That was from coaches to players, but you saw a lot more from player to player, too. In the first quarter of our offseason, it’ll be an emphasis as we continue to go through this lead up to kickoff this season. It’s always a part of our program, developing leaders, giving them opportunities to grow in those roles, and growing our young players from the ground up as (they) first hit the campus. I love some of the ownership our players are taking. It’s has to start and be demanded inside the locker room. For Hendon Hooker, Tank (Jaylen McCollough), Trevon Flowers, there’s a bunch of them that have done really good job of growing into those roles. Lost some strong leadership (from) a year ago, but I feel like we have some guys that will become really strong in the locker room this year.”
On the wide receiver room and how much growth he wants to see …
“A little bit like last spring, we had some young guys that had to grow and become really strong players. Cedric (Tillman), obviously, his experience and ownership inside the wide receiver room is critical and big for us as a position (group), as a unit on offense, and has a program. Expect him to take another big jump in his play and development, as well. Outside of him, there are a bunch of guys that need to grow and I thought they had really strong offseasons in the first phase of what we do. They put themselves in a great position and I thought there was a lot of positives today in their ability to operate in our tempo and get lined up. For them, understanding scheme versus coverage. There were really a lot of positives today. They’re going to need continued growth and development. These next 14 days after today are going to be big for their development.”
On practice adjustments in year two compared to year one …
“Very subtle adjustments in our practice routine. I think you change and evolve just with what your needs are as a program. Some things you want to make sure that you want to grow off of your self-scout, reflecting back on the year to make sure you’re hitting on the points of emphasis during the course of your 15 days of practice. We’ll make sure that we do that and systematically accomplish that by the end of spring. As a complete overhaul, very little change as far as how I’m functioning day-to-day. Today, I spent a little more time with the wideouts in some of our individual periods. Other than that, not a whole lot of change.”
On how different spring ball is this year …
“For us, with almost all of our staff back, old and young staff familiarity, you are able to reflect and grow on those things. A lot of understanding of who we are, how we are going to function, and how we want to operate. (The) kids are able to focus on the details of what we are asking them to do, (the) coaching staff is in sync and on the same page and should help propel us to a great amount of growth here. The difference in year one and year two is light years different. There is so much familiarity and understanding in what we are doing, coaches and players alike.”
On if he enjoys teaching experienced players or the newer players more …
“The teaching, it does not matter whether it’s an older veteran guy or a young guy. It is the constant evolution, the fight and the strain, mentally and physically, to gain the inches that you need to. And (it’s) the conscientious effort to put in the work to do that and being diligent and paying attention to details. It does not matter, young or old, how long they have been here, I enjoy that and I think our staff does too.”
On managing workloads with the team’s depth …
“The player loads on those guys every single day, you need to track what they are doing, you make sure if guys are having to double back on reps that you are giving them the proper amount of time to rest In between so they can go out and play and compete. At this point, we are not worried about cutting any of the reps that we normally would have. We feel like, at this point, we are in a position to continue to get the reps that we wanted.”
On players getting reps out of position …
“At this point, in where we are at in our offseason, I think there are a ton of advantages to those guys moving around and naturally finding a home. It is something we did a year ago when we had more guys at a position and I think it paid dividends for us in finding guys a natural home. As injuries happened, being able to get the best five guys out on the football field and put them in a position (to have) success helped us defensively. The more you know, the more you understand, the more you are able to play full speed and have a global view of what is happening. I think that helps you at whatever position you are playing, as well, so I think those reps at this point and who we are and what we are doing is only going to serve us going down the road.”
On experimenting with players’ positions during the spring …
“Yes, I think guys have an opportunity to move to different positions. Some of that is just trying to create competition, some of it is based on open opportunity, and some of it is giving us the flexibility as we continue to go to play guys at a different position. As you try and create competition and find out who your best guys are, whatever that number is at each position, you have an opportunity to play. I think, just like the previous question in the secondary, it only makes you better as you go further and get closer to the season.”
On what excites him most on going into the spring …
“Fall is a long way away. As a coach, you are just focused on today. I think the thing I am most excited about is the spirit of competition. The accountability that we have inside our team room. We are starting to develop some real ownership from our players from within, they have a clear understanding of who and what we are and they have started to meet those standards that are at a really high level. I love the intensity and focus that they come into the building with every single day. They have become really consistent competitors and it is a lot of fun being around this group.”
On what he wants to accomplish by the end of spring ball …
“I don’t know if we have enough time, right? There is a laundry list of things. Offense, defense, special teams. At the end of the day, I want our players to understand how we have to compete from snap to whistle for 60 minutes and then meet that standard at the end of the day. That is our number one objective.”
On Hendon Hooker and Cedric Tillman’s growth this offseason …
“I think for both of them it is different this year than it was a year ago. They are comfortable and confident in who they are as players and have great understanding of ways they need to improve, and want to improve. They have a great voice inside of the team room and inside their position units. I think they understand that now, so the leadership and ownership from within is completely different, too. For them to continue to improve – and that does not just mean statistically, it is about becoming and maximizing who you are and your potential as a football player. Both of those guys have done a great job in the first seven weeks of our offseason, our first quarter of having very purposeful work every single day. They have made great strides in understanding, not just on the strength and conditioning side, but understanding the pure fundamentals of the positions that they are playing and how they can incrementally get better. Being able to reflect back on a year’s worth of work, as we move forward, just their intentionality today was really good. Their voice and their leadership was really strong too. They are only going to continue to improve in those things.”
On the newcomers …
“I think it would be really hard and almost unfair to that group to start singling out individuals, as far as leadership. There are a ton of new guys, I think there are 14 guys. For new guys coming into the building, they are as mature, and handled themselves from day one, as any group I have ever been around. They have done a great job of competing, helping each other out. They have a really good understanding of what we are doing. I am really proud of what they were able to do today. Blending into what we are doing with offense, defense and special teams. It shows a purpose in which they worked here leading up to today and it is a group that we feel, physically with their talent and who they are, have a chance to grow and develop during spring ball, have great offseasons and put themselves in a position to compete during training camp and earn playing time.”
On the strides the team is making for the program as a whole…
“We talk about Knoxville being a destination place for players and coaches. We have all the tools and resources to become your best and to chase championships on the field and become your best off of it and have a really powerful impact. You can see that as recruits come in and construction is going on. A 100+ million-dollar project inside of Neyland Stadium, what we have with the Anderson Training Center, a 30+ million-dollar expansion, they can see all of that happening before their eyes and they know there are more projects on top of that coming. It is an exciting time to be here. We have great energy and momentum inside of the building. That is one of the best things about being able to bring them on campus, it is different from a year ago and they are able to see and feel the energy and connection that we have, players and coaches together, which has been a huge part of the selling point of who we are, what we are doing and where we are going as a program.”
On the benefit of quarterback Tayven Jackson participating in spring practice …
“Not just for quarterbacks, but all of them in some ways they – by the time they get to training camp they almost resemble the class before them, more than they do the guys that just get here in June. I say that in, they have had a full offseason, gotten installs and 15 days of real coaching on the grass with live things going on the other side of the football. They understand how they have to grow and get a chance to re-digest that, truly, all summer long. And really propel themselves both physically, mentally and technically inside of becoming the best player they can. It is eight months of work, almost, that leads them into training camp and it really propels their understanding and growth as a football player.”
On what he has seen out of the running backs …
“I think that group has dramatically changed their bodies. The size of what they look like, lean muscle mass. They have done a really nice job as an entire group this offseason, from Jabari Small to Jaylen Wright to Len’Neth Whitehead. Justin Williams-Thomas inside of that room has been really positive. He is a fierce competitor and I love the way he approached the offseason. He is a fierce competitor out there on the grass and you can see that today in the short amount of time. That group is only going to continue to get better and we need them to continue to get better. That is in understanding our run schemes, doing a better job with delivering our blocks, being more explosive and being able to get pad under pad in some short-yardage situations, but also becoming better pass blockers, too. I think that is an area that this position group can take a great strides in during spring ball.”
On emphasizing the development of depth at the linebacker position …
“Up front, the great thing about playing a bunch of guys is that you lose a few guys that were really good players, and strong contributors to us defensively a year ago, you have a bunch of guys that have come back and played a lot of football, too. I think for them, who we were defensively this time a year ago … they were trying to learn how to play inside of our scheme. Now, they are trying to refine their skills inside of our scheme. It is just a difference of a year and we have to continue to find a way to affect the quarterback more. We have to be able to do that with a four-man rush too and so our ability to rush the passer and that development is something that will be critical this spring.”
On what traits he likes about wide receivers coach Kelsey Pope …
“Smart, competitive, consistent, great communicator, great leader inside of the room and mentor to those young guys. He has all of the tools to be a dynamic and elite coach. I hired him because there was no doubt that he was the right guy for the job. I believe in who he is and how he will help those guys grow. He has done a great job with those guys in the year that he has been here. We have great trust and confidence in him. He is going to be a great recruiter because he is relationship-driven and great communicator. He is going to work at it and those are the traits you need. We are excited and fortunate to have him apart of our staff.”
On not having a spring game …
“Yeah, for sure. Everybody in our building is going to miss the opportunity to go inside of Neyland and play in front of a bunch of people. I think it is great for your young players to get that experience before you hit the fall and everything is live for the first time. At the same time, there is a lot of excitement about what is going on inside our stadium. For us, we will try to recreate and get a bunch of people around for a couple of scrimmages. We will have great recruiting events with those dates too. There is a positive in those things but we will certainly miss the spring game.”
-UT Athletics
Have you seen the latest in the prank war between Luke Bryan and his wife Caroline?
Luke and Caroline have been scaring each other for years – but Mrs. Bryan just cranked it up a notch.
On American Idol’s stop through Nashville this season during the audition round, Caroline pretended to be a noisy and out of control stagehand.
Luke and Lionel Richie didn’t know what was going on, but Katy Perry was the perfect accomplice for Caroline’s prank on her husband…watch what happened here…
As Caroline shared the Bryan’s prank war has been a long and fierce battle…
Luke recently posted a video of when he got the jump on an unexpecting Caroline.
Of course, in previous years Caroline has gone to great heights to get Luke…
@lukebryan I’m coming for you @linabryan3. #prankwars #quarantinelife #fyp #foryou #boredinthehouse #sneaky ♬ original sound – LukeBryan
What’s the old saying? A couple that pranks together, stays together…or something like that.
If that’s the case – Luke and Caroline will be with each other forever…scaring one another.
While not prank videos, Luke shared some special family videos for his music video for his current single at country radio, “Up.”
Photos Courtesy of Luke Bryan
Tennessee basketball head coach Rick Barnes announced two updates related to his staff Tuesday.
Justin Gainey has been promoted to associate head coach, and Gregg Polinsky has been promoted to an assistant coach role after serving on the UT staff this season as a volunteer analyst.
In Gainey’s first season with the program as an assistant coach, Tennessee spent the entire campaign ranked in the AP Top 25, ascending to a season-high of No. 5 in the postseason poll. The Vols logged four wins over teams ranked in the top 10, boasted the nation’s third-best defensive efficiency and saw guards Kennedy Chandler and Santiago Vescovi each earn All-SEC honors. Gainey handled lead scouting duties for UT’s victories over No. 6-ranked Arizona and No. 14-ranked Arkansas.
“Justin has been an outstanding addition to our program, and his presence and experience have benefited our players and staff alike,” Barnes said. “Just as he quickly earned the respect of everyone within our program, he’s earned this enhanced role through his steadiness, daily approach and work ethic.”
Gainey has held the title of associate head coach once previously, at Marquette in 2020-21 before joining the Tennessee program.
Polinsky fills the vacancy created when former associate head coach Michael Schwartz accepted the head coaching position at East Carolina last week. Schwartz became the fifth of Barnes’ Tennessee assistants to land a Division I head coaching job, joining Chris Ogden (Texas Arlington), Rob Lanier (Georgia State), Kim English (George Mason) and Desmond Oliver (ETSU).
A native of St. Louis, Missouri, Polinsky was a Division I head coach at Georgia Southern from 1995-99 before transitioning to a successful scouting and front office career in the NBA.
“GP added so much to our program this season,” Barnes said. “Elevating him into this role was an easy decision after observing the way he’s impacted our players and staff. His knowledge of the game is so extensive, and he’s spent a large chunk of his career in the NBA, which is the goal destination for most of today’s players. He understands what it takes to make it there—and, more importantly—have longevity there. GP is a world-class talent evaluator and an outstanding relationship builder. He fits the culture of our program perfectly.”
After serving in various scouting roles with the NBA’s Brooklyn Nets for 19 years—including tenures as chief scout and director of college scouting—Polinsky was hired by the Detroit Pistons as their director of player personnel in 2018 and held that position for three years.
Polinsky’s first foray into college coaching came as an assistant at Howard Junior College in Big Spring, Texas in the early 1980s. He then ascended to the Division I ranks—initially as a part-time coach and later as a full-time assistant—at Texas under Bob Weltlich.
Prior to the 1986-87 season, Polinsky accepted an assistant coaching position at Alabama—a job that opened when Barnes left Tuscaloosa for an assistant job at Ohio State. Polinsky spent nine years on staff at Alabama during the head coaching tenures of Wimp Sanderson and David Hobbs, eventually serving as associate head coach in his final year with the Crimson Tide in 1994-95.
Polinsky was a standout high school point guard at LaDue High School in St. Louis before beginning his collegiate playing career at New Mexico. He later transferred to Northern Arizona, where he completed his degree in Secondary School Education in 1981.
Polinsky and his wife, Cindy, have adult twin daughters, Abby and Brooke.
-UT Athletics
Tennessee Presser | Box Score (PDF) | Highlights | Harper/Puckett/Key Transcript
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – No. 18/17 Tennessee advanced to the Sweet 16 on Monday night, defeating in-state foe Belmont in Thompson-Boling Arena, 70-67.
It will be Big Orange’s 35th trip to the Sweet 16 and first since 2016. Lady Vol head coach Kellie Harper will be taking her second team to that stage, having led Missouri State to the 2019 Sweet 16 before being hired by UT after the season.
The fourth-seeded Lady Vols (25-8) were led by graduate Alexus Dye who posted a double-double with 20 points and 11 rebounds. Junior Tamari Key and freshman Sara Puckett were also in double figures with 18 and 12, respectively. Puckett hit a corner-three with just under 18 seconds remaining to put the Lady Vols ahead for good.
Destinee Wells was the high scorer for the 12th-seeded Bruins (23-8) with 22, while Madison Bartley contributed 16.
Dye got Tennessee on the board, driving to the basket a minute into play. Eleven seconds later, Belmont took its first lead of the game off a 3-pointer by Bartley, and the game became a back-and-forth affair with three ties and three additional lead changes before Tess Darby knocked down a trey at the 2:26 mark and Brooklynn Miles followed it up with an old-fashioned three-point play to give UT a six-point lead with just over a minute remaining in the first. Tennessee maintained that lead through the end of the quarter, taking a 19-13 advantage into the second period.
Belmont got the ball to start the second, but Miles came up with a steal and Key turned it into two points on the other end. The Bruins responded with a 3-pointer to cut the deficit to five, but back-to-back scores by Dye and Puckett stretched UT’s lead to double digits at 26-16 with 7:00 to go in the half. Tennessee led by as many as 13 before a three by Bartley cut it back to 10 with a minute a half to play. Dye closed out the scoring with a layup, making the halftime score 35-23.
Both teams came out hot in the second half, swapping buckets on the first three possessions. The Bruins cut the deficit down to single digits just over two minutes in, but Tennessee rallied back with six straight points to lead 43-29 by the 6:53 mark. A minute later, a three-point play by Tuti Jones gave Belmont a spark, setting off a 15-2 BU run that tied the game at 46-all with 1:02 to go in the third. A long-range jumper by Puckett just before the buzzer gave the Lady Vols a two-point advantage as the game entered the fourth quarter.
Burrell scored the first points of the fourth, and Key followed it on the next possession to stretch UT’s lead to six, but a three-pointer by Wells with 8:01 left in the game kept BU alive. Key answered with four points in a row for UT, but a 3-pointer by Jones and five quick points by Wells put the Bruins back on top by one at 58-57 with just under six to go. The lead changed four times over the next four minutes, as Dye scored eight straight points to keep UT within range, tying it up with a jumper with 2:40 to play. The Bruins went back up by two, a lead they would hold until the closing seconds when Puckett her trey to give UT a 67-66 lead with 18 second remaining. Tennessee got the ball back with just over 10 seconds to play, forcing BU to foul, and Key hit both free throws to build the Lady Vols’ lead up to three. Jones knocked down the second of a pair of free throws to get BU within two, but Key added one more free throw for UT, and Belmont’s mid-court heave at the buzzer came up short, giving UT the 70-67 victory.
UP NEXT: The Lady Vols will travel to Wichita to face the No. 1 seed Louisville on Saturday. Game time and broadcast details will be announced at a later time.
DOUBLE-DOUBLE DYE: Graduate Alexus Dye recorded her fourth straight double-double with 20 points and 11 rebounds against Belmont. She’s managed a double-double in all four of UT’s postseason games thus far.
TK ON TOP: With three blocks against the Bruins, Tamari Key rose to the top of Tennessee’s career blocks list, moving her total to 276 to pass Candace Parker (275). She did so in a shorter amount of time, needing 89 games to Parker’s 110. Earlier this season, Key also took down the UT season record that was previously held by Kelley Cain.
PUCKETT GETS BUCKETS: Freshman Sara Puckett hit a clutch 3-pointer in the closing seconds to secure the win for Tennessee and move her total for the day to 12 points. It’s her seventh game with 10+ points on the season and first since logging 10 against Arkansas on Jan. 31.
-UT Athletics
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Fresh off a series sweep over South Carolina on SEC opening weekend, No. 1/5 Tennessee hosts Butler on Tuesday night at 6:30 p.m. to cap a 10-game homestand at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.
The Vols are riding an 11-game winning streak entering Tuesday’s contest with the Bulldogs and going 4-0 last week.
For the most updated gameday information related to Tennessee baseball, please visit our Gameday Central page by clicking HERE. The baseball Gameday Central page contains info in regard to tickets, parking, stadium policies and more.
Season tickets and single-game tickets for all SEC contests are SOLD OUT. Single-game tickets for all remaining non-conference home games can be purchased at AllVols.com or by calling the Tennessee Athletic ticket office at 865-656-1200.
Single-game tickets for all games can also be purchased through Vivid Seats, the exclusive resale marketplace for Tennessee Athletics, by clicking HERE.
In order to keep Lindsey Nelson Stadium as full as possible, we are encouraging season ticket holders who are unable to use their tickets for a game(s) to either transfer your tickets to someone else (Instructions HERE).
Tuesday’s game will be streamed live on WatchESPN.com and the ESPN app as Andy Brock (PxP) calls the action.
The online broadcast can be accessed on any mobile device through WatchESPN. WatchESPN can be accessed through the ESPN App, or online at espn.com/watch.
Fans can also listen to the Voice of Tennessee Baseball John Wilkerson and Vince Ferrara call the game on the Vol Network (FM 99.1/AM 990) as well as UTSports.com and the Tennessee Athletics App.
LHP Zander Sechrist (2-0, 1.62 ERA) vs. RHP Luke Zmolik (0-0, 18.00 ERA)
Overall: 0-0 (First Meeting)
In Knoxville: 0-0
In Indianapolis: 0-0
Neutral Sites: 0-0
Last Meeting: N/A
Tuesday will mark the first meeting between Tennessee and Butler on the diamond.
Top-Ranked Vols
Tennessee rose to No. 1 in this week’s Perfect Game rankings, marking its first No.1 ranking by any poll in program history. The Vols also moved up to No. 5 in the D1Baseball.com rankings and No. 7 in Baseball America’s poll while staying at No. 2 in the Collegiate Baseball News rankings and No. 5 in the USA Today Coaches Poll.
Lockdown on the Mound
UT’s pitching staff combined to throw two one-hitters last week – Tuesday vs. EKU and Sunday vs. South Carolina. Sunday’s one-hit shutout over the Gamecocks was Tennessee’s first one-hitter against an SEC opponent since March 18, 2005 in a 2-1 victory at Auburn. With Sunday’s shutout, the Vols moved into a tie for first nationally with five this season.
Freshmen Phenoms
Tennessee’s freshman class has been outstanding so far this season with a handful of major contributors on the mound and at the plate.
The Vols’ true freshman pitching duo of Chase Burns and Drew Beam were lights out once again last weekend. Burns struck out nine and allowed just one run on two hits over 6.2 innings to earn the win in his SEC debut on Friday night. Beam – who was named the SEC Co-Freshman of the Week on Monday – followed with an even better performance in Sunday’s series finale, tossing a career-high 7.2 shutout innings while allowing just one hit. Beam took a perfect game into the seventh inning before allowing a leadoff double. That double was the only baserunner that he allowed on the day as he struck out three and earned the win to improve to 4-0 on the year. For the season, Burns and Beam have combined to go 8-0 with a 0.88 ERA, 53 strikeouts and just 15 walks.
Fellow freshman Christian Moore continued his string of impressive performances at the plate, leading the team with a .500 batting average last week while blasting two more home runs. Moore ranks second on the team and tied for sixth in the SEC with seven homers this season despite having just 32 official at-bats.
Midweek Success
The Big Orange are a perfect 5-0 in midweek games this season and have posted a 44-7 overall record in such games under head coach Tony Vitello (2018-pres.).
Another Weekend, Another Sweep
Tennessee recorded its fourth series sweep already this season after opening SEC play with three wins over South Carolina last weekend. Since Vitello took over as head coach in 2018, the Vols have swept 16 weekend series (not including tournaments).
Series Sweeps by Year Under Vitello
2022: 4 | 2021: 5 | 2020: 2 | 2019: 3 | 2018: 2
Butler Bulldogs
Gameday promotions for all Tennessee athletics home events can be found on the UT Fan Experience page by clicking HERE.
Fans are encouraged to download the My All App for their phones and devices this season. The app is available on the Google Play Store and Apple App Store and will allow fans to participate in in-game trivia, the custom filter selfie cam and more throughout the year.
With a palpable excitement surrounding the program, Lindsey Nelson Stadium has added some new and improved seating areas and fan amenities to increase capacity and provide a better fan experience this season.
One of the first things fans will see upon arriving is an additional deck of porches behind the left-field wall as well as new chair-back bleacher seating down the left-field line.
All porches for the 2022 season are sold out, however, the left-field bleachers will be sold as general admission seating. Additional food and beverage options will be located next to the new bleachers throughout the year. For SEC games, a VolShop location and food trucks will be located in that area, as well.
UT has removed the playground down the right-field line and re-branded the area as “The Deck”, which will feature a standing room only area for UT’s students while also providing additional concessions options to help negate congestion throughout the main concourse. In order to enhance the gameday experience, a Petro’s Chili & Chips, Moe’s Southwest Grill, Gameday Sausage kiosk and a new beer kiosk have been added to the deck area.
Vol fans can look for Coca-Cola, popcorn and beer at kiosks on the Plaza located down the first-base line. The VolShop will have hats and merchandise available on the Plaza, as well. The Fan Experience Hub, your one-stop shop for game programs, posters, schedule cards, contest info and more, will also be located in the Plaza area.
Tennessee’s MVP season-ticket holders will also be greeted with a brand new, completely renovated MVP Room this season.
Tennessee hits the road this weekend for a top-five showdown against No. 1/1 Ole Miss in Oxford. The series opener is slated for 7:30 p.m. ET on Friday night and will be streamed on SEC Network+ and the ESPN app.
-UT Athletics
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – After an incredible outing in Sunday’s series finale against South Carolina, Tennessee’s Drew Beam was named the SEC Co-Freshman of the Week on Monday, as announced by the league office.
Beam is the second Vol to earn conference freshman of the week honors this season, joining Jared Dickey, who’s earned the distinction twice already this year. This is just the second time that UT has ever had two different players named SEC Freshman of the Week in the same season and first since Josh Lindblom and Tony Delmonico in 2006.
The Murfreesboro, Tennessee, native was lights out in Sunday’s 10-0 dismantling of the Gamecocks, holding them to just one hit in a career-high 7.2 shutout innings. Beam carried a perfect game into the seventh inning before having it broken up by a leadoff double. That was the only baserunner that the true freshman right hander allowed as he finished with no walks and three strikeouts to earn his fourth victory this year.
Beam has been nothing short of spectacular in his debut season on Rocky Top, posting a perfect 4-0 record with a 1.09 ERA and 0.57 WHIP in five starts while playing a part in three of Tennessee’s nation-leading five shutouts this year.
Beam and the Vols cap a 10-game homestand with a midweek matchup vs. Butler on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. before a top-five showdown at No. 1 Ole Miss this weekend in Oxford. Tickets for Tuesday’s contest can be purchased at AllVols.com or by calling the Tennessee Athletic ticket office at 865-656-1200.
SEC Player of the Week
INF Trey Lipscomb – Feb. 28
SEC Freshman of the Week
RHP Drew Beam – March 21
OF/C Jared Dickey – Feb. 28 & March 14
-UT Athletics
WATCH: Karen Weekly Postgame | WATCH: Erin Edmoundson Postgame | Box Score (PDF) | Updated Season Stats (PDF)
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Sophomore infielder Zaida Puni drove in all six runs for the 14th-ranked Lady Vols as Tennessee wrapped up the weekend with a 6-2 victory over No. 10 Arkansas Sunday afternoon at Sherri Parker Lee Stadium.
The UT newcomer from Carson, California, blasted a grand slam, roped an RBI double and recorded an RBI groundout as part of her 2-for-4 outing in the series finale. Super senior outfielder Amanda Ayala also posted a 2-for-4 performance at the dish with a single and a double, rounding out her weekend with a team-high six hits, three runs, two doubles and a home run.
Graduate pitcher Erin Edmoundson picked up her 13th win on the season with a complete-game effort, tallying six strikeouts to one walk whlie allowing two earned runs on six hits. The loss went to Arkansas starter Callie Turner, who was tagged with four runs allowed in 1.2 innings pitched.
Puni opened the scoring for the Big Orange (20-8, 3-2 SEC) with her RBI double in the bottom of the first, rocketing a pitch off the wall in right field that brought home freshman Lair Beautae from second.
After Edmoundson retired the Hogs (19-5, 2-1 SEC) in order in the top of the second, the Lady Vols loaded the bases with a walk, hit by pitch and an error in the Arkansas infield. The Razorbacks changed pitchers, and Puni tanked Jenna Bloom’s first offering deep to left field for a no-doubt grand slam that put Tennessee ahead 5-0 through two innings.
Arkansas threatened with runners on the corners and one out in the top of the fourth, but the cool, calm and collected Edmoundson dealt back-to-back strikeouts, swinging and looking, to erase the damage. The Lady Vol lefty proceeded to retire the side in order in the fifth with another backwards K and two groundouts to maintain a 5-0 Big Orange lead through four-and-a-half frames.
The Razorbacks broke up the shutout with two runs in the top of the sixth. Catcher Taylor Ellsworth brought the first run in after grounding into a double play with two runners aboard, and SEC batting leader Danielle Gibson doubled the Hogs’ run total with a solo shot to center field on the ensuing plate appearance.
Tennessee added an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth when Puni plated Ayala from third on a slow roller through the infield for an RBI groundout. With a 6-2 lead and three outs remaining, Edmoundson collected her sixth strikeout of the afternoon before ending the game with a popout and a groundout to secure the top-10 victory.
UP NEXT: The Lady Vols will travel to Gainesville, Florida, and continue conference play with a three-game series March 25-27 against the 6th-ranked Gators. Friday and Saturday’s games will begin at 6 p.m. and 1 p.m., respectively, and can be seen on SEC Network+. The series finale will be nationally televised on ESPNU Sunday at 2 p.m.
-UT Athletics
Box Score (PDF) | Series Stats (PDF)
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Only allowing one hit and hitting four home runs, the second-ranked Tennessee baseball team beat South Carolina, 10-0, to complete the series sweep on SEC Opening Weekend.
Drew Beam had a masterful start for the Big Orange, taking a perfect game into the seventh inning, before giving up a leadoff double to center field. In total, the freshman right-hander went 7.2 innings and struck out three. Beam’s success, and deep outing came from his efficiency in throwing strikes. He totaled 86 pitches, 67 of which were strikes.
The Vols (19-1, 3-0 SEC) only allowed the one hit, their second one-hitter of the week after holding Eastern Kentucky to one hit on Tuesday.
At the plate, Tennessee popped another four home runs out of Lindsey Nelson Stadium – upping their series total to 10 against the Gamecocks. Evan Russell accounted for two of Sunday’s home runs, while Christian Moore and Trey Lipscomb each hit one.
All was quiet through the first two and a half innings as the first 15 batters to come to the plate were retired. Then Moore and Russell brought the Sunday afternoon crowd of 4,233 to its feet with back-to-back jacks to left field to kick off the bottom of the third. Russell wasted no time following up Moore’s leadoff homer, blasting a first-pitch fastball over the wall in left center.
South Carolina starting pitcher Matthew Becker did well to limit the Vols to only two hits, both homers, but UT was able to chase the southpaw after only five innings. Once into the Gamecock bullpen, the bats came alive, scoring four runs in the sixth on a two-run double to left from Drew Gilbert, followed by a towering blast from Lipscomb, his ninth home run of the season.
The late offensive onslaught from the Big Orange was able to plate eight runs in the final three innings.
The Volunteer bats remained hot in the seventh. Seth Stephenson, in his first at bat of the game, ripped a double to the power alley in right center to quickly get a pair of runners in scoring position with no outs. Jordan Beck roped a double to left center to score both runners, making it 8-0 Vols.
Tennessee finished off the scoring in the eighth inning. Russell sent a deep fly just inside the foul pole in left to increase the lead to 10-0.
UP NEXT: The Vols cap their homestand with a midweek game against Butler on Tuesday, March 22 at 6:30 p.m.
FOUR TIMES THE FUN
Tennessee’s back-to-back homers in the third inning marked the fourth time this season the Big Orange hit the long ball in consecutive at-bats.
ONE-HIT WONDERS
Tennessee held South Carolina to one hit on Sunday, its second game of the week only allowing one opponent knock. The last time the Vols held an opponent to one hit prior to this week was on Feb. 27, 2019 against Middle Tennessee. The last time the Vols gave up one hit against an SEC opponent was on March 18, 2005 at Auburn. VFL Luke Hochevar threw a complete-game one-hitter in a 2-1 Tennessee victory.
QUALITY ABs
Vol hitters forced South Carolina to go to the bullpen early on account of three long at-bats. Jorel Ortega and Jordan Beck had 11- and 10-pitch at bats against Becker, while Russell had an eight-pitch AB, as well.
FIRING BLANKS
For the fifth time this season, Tennessee’s pitching staff shut out its opponent. Entering the weekend, the Vols ranked second nationally in shutouts, one behind the national leader, Virginia.
-UT Athletics
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — No. 18/17 Tennessee (24-8) will play host to in-state opponent Belmont (23-7) in an NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament Second Round game on Monday night.
The No. 4 seed Lady Vols and No. 12 seed Bruins are slated to tip off at 7 p.m. ET at Thompson-Boling Arena, with the winner advancing to the Wichita Regional on March 26 and 28 at INTRUST Bank Arena in Wichita, Kansas.
Tennessee advanced by overturning a five-point second-quarter lead by Buffalo to race by the Bulls, 80-67, on Saturday afternoon on The Summitt. The Lady Vols put four players in double figures to remain a perfect 24-0 in NCAA First Round home games and give head coach Kellie Harper a victory in her first-ever home tourney game in 18 seasons guiding four different schools as a head coach.
In game two on Saturday, Belmont knocked off No. 5 seed Oregon in double overtime, 73-70, behind a trio of double-figure scoring Bruins. BU trailed by two at the half and by four entering the final quarter before outscoring UO 17-13 in the last 10 minutes to force the additional frames necessary to secure a berth in the second round.
UT, which moved on to the second round for the second year in a row under Harper, will be looking to punch its ticket to its first NCAA Sweet 16 since 2016 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and 35th all-time. Harper will be looking to make her second career Sweet 16 appearance after moving to that round in 2019 with Missouri State.
Belmont, meanwhile, is eyeing its first-ever NCAA Sweet 16 berth.
BROADCAST INFORMATION
GET YOUR TICKETS
TENNESSEE’S NCAA TOURNEY HISTORY
UT IN FIRST & SECOND ROUNDS
UT VS. THE NCAA FIELD
LADY VOLS VS. IN-STATE FOES
HARPER NCAA HISTORY AS A COACH
RECAPPING THE LAST GAME
NOTABLES FROM OUR LAST CONTEST
UT-BELMONT SERIES NOTES
A LOOK AT THE BRUINS
ABOUT THE HEAD COACH
BELMONT’S LAST GAME
LAST TIME THESE TEAMS MET
-UT Athletics
