Tennessee Lady Vols guard/forward Rennia Davis spoke to the media to preview the NCAA Tournament in San Antonio where UT is the 3-seed and will play the 14-seed in Middle Tennessee on Sunday at 2pm ET in the 1st Round.
Tennessee Lady Vols head coach Kellie Harper spoke to the media to preview the NCAA Tournament in San Antonio where UT is the 3-seed and will play the 14-seed in Middle Tennessee on Sunday at 2pm ET in the 1st Round.
Congrats goes out to Parmalee and Blanco Brown on landing in the number-one spot on the country airplay chart with “Just The Way.”
Parmalee posted on their social media, “THANK YOU to everyone who made this possible for us! You are all so amazing!! Thanks so much to country radio and all of the fans! Today is such a special day…not only are we #1 at country radio in the US & Canada, but it’s also our boy Matt’s Birthday!! Couldn’t ask for a better Birthday present than that!”
Speaking of birthday boy and Parmalee lead singer, Matt Thomas shared that this song has been around a while, but was always just missing something, “I actually wrote it a couple years ago, but I knew when I wrote this song it had a special meaning. It had purpose and positivity. And so we were trying to figure out what to do with this song, how to release it, what to do next. We had, like, a little light bulb moment. ‘Let’s call our buddy Blanco Brown’.”
Matt met Blanco at a party a couple of years ago, and instantly knew that he was someone they should get to know, “Yeah, we hit it off immediately. We became friends. We realized we had a lot of the same musical backgrounds.”
So, when it came to that missing element in “Just The Way,” Matt says they knew Blanco could bring something special to it, “He’s all about positivity and purpose; he can help us deliver this message.’ So we called him up and I think two days later we drove down to Atlanta and got him to sing on it and here we are.”
And when it comes to the journey this song took, Matt adds, “It’s pretty amazing to see everything happening behind it, but, I mean ‘Just The Way’ is just a song about loving people just the way that God made them…imperfections and all. I think in these days everybody could hear that message…I think it’s cool to be able spread a little positivity in the world.”
That positive message resonated with listeners, and now Parmalee and Blanco Brown have the number-one on the country airplay chart.
Check out the music vide for the hit song right here…
Photo Courtesy of Broken Bow Records
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The only program to appear in every NCAA Tournament, the University of Tennessee women’s basketball team received confirmation that it had earned its 39th consecutive postseason bid Monday when the bracket was revealed on ESPN.
The Lady Vols (16-7) are seeded No. 3 in the River Walk Region. UT will face No. 14 seed Middle Tennessee (17-7) in the first round on Sunday in Austin, Texas, at 2 p.m. ET (1 p.m. CT). The game will be televised by ABC and also carried on the Lady Vol Radio Network.
No. 6 seed Michigan (14-5) will meet No. 11 seed Florida Gulf Coast (26-2) in another other first round contest on Sunday at 3 p.m. ET (2 CT) in San Antonio. That contest will be televised by ESPN2. The winners of the first-round match-ups will face off on Tuesday. Time, TV network and location are to be determined.
The Lady Vols, who are 125-30 all-time in NCAA play, are the only school to appear in all 39 tournaments, winning eight national championships. They also have recorded the most games played (155) and victories (125) in tournament history.
Middle Tennessee, meanwhile, is making its 19th overall NCAA appearance but its first since 2016.
The Lady Vols are 30-2 in NCAA First-Round games. The only blemishes are opening-round losses to Ball State (71-55) in Bowling Green, Ky., on March 22, 2009, and to UCLA (89-77) in College Park, Md., on March 23, 2019.
Because last year’s NCAA Tournament was not played due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) global health pandemic, Tennessee is making its first appearance under second-year head coach Kellie Harper. The 1999 UT graduate and LVFL became just the second coach to lead four different women’s programs to the NCAA Division I Tournament. She did so at Western Carolina, NC State and Missouri State before checking that box in Knoxville this season.
Harper joins Jim Foster (St. Joseph’s, Vanderbilt, Ohio State, Chattanooga) in that rare company, but she is the first to do so at her alma mater.
The Lady Vols and Lady Raiders will meet for the 22nd time, with UT holding an 21-0 advantage in the series. The programs haven’t played since 2013, and this will be their second contest during the NCAA Tournament. They previously met on March 17, 1984, in a first-round game in Knoxville, with the Big Orange prevailing, 70-52.
Middle Tennessee posted a 12-4 conference record this season to finish first in the C-USA. It also won the C-USA Tournament. Tennessee, which placed third in the SEC at 9-4, is 101-27 all-time vs. that league, facing the C-USA’s Western Kentucky this season and defeating the Hilltoppers in the opener at Thompson-Boling Arena on Nov. 28, 87-47.
Tennessee played nine of the 64 teams in the NCAA Tournament field this season and owns a 5-7 record vs. those squads. UT captured victories over Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, Kentucky and South Carolina, and fell to Georgia (twice), Kentucky, South Carolina, Texas A&M, UConn and West Virginia. It had games vs. NCAA participants Texas and Jackson State canceled due to COVID-19 pauses involving those programs, including one scheduled vs. the Longhorns in Austin on Dec. 13.
-UT Athletics
After having an extended time between his Inside Studio G sessions, Garth Brooks returned Monday night.
The last time he met with fans for his Monday Night Conversation on Facebook Live was February 8th – Garth returned from an extended holiday break ready to get back in the swing of things, but after that one show, that’s when COVID entered the picture.
First we learned that a member of Garth’s crew had a positive test, and then word came that his wife, Trisha Yearwood also had a positive test result for the virus.
But now Garth’s back!
Although regular viewers of the Facebook Live show quickly noticed that Garth wasn’t in his usual setting.
He started by thanking fans for sending all their well wishes, and updating them on Trisha’s health, “She walked right through it…She looks fantastic.”
Then Garth fessed why he wasn’t in his regular Studio G studio — turns out that his day job ran a little late…so he had to stay in the studio where he writes and records music.
Garth had a song writing session with two people, and as he described, “We started writing, and we started writing this morning. But it was one of those sessions that you’re writing with 2 people that love country music. So, before you ever start writing, you’re kind of knocking songs back from Keith Whitley, all the way over to Tammy Wynette, all the way over to Vern Gosdin, just back and forth, and it was a lot of fun.”
Asked if he could share who the 2 co-writers for the day were, Garth at first hesitated…but then he caved.
Garth shared, “Tell, ya, today was an amazing day. I got to write – she’s going to kill me – I got to write with Ashley McBryde today, which…I’ve never got to. So that was pretty friggin’ cool. And Mitch Rossell. And the truth is…Mitch will back me up on this…me and Mitch just kind of sat and watched her. She just tore it up!”
While he wouldn’t share many more specifics, Garth did offer this up for the fans watching the Facebook Live session, “I can tell you exactly what we wrote! Something country.”
A Garth-Ashley song is exactly what 2021 needs!
Check out this episode of Garth Brooks’ Studio G right here…but you can always catch them on his Facebook page, Live Monday Nights at 6 PM (CT), or the replay in Garth’s Facebook video section.
Garth Headline Photo Courtesy of Green Room PR
Ashley Headline Photo Credit: Daniel Meigs
With a surprise in Surprise, Arizona, this weekend Major League Baseball’s Texas Rangers honored the late Charley Pride with naming their spring training field after him.
Before he was singing iconic hits like “Kiss An Angel Good Mornin'” and winning CMA Entertainer of the Year (1971), Charley was pitching for the Memphis Red Sox of the Negro American League. In 1953 he joined the Boise Yankees, a farm team of MLB’s New York Yankees…but an injury eventually sidelined his baseball career.
Charley picked up the guitar again, which he first taught himself to play at 14 years old when his mom bought him one.
While Charley was becoming a country music legend, baseball was never that far from him though – in 1980, during the World Series between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Kansas City Royals, he sang the National Anthem at game 6, where Philly clinched the series.
He had a long-history with the Texas Rangers — Charley was also part of a group that help a minority stake in the baseball team.
When Charley passed away in December, the Rangers released a statement that said, “Mr. Pride’s first love was baseball. He pitched professionally in the Negro and Minor Leagues throughout the 1950’s before embarking on his Hall of Fame singing career of more than 60 years….Mr. Pride then became a regular participant at Texas Rangers spring training camps in Pompano Beach and Port Charlotte, Florida and Surprise, Arizona, working out with the team and staging an annual clubhouse concert for players and staff, a tradition that continued through this past spring.”
Adding, “The Rangers have been honored to have Mr. Pride be a part of the team’s ownership group for the last ten years. A longtime resident of this area, he was a regular at home games when his schedule permitted… Mr. Pride was a true gentleman, and we will never forget the lasting contributions he has made to the Texas Rangers organization”
In one of his few singing performances last year, Charley sang the National Anthem in July 2020 at the first-ever baseball game played at the Rangers’ new Globe Life Field in Arlington…you can watch it here…
The Texas Rangers shared on social media the unveiling of the sign marking Charley Pride Field…
Introducing Charley Pride Field!
You are greatly missed. pic.twitter.com/v46HyO2EQ3
— Texas Rangers (@Rangers) March 14, 2021
Headline Photo Courtesy of 2911 Media
Additional Photos Credit: Stephen Dunn/Getty Images
Additional Photos Courtesy of Texas Rangers
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – No. 10 Tennessee hosts in-state foe ETSU this Tuesday at Lindsey Nelson Stadium in its final non-conference game before the start of Southeastern Conference play. First pitch is slated for 6:30 p.m.
The Volunteers will be looking to win their fourth straight game heading into conference play after sweeping UNC Greensboro over the weekend.
Relying on the expertise of public health authorities, the state of Tennessee, appropriate university and government agencies including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), we are implementing a number of new initiatives at Tennessee Baseball gamedays this spring. The well-being of our student-athletes, fans and staff are our top priorities and guide our decisions. Exposure to COVID-19 is an inherent risk in any public location where people are present; we cannot guarantee you will not be exposed during your visit.
The Southeastern Conference in August released several conference-wide fan health and safety guidelines for all member institutions this fall. The Tennessee-specific measures outlined on this page are in line with, and in addition to, the SEC’s guidelines.
Parking
Baseball parking is located primarily in Lots GF1, G16, and C1.
Additional on-street parking is located in C10 along Todd Helton Dr. and Chamique Holdsclaw Dr. and along West Volunteer Blvd.
Handicap parking is located in marked handicap spaces on Pat Head Summitt St. and in the G16 Volunteer Blvd. garage. The 2021 parking map can be seen HERE (PDF).
For more information and gameday info, visit the Tennessee Baseball Gameday Information page by clicking HERE.
Season tickets for this season are sold out. There are limited seating options still available for select games in the Porch and Deck areas. Fans should contact Maggie Coates at 865-974-9579 or [email protected] for more information.
There are no single-game general admission tickets being sold at the stadium this season. Single-game tickets can be purchased via Vivid Seats by clicking HERE.
In order to keep Lindsey Nelson Stadium as full as possible during a season with limited capacity, 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), sell them on VividSeats (Instructions HERE) or participate in our new Seats for Student program (Instructions HERE).
Tuesday’s game will be streamed live on WatchESPN.com and the ESPN app. Fans can also listen to the game on UTSports.com and the UT Gameday app, as John Wilkerson and Vince Ferrara call the action.
RHP Camden Sewell (0-0) vs. RHP Tucker Rogers (1-0)
Overall: Tennessee leads, 67-20
In Knoxville: UT leads, 37-10
In Johnson City: UT leads, 29-10
Neutral Sites: UT leads, 1-0
Last Meeting: W, 17-5 (March 10, 2020)
The last meeting between the Vols and Bucs on March 10 of last year ended up being the final game of the 2020 season. Tennessee earned a 17-5 victory in that contest. The two programs have split their last six meetings.
Bats Come Alive
After some early-season inconsistencies at the plate, Tennessee had its best offensive series of the season in last weekend’s sweep of UNC Greensboro. The Vols scored 29 runs on 38 hits while batting .373 as a team. UT recorded a new season high with 20 hits in Saturday’s 14-9 victory to clinch the series and scored nine more runs on 10 hits in Sunday’s series finale.
Ferguson Getting Hot at the Right Time
Junior preseason All-American Max Ferguson put his early-season struggles behind him with an impressive series against the Spartans, leading the team with a .545 batting average, six hits, two doubles and three stolen bases, including a career-high three hits in Sunday’s win. The Florida native is now batting .288 on the year after entering the series with a .229 average and has reached base in 10 straight games.
Gilbert Dropping Bombs
Sophomore slugger Drew Gilbert hit two home runs in Sunday’s victory over UNCG to take over the team lead with five long balls this season. It marked the second multi-homer game of the year for Gilbert, who hit a solo shot to give UT the lead in the third inning before putting an exclamation point on the series with a grand slam in the bottom of the eighth to put the game away. He finished the day with a career-high five RBI.
Walsh Climbing Career Saves List
Redshirt senior closer Redmond Walsh continued to dominant opposing hitters in his lone appearance of the week last Friday. He struck out five of the six batters he faced in 1.2 shutout innings to record his third save of the season, moving him into sole possession of third on the Vols’ career saves list with 14. He needs four more saves to tie Sean Watson, who had 18 from 2004-06, for second all-time at UT.
Walsh has now posted 12 consecutive appearances without allowing an earned run, a span of 24.1 innings pitched. The last earned run Walsh allowed was against Liberty on June 2, 2019 in the NCAA Chapel Hill Regional.
ETSU Buccaneers
Upcoming 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.
The Vols open SEC play with a trip to Athens to take on the Georgia Bulldogs this weekend. First pitch for Friday’s series opener is set for 6 p.m. All three games will be streamed live on SEC Network Plus and the ESPN app.
-UT Athletics
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – After opening SEC play this past weekend, the No. 22 Tennessee softball team returns to action with a Tuesday afternoon twin bill against in-state foe Bellarmine. First pitch for game one is set for 2 p.m. ET and first pitch for game two is slated for 4:30 p.m. ET.
BROADCAST INFO
Both of Tuesday’s games can be seen on SEC Network+. Fans can stream both games on WatchESPN using the ESPN App or online at espn.com/watch.
Tuesday’s matchups can also be heard on your local Vol Network affiliate and online on UTsports.com. Brian Rice will be heard describing the action.
QUICK HITS
CHELSEA CONSISTENT AT THE DISH
Redshirt-senior Chelsea Seggern, finished the opening weekend of SEC play with a .500 average, going 4-for-8 with a double, a homer, a pair of RBIs and three walks. She was also consistent in the field, concluding the weekend with a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage.
ROGERS STAYS STELLAR
Despite the loss in Saturday’s opener of the doubleheader, junior Ashley Rogers tossed an eight-inning, complete game gem. The Athens, Tennessee native fanned 11 batters and gave up just one earned run on four hits, with no walks.
Rogers came in, in relief in the eighth inning of game two and earned the victory following the walk-off blast from senior Ivy Davis.
IVY GOES YARD
In the bottom of the eighth of game two on Saturday, senior Ivy Davis stepped to the plate with the score tied, 3-3, and went yard to give Tennessee its first SEC win of 2021 in comeback fashion.
SCOUTING BELLARMINE
2021 Record: 4-11 Overall, 0-3 A-Sun
Series Record: First Meeting
Key Player/Stat: Off to a slow start in its first season as a Division I member, Bellarmine is led on offense by junior Grace Werner and sophomore Sydney Young. Werner is pacing the nights with an efficient, .333 batting average and an on-base percentage of .440. When she gets on base, Young eats, as she leads the team with 14 RBI’s, tallying four doubles and a pair of homers through 15 games played.
UP NEXT
Tennessee returns to SEC play with a three-game road series with Alabama, March 19-21. First pitch on Friday is set for 7 p.m. ET on ESPNU, Saturday at 3 p.m. ET on SEC Network+ and Sunday at 2 p.m. ET on ESPNU.
-UT Athletics
While we all wait for the concert schedule to ramped back up to full strength, Reba McEntire shared with fans a full show she played in Lafayette, LA back in 2011.
While it’s not the same, it’s still great to relive an awesome night of music from one of the best country performers ever. You can check out the concert right here…
Photo Credit: Robby Klein
Congrats to Dan + Shay who won the Grammy Award, along with Justin Bieber, for Best Country Duo/Performance for “10,000 Hours.”
Watch the moment where Dan + Shay learn that they won…
Photo Credit: Catherine Powell
