KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – No. 3 Tennessee hosts Rhode Island this weekend at Lindsey Nelson Stadium in its final non-conference series before starting conference play next week.

The Vols and Rams will open the series with a doubleheader on Friday starting at 2 p.m. ET. Game 2 of the twin bill will start approximately 45 minutes following the conclusion of Game 1.

Due to expected low temperatures and possible snow, there will be no game on Saturday. The two teams will finish the series on Sunday at either 12:30 or 1 p.m.

GAMEDAY INFORMATION

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.

TICKET INFORMATION

Season tickets and single-game tickets for 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 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).

BROADCAST INFO

All three of this weekend’s games will be stream on SEC Network+ and the ESPN app with Roger Hoover (PxP) and Cody Hawn (color) calling 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 Vol Network radio call by John Wilkerson on AM 990 for all thee games as well as a live audio stream on UTSports.com and the Tennessee Athletics App.

WEEKEND SCHEDULE/PROJECTED STARTING PITCHERS

Game 1 – Friday (2 p.m.)
RHP Chase Burns (2-0, 0.60 ERA) vs. RHP Ryan Twitchwell (0-3, 10.61 ERA)

Game 2 – Friday (Approx. 6 p.m.)
RHP Chase Dollander (1-0, 4.85 ERA) vs. RHP Domenic Picone (0-2, 9.00 ERA)

Game 3 – Sunday (12:30 p.m.)
RHP Drew Beam (2-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. LHP Trystan Levesque (0-2, 5.11 ERA)

SERIES HISTORY

Overall: First Meeting
In Knoxville: 0-0
In Harrisonburg: 0-0
Neutral Sites: 0-0
Last Meeting: N/A

Friday will mark the first time that Tennessee and Rhode Island have met on the diamond.

NOTABLE

Climbing in the Polls
After another successful week, the Vols continued their climb in the national polls. Tennessee is ranked as high as No. 3 in the nation this week (Collegiate Baseball News) in the polls and rose at least five spots in every other poll. UT is ranked in the top 10 in five of the six major polls and No. 11 in Baseball America. 
 
National Leaders
Tennessee enters Friday’s doubleheader leading the country in numerous offensive categories: runs per game (12.3), total runs (160), doubles (46), home runs (37), slugging percentage (.721) and on-base percentage (.474).
 
The Vols hit a season-high seven home runs in Wednesday’s win over James Madison, tying the single-game program record. In total, 13 different players have gone deep this season for UT and 11 have hit multiple homers.
 
Another Day, Another Shutout  
With Sunday’s 8-0 blanking of Oklahoma last Sunday, the Vols posted their fourth shutout of the season, which is the most in the country entering this weekend. Tennessee posted just three shutouts all of last season and had just one in the regular season.
 
Heading into Friday’s games, UT’s pitching staff ranks 10th nationally in ERA (2.11), fourth in hits allowed per nine innings (5.48), 11th in strikeout-to-walk ratio (4.11), fifth in strikeouts per nine innings (12.2) and fourth in WHIP (0.94).
 
The Kids Can Play
While Tennessee has gotten contributions from nearly its entire roster so far this season, its freshman class has been outstanding to start the year. The Vols’ pair of freshman weekend starters Chase Burns and Drew Beam have been lights out in each of their three starts this year.
 
Burns held the top-ranked Longhorns to just two hits and one run in five innings while setting a career high with 10 strikeouts last Friday night while Beam also allowed just two hits and had a career-high six strikeouts over five shutout innings in UT’s 8-0 win over Oklahoma last Sunday. Beam has yet to allow a run in three starts (11.1 IP) this season while Burns have given up just one earned run in 15.0 innings.
 
True freshmen position players Christian Moore and Blake Burke provided some highlights over the weekend. Moore got the start at DH and went 3-for-4 with two runs scored and three RBIs in Sunday’s win over Oklahoma. Moore hit an inside-the-park home run, the first since Zach Daniels had one in a win over Texas Tech on Feb. 21, 2020 at the Round Rock Classic. The talented freshman hit his fourth homer of the year in Wednesday’s midweek win over James Madison. Burke hit a pinch-hit home run late in Sunday’s victory over the Sooners, his second long ball of the year, and added a double in Wednesday’s midweek victory over the Dukes.

OPPONENT SCOUT

Rhode Island Rams

• Record: 0-10 (0-0 A10)
• 2021 Postseason: N/A
• 2022 Atlantic 10 Preseason Poll: 3^rd  
• Head Coach: Raphael Cerrato (8^th season)
• Preseason Honors: N/A
• Stat Leaders:
  • Batting Avg: Xavier Vargas (.357)
  • Runs: Anthony DePino (4)
  • Hits: Xavier Vargas (10)
  • Home Runs: Four players tied (1)
  • RBI: Eric Genther (5)
  • Stolen Bases: Addison Kopack (2)
  • Wins: N/A
  • Saves: N/A
  • ERA (min. 1 IP/G): Ryan Andrade/Jon Jones (0.00)
  • Innings Pitched: Trystan Levesque (12.1)
  • Strikeouts: Trystan Levesque (9)

GAME PROMOTIONS

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.

NEW TO LINDSEY NELSON STADIUM

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.

Friday SEC Fan Fest
Starting with the SEC opener on March 18 against South Carolina, an exciting new area will be in place for fans this season. “Friday SEC Fan Fest” will take place for ticketed fans on Pat Head Summitt Street for every Friday SEC contest. 

Friday Fan Fests will feature music, giveaways, food/beverage options, VolShop sales locations and Vol Network Sponsor activations. Additionally, VFL Sterl the Pearl will join various SEC weekend games to add to the electricity in Lindsey Nelson Stadium.

ON DECK

The Vols host Eastern Kentucky in the midweek on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. before opening SEC play next Friday, March 18 at home against South Carolina.

Tickets for Tuesday’s game against the Colonels are available at AllVols.com.

-UT Athletics

KNOXVILLE – Finishing the first game with a 9-8 walk-off win in the 10^th inning, then tying a program record with seven home runs in the second game of the series, the No. 3 Tennessee baseball team beat James Madison in a pair of games Wednesday evening at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.

Game 2 Recap

Tennessee (12-1) tied a program record, hitting seven home runs in the second game of the two-game series as the Vols took down the Dukes, 10-2.

The Vols coupled the power surge with a masterful relief appearance from Will Mabrey who went five innings, striking out eight Dukes and only allowing two hits. Wyatt Evans finished the game for UT, entering in the ninth and striking out a pair of hitters.

Jared Dickey went 2-for-5 at the plate, mashing a pair of solo home runs that energized the Tennessee dugout. Evan Russell also made his mark at the plate, going 3-for-4 with two doubles.

On a record-tying night, seven Vols drove in runs. Of Tennessee’s seven home runs, six were solo shots.

Kicking off the game in style, Dickey picked up right where he left off from the first game. He hammered the first pitch he saw in the leadoff spot high over the bullpen in right field to get the Vols off to a fast start.

The Dukes were able to scratch a pair across in the top of the fourth, parlaying two walks into runs. Trey Lipscomb wouldn’t let James Madison have that lead for long as he took a middle-in fastball way out of the park to left center, clearing the newly added second-level porch, to level the contest at 2-2.

Mabrey came out of the bullpen in the bottom of the fourth, facing runners on second and third and no outs. The southpaw wiggled out of a jam with a groundout, a strikeout and heads-up back-pick at third base by Russell from behind the plate. Mabrey retired the first eight batters he faced, striking out five of them and punching out the side in the fifth.

UT broke the tie in the top of the seventh when Lipscomb singled through the right side to lead off the inning, then Luc Lipcius bunted him over on the Vols’ first sacrifice bunt of the season. Russell lined a ball to the wall in right field to score the Big Orange third basemen and the Dukes made a move to the bullpen.

Coach Tony Vitello countered with a move of his own, calling upon Christian Moore off the bench to pinch hit. The true freshman launched his fourth home run of the season high into the Tennessee sky, scoring Russell, to push the Volunteer advantage to 5-2 in the sixth.

Tennessee put on a display of power in the seventh. Dickey led the inning off with his second long ball of the game, sending another one into the porch in left field. Logan Steenstra went back-to-back, launching an opposite field shot high off the scoreboard for his first career home run. The big bats weren’t quite finished as Lipcius lifted an opposite-field home run to extend the UT lead to 8-2.

Cortland Lawson was the man to tie the program record for single-game home runs, crushing a two-run shot down the left field line that scored Christian Scott, who opened the inning with a bloop-double down the right field line, to cap an electric night of offense for the Vols.


Game 1 Recap

In a back-and-forth battle, Tennessee took down James Madison, 9-8 in 10 innings, in a game that was resumed Wednesday afternoon after starting Tuesday evening.

Jorel Ortega proved to be the hero in the first game, going 3-4 at the plate and driving in a pair of runs, including the walk-off winner in the 10^th inning. His offense was complimented by Jared Dickey, who also notched three knocks and scored three runs, along with driving in a pair.

Almost uncharacteristically, the Vols relied on timely hitting instead of the long ball. Tennessee registered 11 hits with only four for extra-bases, all doubles. Instead UT worked counts and made the Dukes pay for their miscues, drawing 10 bases on balls that translated into four runs and reaching on an error which netted another run.

Tennessee crossed the plate first in the second after the first two batters reached on a walk. Christian Moore and Cortland Lawson both smacked singles into left, each scoring a run as the Big Orange struck first.

James Madison answered in the top of the fourth, leading off with back-to-back doubles. The Dukes added single before Tennessee went to the bullpen for Camden Sewell. The senior right-hander entered with runners on the corners and nobody out. He struck out the first hitter he faced before plunking JMU’s Carson Bell to load the bases. The savvy reliever kept his cool, getting catcher Jensen Lapoint to ground into a 4-6-3 double play, limiting the damage to one, keeping the 2-1 lead.

The Vols rode that momentum to a crooked number in the bottom half. It was a doubles parade for Tennessee as Seth Stephenson and Dickey laced back-to-back doubles into left, each plating two runs. Ortega got in on the action with a rocket line drive off the wall in left, plating Dickey. After four innings, the Vols led 7-1, but they would not score again until Wednesday afternoon when play resumed.

James Madison battled back with a pair of three-run innings in the sixth and seventh. Carson Bell blasted a pair of homers for the Dukes, muscling a three-run shot to right in the sixth and a two-run blast in the seventh to tie the game.

With things knotted up at seven in the bottom of the eighth, the game was postponed due to heavy rain and was picked up Wednesday afternoon. Tennessee wasted no time in regaining the lead, as Logan Steenstra was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded the plate the go-ahead run in the eighth. A resilient James Madison side would not lie down, homering on the first pitch of the ninth to knot it up, once again, at eight apiece.

Redmond Walsh tossed a clean top half of the 10^th then the bats, as they had all game, came alive in the bottom half. Dickey led off the extra frame by slapping a single to the opposite field for his third hit of the day and Trey Lipscomb put him in scoring position with a single through the left side. Ortega came through in the clutch, roping a liner that one hopped the wall and scored Dickey to walk-off the Dukes.

The Vols will be back in action on Friday at Lindsey Nelson Stadium for a doubleheader as they host the Rhode Island at 2 p.m. Game 2 of the doubleheader will start approximately 45 minutes following the conclusion of Game 1. In anticipation of weather, there will be no game on Saturday and the sides will meet again Sunday afternoon at either 12:30 or 1 p.m. for the series finale. Tickets for all three games are still available at AllVols.com.

NOTABLE

MABREY THE MACHINE
Junior left hander Will Mabrey had a day to remember on the mound in Game 2, setting a new career highs in innings pitched (5 – previous 1.1 against Lipscomb on April 27, 2021) and strikeouts (8 – previous high 3 against Eastern Kentucky on April 6, 2021). He more than doubled his season total in the outing as he entered the day with six strikeouts in five innings this season.

WE GOING BACK-TO-BACK
In the second game of the doubleheader, Jared Dickey and Logan Steenstra hit back-to-back jacks to right field. That marks the third time this season the Vols have blasted back-to-back homers.

LINDSEY NELSON: LAUNCHING PAD
Tennessee blasted a season-high seven home runs in the second game against JMU. The Vols have mashed 32 home runs at home this season. Entering today, no team (other than Tennessee) had more than 27 home runs all season.

-UT Athletics