Dallas and Spence Garner ABCA All-America Honors

Dallas and Spence Garner ABCA All-America Honors

Posted on June 20, 2021
Vols SS Liam Spence and RHP Chad Dallas / Credit: UT Athletics

OMAHA, Neb. ā€“Ā Tennessee added to its growing list of postseason accolades as a pair of Vols were named ABCA/Rawlings All-Americans on Saturday.

Junior pitcherĀ Chad DallasĀ earned his second All-America nod after garnering second-team honors, while senior shortstopĀ Liam SpenceĀ was named to the third team.

Tennessee has now had four players earn All-America status this season, which ties a single-season program record that was set in 1994.

Dallas has been a tone setter for UT’s weekend rotation all season long. The Texas native has posted an impressive 11-1 record over 16 starts. His 11 wins are the most by a Tennessee pitcher since 2005 and rank tied for sixth in program history for a single season. He has also recorded 118 strikeouts this season, which is eighth on UT’s single-season list.

Dallas is the first Vols’ pitcher to earn All-America honors since Luke Hochevar was a unanimous first-team All-American back in 2005. Dallas was tabbed a third-team All-American by the NCBWA earlier this week, as well.

Spence has been one of the most consistent players in the country this season, both at the plate and in the field. Spence leads the team with a .339 batting average, 63 runs scored, 53 walks and a .477 on-base percentage and ranks among the national leaders in walks (fifth) and runs scored (23rd). He also leads the SEC in on-base percentage and ranks second on the team with 80 hits.

The senior from Geelong, Australia had already earned first-team All-SEC and SEC All-Defensive team honors as well as ABCA Southeast First Team All-Region honors. Spence was also named to the Golden Spikes Award Midseason Watch List.

To view the complete ABCA All-America teams, clickĀ HERE.

Tennessee opens its College World Series run on Sunday at 2 p.m. ET against Virginia. The game will be televised on ESPN2.

Tennessee 2021 All-Americans

Chad DallasĀ ā€“ ABCA (2ndĀ Team), NCBWA (3rdĀ Team)
Sean HunleyĀ ā€“ Baseball America (2ndĀ Team)
Jake RuckerĀ ā€“ Baseball America (3rdĀ Team), Collegiate Baseball News (3rdĀ Team)
Liam SpenceĀ ā€“ ABCA (3rdĀ Team)

ABCA/Rawlings All-America Teams

-UT Athletics

Vinceā€™s View from Omaha with the Vols at CWS ā€“ Day 2

Vinceā€™s View from Omaha with the Vols at CWS ā€“ Day 2

Posted on June 19, 2021
TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha at CWS / Credit: Vince Ferrara

By Vince Ferrara / @VinceSports

Saturday in Omaha was my first full day here at the College World Series. Here’s what it looked like from “Vince’s View.”

99.1 THE Sports Animal’s coverage of the Vols in the College World Series in Omaha is presented by: Senior Benefit, AG Heins Company, Bobcat of Knoxville, Mercedes Benz of Knoxville and Chattanooga Whiskey.

Vinceā€™s CWS Trip Day 2

*First station report on Saturday SportsTalk with Joel Silverberg and Eric Cain

*Buffet breakfast with the team at the hotel

*Gym workout where some players/coaches/staff were putting in strong work

*Walked several long blocks from the hotel to TD Ameritrade Park

*Had fun watching Game 1 of the CWS between NC State and Stanford, won by the Wolfpack 10-4

*NC State had, by far, the larger and louder fan base

*Walked around the press facilities to take in the locations and operations for our game on Sunday

*Visited with Texas Longhorns longtime play-by-play voice Craig Way and talked about the possibility of UT vs. UT Tuesday

*Watched some of the game from the press box that was spacious with mostly good views

*Mic’d-up home plate umpire Travis Katzenmeier had his mic on in the press box when he said “Oh, f***” loud and clear causing the press box to erupt in laughter. He had a bounce and skip past the catcher and hit him in the crotch-el/groin-ish region. You may have seen the video. We got the audio of his reaction in the press box.

*Attendance for Game 1 was 22,193 and seemed every bit of that

*Walked around the entire stadium because the concourse circles the ballpark for full fan access, which is a super cool element

*Sat in an empty seat in Section 101 enjoying some of the game with a great view and taking in some Vitamin D sunshine. Here’s what that looked like.

*Some ballpark observations…a huge video board with lots of great information for fans on every player, very spacious dugouts, tons of foul territory, a big X in the outfield grass, a neat view of CHI Medical Center beyond right field, a feel of a bigtime stadium, lots of fan energy with many different teams represented including Vols fans, water fountains with lines of people waiting to refill their water bottles and more. Most importantly, it had spacious, fan-friendly seating with reasonable leg room and wide enough seats.

*They have people with giant flags sticking out from backpacks high in the air called Event Ambassadors to help fans with questions

*Walked the outside of the stadium and saw the famous statue out front and many of the other structures embodying the Omaha city tradition

*Saw this cool slow motion video shot by my partner John Wilkerson who watched Tennessee go through a practice at nearby Creighton University

*Had a fantastic dinner from Lighthouse Pizza & Fries

*Continued preparation for Tennessee vs. Virginia Sunday at 2pm ET, 1:45pm airtime on 99.1 The Sports Animal AND 12 more Vol Network affiliate stations in 9 Tennessee cities, which has grown greatly this postseason

*Enjoyed a great game between Vanderbilt and Arizona, which included an excellent start from one-time, one-year Vol, Chase Silseth. The Commodores won 7-6 in 12 innings. Vandy will face NC State Monday night while Arizona takes on Stanford in an All-Pac 12 elimination game Monday afternoon.

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Thomas Rhett Releases “Things Dads Do” Just In Time For Father’s Day

Thomas Rhett Releases “Things Dads Do” Just In Time For Father’s Day

Posted on June 19, 2021

Thomas Rhett has released the ultimate “dad” song just days before Father’s Day.

“Things Dads Do” is written by Thomas, his dad Rhett Akins, along with Chase McGill and Matt Dragstrem.

Talking about the new song, Thomas says “We all have those moments as adults when we recognize ourselves doing things that our parents did our entire lives and finally start to understand. This one is for the dads and is out now. Happy early Father’s Day yā€™all.”

Listen to “Things Dads Do” right here…

https://tr.lnk.to/ThingsDadsDo

Photo Courtesy of Thomas Rhett, Rhett Akins, and The Grand Ole Opry

Elvie Shane Was Ready For A Shift – and That Led To “My Boy”

Elvie Shane Was Ready For A Shift – and That Led To “My Boy”

Posted on June 19, 2021

Elvie Shane‘s current single “My Boy” is climbing the country airplay chart with its autobiographical story of the relationship he has with his son.

Elvie shares the story of how his wife, and son came into his life at just the right time, “I met my wife in Bowling Green Kentucky we had both going to western Kentucky University and we just couldn’t figure out what we wanted to be when we grew up. So I met her she was working at a bar that I would go and play pool at all the time . I was playing guitar on the weekend doing some little bar gigs and stuff making a little bit of money and playing pool all day during the week with my friends. When I met her, found out she had a little boy, I was ready for a big shift in my life and they became two big reasons to make that shift.”

Elvie says that when it comes to the song “My Boy” – it was Garth Brooks who helped him and his cowrites zero in on the tone and message of the track,Ā “There’s an old Garth Brooks song that says ‘blood is thicker than water, but love is thicker than blood’. That’s the message we were trying to get out with this song, ‘My Boy.'”

Elvie Shane made his second appearance on the Grand Ole Opry this weekend – but it was in late April during his Opry debut that he got to play his song “My Boy” and share the story with the crowd…

Photo Courtesy of BBR Music Group

Chris Bandi Knows His Grandfather “Would Have Loved Her”

Chris Bandi Knows His Grandfather “Would Have Loved Her”

Posted on June 19, 2021

Did you know that “Would Have Loved Her” from Chris Bandi was inspired by his grandfather?

Chris is lucky to have had his grandfather in his life, but this Father’s Day weekend, he’s also very happy to have his father still around.

Chris is very thank for having the dad he does, “I know that I will never be able to say thank enough to either one of my parents for everything they have done for me. My dad was the kind of dad that never missed a game or practice! He was always pushing me to be the best that I could be in whatever I set my mind to. I think Fatherā€™s Day is just a great way show appreciation to the role models who helped us get to where we are today!”

With his schedule usually having him on the road, Chris appreciates anytime – but especially Father’s Days that he gets to spend with his own dad.

Like most fathers, all Chris Bandi’s dad ever wants as a present is just time with his son…but Chris recalls a year when he got just the right Father’s Day gift, “My dad was always the kind of guy that when you asked him what he wanted as a present he would always say ‘for you to be happyā€™ so that made getting presents pretty difficult but one year I got him a signed Ole Miss jersey by his favorite football player and had it framed.”

For every winner — Chris says there’s also a present that misses the mark…

“The worst present is probably the nest doorbell camera I got him thatā€™s still sitting in the box!”

We hope Chris and his dad are having a great Father’s Day weekend this year.

Check out this special stripped down version of “Would Have Loved Her” from Chris Bandi…

Photo Credit: Midtown Motion

Additional Photos Courtesy of Chris Bandi

Jay DeMarcus Shares a Special Moment on Stage With His Son

Jay DeMarcus Shares a Special Moment on Stage With His Son

Posted on June 19, 2021

After all of his years of performing on stage, Jay DeMarcus had a first this past week…he got to perform with his son.

Jay shared “Well, this is one for the books: got to perform with my boy Dylan last night for the VERY FIRST time-and I may be biased, but Iā€™d say he KILLED it!!!”

The moment was captured by Allison DeMarcus – Jay’s wife, and Dylan’s mom – and we think he did great…

Photo Courtesy of Jay DeMarcus

Chris Young Feels Lucky He Got The Dad He Did

Chris Young Feels Lucky He Got The Dad He Did

Posted on June 19, 2021

Being a father is less about DNA and more about love.

Chris Young knows that better than anyone else.

Chris shares,Ā “My dad, I think I tell the same story every time, everybody is like, ‘Oh! Y’all look so much alike!’ And he’s my stepdad, but that’s who I refer to as my dad.”

Chris adds, “He’s just an incredible man, I’m so lucky that that guy is my dad. Basically, from the time he came into my mom’s life, my life, my sister’s life… He’s always treated me like a son. It’s pretty incredible to have somebody that you look up to and that you’ve got a lot of respect for. He and I kinda have this relationship where sometimes we’ll kinda rib each other back and forth a little bit. I don’t know that there’s a whole lot of people that I respect more than I do him.”

Although Chris does admit there’s one thing that his dad did that will always leave as a challenge for Chris every February. He jokes that no matter what he does on Valentine’s Day for his someone special, he’ll always feel like he’s in his dad’s shadow…Chris explains, “My favorite story about Valentine’s Day is everybody’s like, ‘So, what are you gonna do special?’ or, you know, kind of, ‘What do you have in your back pocket on Valentine’s Day?? And I can never live up to my stepdad, because he asked my mom to marry him on Valentine’s Day, and then called us down from upstairs and asked me and my sister permission. So, pretty much anything I do, he made me look like a punk for the rest of my life (laughs) on Valentine’s Day”

But we think Chris is OK with that.

Chris’ dad even appeared in one of his music videos – check out the video for Chris Young’s number-one hit “Voices” and you’ll see his dad as one of the guys under the hood of the car at the start of the video.

Photo Credit: Jeff Johnson

Matt Stell Recalls One of His Favorite Memories He Has of Spending Time With His Dad

Matt Stell Recalls One of His Favorite Memories He Has of Spending Time With His Dad

Posted on June 19, 2021

For most Father’s Day is a great time to connect with your dad and do something special, or simply just spend time together…but for others the day is left to just memories.

Matt Stell‘s father is no longer with us, but he shares one of his favorite memories of a trip he took with his dad.

Matt recalls, “So, it would have been sometime around 2016 or so. I got my dad for his birthday tickets to go out to the Barrett Jackson auction out in Scottsdale, Arizona. We’ve always watched it on TV and we’ve always been really into cars and stuff like that. I got to go out there with him and a couple of his buddies and man that’s a memory that always stuck with me and he since passed, but that’s something that every time I think about it, I smile because we had a great time. And you know that that love of cars and things like that is is still with me today.”

 

Photo Credit:Ā Matthew Berinato

Vince’s View from Omaha with the Vols at CWS – Day 1

Vince’s View from Omaha with the Vols at CWS – Day 1

Posted on June 19, 2021
UT Baseball Team Photo / Credit: John Wilkerson

By Vince Ferrara / @VinceSports

The University of Tennesseeā€™s incredible baseball season full of ā€œfirst time sinceā€ accomplishments has led to the Vols first College World Series appearance since 2005.

As a part of the Vol Network broadcast, alongside the legendary longtime voice of UT Baseball John Wilkerson, Tennesseeā€™s season has led to a first for me, everā€¦the College World Series in Omaha.

Check on a bucket list item.

99.1 THE Sports Animal’s coverage of the Vols in the College World Series in Omaha is presented by: Senior Benefit, AG Heins Company, Bobcat of Knoxville, Mercedes Benz of Knoxville and Chattanooga Whiskey.

Friday was travel day for me and my first day in Omaha. Here’s what Friday looked like from “Vince’s View.”

Vinceā€™s CWS Trip Day 1

Vince’s dog Daphne resting after a day of fun / Credit: Marina McLaughlin

*Leaving my precious rescue dog Mini Goldendoodle, Daphne, for more than half a day for the first time since I adopted her last October was tough but my neighbor is taking great care of her with pictures to show it.

*Headed to McGhee Tyson Airport in Knoxville to start my journey

*Being a little stressed boarding an airplane for the first time in years and yearsā€¦maybe 7 or 8

*Taking some deep breaths, talking to some passengers on the short flight connecting to Atlanta and doing some CWS prep eased the stress and made the flight easy to manage

*Talking to Vols fan Sam after the flight about Tony Vitello

*Downing a Kosher Dog from Five Guys at Atlanta International Airport during my two-hour layover

*A longer flight to Omaha that went fairly quickly and smoothly

*Appreciative of the hotel shuttle to take me to the Tennessee team hotel where Iā€™m staying.

*Joining John Wilkerson on SportsTalk for the last hour and a half of the show

*Doing some station work from the hotel

*Dinner with John Wilkerson at DJā€™s Sports Bar downtown

*Seeing some Vols players at a convenience store down the street (well behaved and polite of course)

Notable Happenings From Friday

*Vols head coach Tony Vitello was named National Coach of the Year by both NCBWA and Perfect Game…yes, he wasn’t SEC Coach of the Year by some outlets, as many believed he should have been but this is scoreboard

*Vols team, thatā€™s been practicing at Creighton University, practiced at TD Ameritrade Park for the first time

*Took a team photo outside in their sharp practice jerseys

*Tennessee coach Tony Vitello spoke at the NCAA Press Conference and confirmed what many of us expected, that Jr. RHP Chad ā€œCheeseā€ Dallas (11-1, 4.10 ERA) would get the ball to start vs. Virginia on Sunday

*Virginia coach Brian Oā€™Connor named Friday guy Andrew Abbott (8-6, 3.04 ERA) as their starter vs. Tennessee

*Evan Russell spoke at UTā€™s Media avail held by the NCAA and said this season has made him think a little about how good it would be to return next season with another year of eligibility but said he would wait until after the season to make a final decision

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*Check out much more of my broadcasting work on my website

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