KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Senior pitcher Will Heflin dazzled on the mound to lead No. 17 Tennessee to a 6-1 victory over Georgia State in Friday night’s series opener at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.
Getting the start on short notice after projected starter Chad Dallas was a late scratch due to some minor soreness, Heflin was dominant from start to finish to earn his second win of the year.
The Morristown, Tennessee, native went seven innings and tied a career high with eight strikeouts on the night. The lefty did not issue a walk, scattered six hits and allowed just one run in his first start since March 26, 2019.
The Vols’ first three batters in the order had two hits each and combined for six of the team’s eight total hits. Liam Spence continued his consistent play with two more base knocks, a run and two RBI while Pete Derkay and Jake Rucker both finished the night 2-for-4 with an RBI.
Luc Lipcius (double in the sixth) and Christian Scott (single in the second) recorded the other two hits for UT. Max Ferguson did not have a hit but walked twice and came around to score on both occasions.
Sophomore left hander Kirby Connell pitched the final two innings for the Big Orange and also tied a career high with three strikeouts.
Josh Smith drove in the only run for the Panthers with a solo home run in the seventh inning. Starting pitcher Ryan Watson got the loss after allowing three runs on five hits and three walks in five innings.
The Vols (9-2) and Panthers (4-7) will be back at it tomorrow afternoon for Game 2 of the series. First pitch is slated for 3 p.m. and the game can be seen live on SEC Network + and the ESPN App.
NOTABLE
HEFLIN DOMINATES ON SHORT NOTICE: Will Heflin’s last start prior to tonight came against ETSU on March 26, 2019, but the senior left hander looked like the ace of Tennessee’s staff on Friday night with a dominant performance on the mound. Heflin set a new career high with seven innings pitched and tied a career high he set earlier this season with eight strikeouts on the night.
SPENCE CONTINUES TO PRODUCE: Liam Spence has been the Vols’ most consistent hitter throughout the season and Friday night was no different as the senior shortstop led the team with two hits and two RBI. After Friday’s game, Spence leads the team in batting average (.341), runs (11), hits (15) and on-base % (.431). He is also tied for second on the team with 10 runs batted in.
COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Offensive momentum drove the No. 25/19 Lady Vols as they started their Reville Classic series with a win over Campbell, 13-1. The Lady Vols are now 13-1 on the season, extending their winning streak to eight games.
Tennessee rattled off a season-high 15 hits, with nine different Lady Vols contributing to the effort. Additionally, eight UT players combined to achieve the team’s most runs of the season and its largest margin of victory.
The win also marks the third time this season Tennessee has recorded four homeruns in a game and the performance moves the homer total to 28. By this point in 2015, the season that the Lady Vols recorded 100 dingers, UT had tallied 21.
Leading the offensive effort was Kiki Milloy, who posted the first grand slam of her Lady Vol career and the program’s first since Haley Bearden recorded two against ETSU on April 16, 2019. Milloy also finished the game 2-for-3, picking up a career-high five RBIs, two hits for two homeruns and came across the plate on four occasions.
Seniors Amanda Ayala and Ivy Davis both extended UT’s lead with home runs in the second and third innings, upping their records to five on the season and finishing the contest 2-of-4 and 2-of-3, respectively.
After a slow start to the first inning, Milloy and Davis started the first half of the second with back-to-back homers to give the Lady Vols a 2-0 lead. With the help of an Ayala single, sophomore Madison Webber (2-for-3) was able to make it home to give the Lady Vols another run.
At the top of the third, Davis’ RBI single allowed Milloy to extend the lead again before Ayala followed the homer trend of the afternoon, blasting a three-run dinger to bring in Davis and freshman Rylie West (3-for-4), for West’s second score of the season. Heading into the top of the fourth with a 7-0 lead, Webber’s RBI single up the middle allowed for another score on the day for Milloy, before she hit a grand slam bomb in the following half to put the Lady Vols deep into run-rule territory and solidify the early finish.
Holding the Lady Camels to just three hits and one run on the day, sophomore Callie Turner finished game one with a 1.13 ERA and three strikeouts. An RBI single by redshirt sophomore Alexa Pagano late in the fifth was the only play that got in the way of Turner’s near shutout win.
Tennessee 8, Lamar 0
UT finished early in game 2 against Lamar after its bats heated up in the bottom of the fourth to bring four runs in for a 6-0 lead. The momentum carried over to the fifth frame and Rylie West bookended the day with a two-RBI walk-off triple to bring in Ally Shipman (2-for-3) and Josie Willingham.
After going down two in the final frame, Shipman extended play with a single through the left side. Webber (1-for-2) was hit by a pitch to get the walk-off run on base, before Willingham came in to pinch run.
West went 2-for-3 against the Cardinals and tallied the Lady Vols’ third three-bagger of the contest to tie the program single-game record. The high mark has only been met on five other occasions, most recently achieved on Feb. 16, 2013 at USF.
The Orange and White added 10 hits to the ledger, but were unable to go yard this time around. It’s just the third game for UT without a homerun this season.
Freshman pitcher Bailey McCachren was impressive in her fourth win of the season and only gave up two hits and walk. She retired one at the plate, but constructed a trio of the three up, three down innings in the first, third, and fifth frames.
Next Up
UT continues its road tournament with a doubleheader on Saturday that kicks off at 4 p.m. ET against host-team Texas A&M for a nonconference bout. The game will be broadcast on the SECN+. Game 2 will follow at 6:30 p.m., and will be a rematch with the Cardinals.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee basketball team returns from a week-long hiatus to take on Florida at home in its regular season final on Sunday afternoon. Tipoff from Thompson-Boling Arena is slated for Noon ET on ESPNU.
Fans can see Sunday’s game on ESPNU and online or on any mobile device through WatchESPN on the ESPN App. WatchESPN can be accessed online at espn.com/watch. Tom Hart and Jimmy Dykes will have the call.
Fans can also listen live on their local Vol Network affiliate to hear Bob Kesling and Bert Bertlekamp describing the action.
Last time out, Tennessee fell on the road to Auburn, 77-72, last Saturday afternoon. Tennessee was led by the freshman duo of Keon Johnson and Jaden Springer who combined for 43 of UT’s 77 points.
A win on Sunday would earn Tennessee a double bye in next week’s SEC Tournament in Nashville.
Up next, Tennessee heads to Nashville for the 2021 SEC Tournament. The date of the Vols first postseason contest will be determined following the result of Sunday’s game.
THE SERIES
• Tennessee leads the all-time series with Florida, 77-58, dating to 1927.
• The Vols hold a 48-16 edge when the series is contested in Knoxville.
• The Volunteers have won four of their last five games against Florida. Over those five games, neither team has reached 80 points.
• New Tennessee AD Danny White is the younger brother of Florida head coach Mike White.
• Tennessee sophomore Drew Pember and Florida sophomore Ques Glover were teammates at Knoxville’s Bearden High School and led the Bulldogs to the 2019 Class AAA state championship.
• Florida’s Samson Ruzhentsev is a 2020 graduate of Hamilton Heights Christian Academy in Chattanooga. Tennessee redshirt sophomore Uroš Plavšić also is a Hamilton Heights graduate (2018).
LAYUP LINES
• Tennessee will honor All-SEC forward John Fulkerson and reigning SEC Defensive Player of the Year Yves Pons Sunday during a pregame Senior Day ceremony.
• Pons is one of 10 finalists for the 2021 Naismith National Defensive Player of the Year.
• Victor Bailey Jr. has scored 77 points over the last four games (19.3 ppg) and has made 19 total 3-pointers during that span.
• The true freshman duo of Keon Johnson and Jaden Springer have accounted for 44.7 percent of Tennessee’s scoring over the last seven games.
• Springer has scored 20 or more points in five of the last seven games.
• Tennessee is the only team in the SEC with three players who have scored 27 or more points in a game this season—Jaden Springer (30), Victor Bailey Jr. (29) and Keon Johnson (27).
• Tennessee will finish the regular season with only 17 SEC games.
DEFENSE WINS
• According to KenPom, the Vols rank sixth in the NCAA in adjusted defensive efficiency, allowing only 88.2 points per 100 possessions. College teams typically average close to 70 possessions per game.
• Tennessee ranks 24th in the NCAA in scoring defense, allowing just 63.1 points per game.
• Only once this season has a Tennessee opponent scored 80 or more points. That was Georgia, in a game the Vols won, 89-81, on Feb. 10.
• The Vols are forcing 15.7 turnovers per game and converting those turnovers into 17.5 points per game.
• Tennessee has forced 16 of 23 opponents to turn the ball over on 20 percent or more of their possessions. The Vols are forcing opponents to turn it over 22.8 percent of the time this season.
• In SEC play, Tennessee has led the league in turnover margin all season (currently +2.6 per game).
ABOUT FLORIDA
• As the 2021 SEC Tournament approaches, Florida is in a very similar position to UT entering Sunday’s contest. Florida is currently 13-7 overall and 9-6 in league play, and much like Tennessee, the Gators are 3-3 in their last six games.
• Like he was entering the matchup between the programs back in January, sophomore guard Tre Mann has been the do-it-all performer for the Gators. He currently leads UF in scoring (15.8 ppg), rebounding (5.7 rpg) and assists (3.4 apg) and ranks second in steals with 1.5 per game. In SEC play, he is among the league leaders in all four categories as well, ranking 11th in scoring, 18th in rebounding, seventh in assists and 10th steals.
• Like Mann, junior forward Colin Castleton has been consistent in all areas of the floor for the Gators. He currently ranks second on the team in scoring (12.8 ppg) and rebounding (5.7 rpg) and leads the team in blocks, with 2.2 per game. In SEC play, Castleton has been even more efficient, ranking 16th in the SEC in points with 14.0 per contest while scoring in double digits in all but two SEC games and dropping 20-plus points four times.
• A more recent addition to the starting lineup, junior guard Tyree Appleby has emerged as a regular contributor entering Sunday’s game as the Gators’ third-leading scorer (10.9 ppg), He shares the team lead in assists with 3.4 helpers per game and holds the team lead in steals with 1.7 per game. Appleby also ranks seventh in the SEC in both steals and assists through 20 games.
• The University of Florida is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and traces its origins to 1853. The institution has operated continuously on its Gainesville campus since September of 1906.
LAST MEETING WITH FLORIDA
• Offensive struggles and a difficult night on the boards were too much for the sixth-ranked Tennessee basketball team to overcome as the Volunteers fell to Florida, 75-49, on Jan. 19, 2021, at Exactech Arena.
• Florida was impressive from the field, knocking down 31 of its 62 shot attempts. The Gators led in scoring by Noah Locke, who had 14.
• UT was led by senior John Fulkerson, who scored 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting, dished out a career-high-tying five assists and pulled in four rebounds.
• Vols freshman Keon Johnson replaced classmate Jaden Springer (ankle) in the starting lineup and finished the night with eight points, three assists and a pair of rebounds.
• Sophomore Santiago Vescovi added with seven points, three rebounds and a career-high-tying three steals.
• Florida held control for large portions of the opening half, out-rebounding the Vols 26-16 to take a 38-27 lead into halftime.
• Florida maintained control throughout the second half, stretching its lead to as many as 28 points and converting on more than 54 percent of its shot attempts in the second frame.
• The key stretch was an 11-0 run over three minutes of play in the middle stages of the half that pushed the Gators’ lead from 11 to 22 and helped cement the night’s final score line.
MEMORABLE VOL PERFORMANCES AGAINST GATORS
• The legendary Bernard King recorded the third-best scoring performance in school history with a 43-point, 20-rebound effort as the Vols topped the Gators 93-84 on January 17, 1976, in Stokely Athletics Center.
• During the 1983-84 season, Willie Burton averaged 16.7 points, 9.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists and shot .500 (17-of-34) from the floor against the Gators. UT was 3-0 vs. Florida that season.
• Dane Bradshaw’s breakaway layup with 20.1 seconds to play proved to be the winning basket as the Vols upset second-ranked Florida 80-76 in Knoxville on Jan. 21, 2006.
• The Vols upset fifth-ranked Florida, 86-76, on Senior Day in Knoxville behind Chris Lofton’s 21 points on Feb. 27, 2007. ESPN College GameDay broadcast live from Rocky Top, Peyton Manning addressed the Vols in the locker room before the game, and Pat Summitt donned cheerleader garb and led the sold-out crowd in a rendition of Rocky Top during a media timeout.
WHITE FAMILY CONNECTION ADDS NEW TWIST TO SERIES
• Tennessee Vice Chancellor/Director of Athletics Danny White is the younger brother of Florida head basketball coach Mike White.
• As Tennessee was playing at Florida earlier this season on the night of Jan. 19, Danny White was in the midst of discussions with UT Chancellor Donde Plowman about the Tennessee AD job. Two days later, on Jan. 21, it was announced that White had been named Tennessee’s new AD.
M. WHITE FACED VOLS AS A REBEL
• During his playing career at Ole Miss from 1995-99, current Florida coach Mike White went 1-3 against UT.
• White played in all four games, averaging 5.0 points and 1.5 rebounds while shooting .357 from the field and .625 from 3-point range (5-8).
• The Rebels’ lone win over the Vols during that span came during White’s sophomore season (1996-97), and his most productive scoring game vs. UT came when he was a freshman (eight points).
BATTLE FOR A BYE
• Sunday’s matchup could be a battle for the No. 4 seed and a first-round bye in next week’s SEC Tournament (if LSU wins at Missouri Saturday).
• A Tennessee win would give the Vols a .588 winning percentage in SEC play, which would top the Gators’ resulting mark of .563.
• Florida could jump to third in the final standings if the Gators defeat UT and LSU loses at Missouri.
SECOND TIME’S A CHARM
• Since 2018, Rick Barnes and his staff have guided the Volunteers to a 13-5 record in regular-season rematch games (SEC Tournament games not included).
For the second consecutive year, Tennessee basketball forward John Fulkerson has been named to the SEC Community Service Team.
The senior from Kingsport, Tennessee, is on pace to earn the Bronze Service Medallion, an honor given to University of Tennessee students who give at least 100 hours of their time back to their community.
Since the Fall of 2016, Fulkerson has primarily served at the Emerald Youth Foundation of Knoxville, the annual Hoops for Hope event and at East Tennessee Children’s Hospital. Through those efforts and more, Fulkerson has cultivated lasting relationships while making an impact far beyond the confines of Tennessee’s campus.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many outreach events transitioned to virtual platforms over the past year. Despite those challenges, Fulkerson has continued to find ways to pour into others, exemplifying the Volunteer Creed: One who beareth the torch, shadoweth oneself to give light to others.
Fulkerson has also been a member of Tennessee’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee for the past two years and helped facilitate and plan a number of virtual events in an effort to make a positive impact in the community.
On the court, UT’s fifth-year senior is the team’s fourth-leading scorer (9.3 ppg) and second-leading rebounder (5.7 rpg). His rebounding average ranks 20th in the SEC heading into Sunday’s regular-season finale against Florida at Thompson-Boling Arena (noon ET, ESPNU).
Fulkerson and fellow senior Yves Pons will be honored during Sunday’s pregame Senior Day ceremonies.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Mike Ekeler, who owns more than 15 years of Power Five coaching experience, has been tabbed as Tennessee’s outside linebackers coach and special teams coordinator, head coach Josh Heupel announced on Thursday.
Ekeler returns to the Southeastern Conference after coaching inside linebackers and special teams at Georgia from 2014-15, and he served on LSU’s 2007 SEC and national championship staff. He reunites with Heupel as the two served as graduate assistants together at Oklahoma in 2004. Ekeler spent two seasons on staff in Norman, with the Sooners reaching the BCS National Championship Game both years.
“Mike is one of the most engaging and charismatic leaders I know,” Heupel said. “The energy he will bring to our football team, in addition to his track record of guiding successful special teams and defensive units will enhance our program. We are excited to welcome Coach Ekeler and his family to our Tennessee football family and look forward to watching him make a difference in the lives of our student-athletes.”
The David City, Nebraska, native comes to Knoxville after spending the 2020 season as the special teams coordinator at North Texas.
In 2019, Ekeler was the special teams coordinator and inside linebackers coach at Kansas. He tutored Jayhawk punter Kyle Thompson to All-Big 12 honorable mention honors as he averaged 44.5 yards per punt with 17 punts going over 50 yards, including a long of 73. Meanwhile, freshman linebacker Gavin Potter was an honorable mention honoree for Big 12 Defensive Freshman of the Year, and Stephon Robinson earned All-Big 12 Third Team honors as a kick returner by Phil Steele.
Prior to his arrival at Kansas, Ekeler served as the linebackers coach at North Carolina for two seasons. In 2018, he coached Cole Holcomb, who led the ACC in tackles per game with 9.5. Holcomb was an All-ACC second-team selection and ranked second in the league in solo stops with 5.4 per contest. He was selected in the fifth round of the 2019 NFL Draft by the Washington Football Team.
In his first season in Chapel Hill, Ekeler tutored a veteran group that featured Holcomb along with Cayson Collins and Andre Smith. Collins, who was second on the team with 83 tackles, signed a free agent contract with the Miami Dolphins, while Smith was a 2018 NFL Draft seventh-round selection by the Carolina Panthers.
Ekeler went to UNC after serving as North Texas’ defensive coordinator and linebackers coach in 2016. In his first season at UNT, Ekeler oversaw a defense that held opponents to 8.7 points per game fewer than the previous year. That turnaround in scoring defense was the 13th-best mark in the country. He also oversaw a linebacking corps that included the team’s sack leader Joshua Wheeler (5.5).
Ekeler mentored numerous NFL Draft picks as the inside linebackers coach and defensive special teams coordinator at Georgia from 2014-15. In 2014, Georgia ranked 17th in the FBS in total defense (337.2) and was second in the SEC in passing defense (170.4). In 2015, the Bulldogs’ defense ranked seventh in the nation in total defense, allowing only 305.8 yards per game.
He coached four NFL Draft picks during his tenure, including first rounders Roquan Smith (2018) and Leonard Floyd (2016) and Ramik Wilson (2015 fourth round) and Amarlo Herrera (2015 sixth round).
Ekeler also coordinated the defensive special teams at Georgia as the punt return squad had six touchdown returns in two seasons. Prior to his arrival, the Bulldogs ranked 124th in the FBS in punt return average (2.92). Ekeler elevated Georgia 100 spots into the top 25 in that category in his first season as the Bulldogs averaged 10.48 yards per return. In his final season, that increased to 13.13 yards per return, which ranked 17th in the FBS. They also improved in kickoff return coverage under his watch, climbing 37 spots in the FBS rankings and allowing only 19.25 yards per return in 2014.
As linebackers coach at Southern Cal in 2013, Ekeler tutored Hayes Pullard, who was named to the All-Pac 12 Second Team. That year Pullard notched 60 tackles, 13.5 tackles for loss and nine sacks before being selected in the sixth round of the 2015 NFL Draft by the Cleveland Browns.
Before USC, Ekeler served as the linebackers coach and co-defensive coordinator at Indiana from 2011-12, and he spent three seasons as Nebraska’s linebackers coach (2008-10) under head coach Bo Pelini. During his three years in Lincoln, the Cornhuskers won or shared the Big 12 Conference North Division title every season and appeared in multiple Holiday Bowls and one Gator Bowl.
As Nebraska’s linebackers coach, he played a key role in developing some of the nation’s most successful defenses. In 2010, Nebraska was fifth nationally in pass defense (153.6), ninth in scoring defense (17.4) and 11th in total defense (306.8). In 2009, the Cornhuskers led the country in scoring defense (10.4) and pass efficiency defense, while ranking seventh in total defense (271.3) and eighth in rushing defense (92.43).
He coached Lavonte David, a 2010 and 2011 First-Team All-American, who set the school single-season tackles record and was a second round pick of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 2012 NFL Draft. Phillip Dillard (2010 fourth round), Cody Glenn (2009 fifth round), Eric Martin (2013 free agent) and Will Compton (2013 free agent) all reached the league under his watch. David is an All-Pro linebacker for Super Bowl LV champion Tampa Bay, and Compton was Washington’s defensive captain and now current Tennessee Titan.
Ekeler broke into the collegiate coaching ranks working as a graduate assistant and intern at LSU (2005-07) and Oklahoma (2003-04). Oklahoma played for the BCS title in both of Ekeler’s seasons in Norman, posting a two-year record of 24-3. While at LSU, the Tigers led the SEC in six defensive categories and ranked nationally in four in 2006. The 2007 LSU team finished 12-2 and won the SEC and BCS National Championship, marking the third time in five years that Ekeler had been part of a team playing for the BCS title.
Ekeler was a special teams standout and linebacker for Bill Snyder at Kansas State from 1991-94. A team captain as a senior, he earned National Special Teams Player of the Year in 1994 by George Michael Sports Machine, a popular national sports show at the time.
Ekeler earned his bachelor’s degree in social sciences from Kansas State in 1995. He and his wife, Barbie, have a son, J.J., and daughters Cameryn, Abigail and Bella.
THE EKELER FILE
PERSONAL INFORMATION
Born: Oct. 4, 1971 Hometown: David City, Nebraska Education: Kansas State, 1995 (bachelor’s in social science) Wife: Barbie Children: J.J., Cameryn, Abigail, Bella
COACHING HISTORY
1999-2001: Omaha (Nebraska) Skutt High School, Volunteer Coach
2002: Manhattan (Kansas) High School, Assistant Coach
2003-04: Oklahoma, Defensive Graduate Assistant
2005-06: LSU, Defensive Graduate Assistant
2007: LSU, Defensive Intern
2008-10: Nebraska, Linebackers
2011-12: Indiana: Co-Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers Coach
2013: Southern Cal, Linebackers
2014-15: Georgia, Inside Linebackers/Defensive Special Teams Coordinator
2016: North Texas, Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers
2017-18: North Carolina, Linebackers
2019: Kansas, Inside Linebackers/Special Teams Coordinator
2020: North Texas, Special Teams Coordinator
2021-present: Tennessee, Outside Linebackers/Special Teams Coordinator
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS (1)
2007 – LSU (Defensive Intern)
