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Junior Sluggers Soularie & Daniels Selected on Day 2 of MLB Draft

Posted on June 11, 2020

Alerick Soularie and Zach Daniels / Credit: UT Athletics

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee baseball had two more players selected on the second and final day of the 2020 Major League Baseball Draft on Thursday night.

Junior outfielder Alerick Soularie was the first UT player taken off the board on Thursday, going to the Minnesota Twins in the second round with the 59th overall pick. He was followed by fellow junior slugger Zach Daniels, who was taken with the final pick in the fourth round (131st overall) by the Houston Astros.

With its two picks on Thursday, Tennessee finished with three total players selected in the 2020 draft, extending its streak of multiple players being drafted to seven years. Junior left hander Garrett Crochet was selected with the No. 11 overall pick in the first round by the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday night. This year’s draft also marked the first time that UT had three players selected in the first four rounds since 2007 when J.P. Arencibia, Julio Borbón and James Adkins all went in the first round.

The SEC led all conferences with 26 total players selected in the 2020 draft, including nine in the first round on Wednesday, which also led all conferences.

Learn more about each of Tennessee’s Day 2 draft picks below.

Soularie was one of the most productive hitters in the Southeastern Conference as a sophomore in 2019. The Houston, Texas, native led the Vols in batting average (.357), slugging percentage (.602), on-base percentage (.466) and runs scored (52) while ranking second on the team in hits (70), home runs (11), runs batted in (46) and total bases (118), ranking him among the top five in the SEC in batting average, slugging percentage and on-base percentage.

After his breakout sophomore season, Soularie earned numerous postseason honors, including first team All-SEC recognition as well as All-America honors from D1Baseball.com and Perfect Game.

Despite a slow start in 2020, Soularie was hitting his groove entering SEC play before the season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. When the season was called, the preseason All-American led the team with five home runs and ranked second on the squad with 17 runs batted in. In UT’s final game of the season – a 17-5 victory over ETSU – Soularie had three hits, blasted a pair of homers and tied a career high with four RBI.

Soularie is the fifth Tennessee player to be selected by the Twins.

Daniels was in the midst of a breakout year in 2020 prior to the season being cut short. Despite playing just 17 games, Daniels had already set career highs in runs (20), hits (20), doubles (eight), RBI (18) and stolen bases (three).

The Stockbridge, Georgia, native was leading the team in batting average (.357), runs, doubles, RBI and slugging percentage (.750) before the season was canceled. Daniels was named the Round Rock Classic Most Valuable Player after helping lead the Big Orange to a perfect 3-0 weekend against some of the country’s top competition. In the Vols’ tournament opener against then No. 1 Texas Tech, Daniels went 2-for-4 with two runs and hit an inside-the-park home run to lead UT to a 6-2 victory.

During his three seasons on Rocky Top, Daniels combined to hit 13 home runs and drive in 44 runs. He also hit 11 doubles and scored 49 runs.

Daniels is the ninth Vol to be picked by the Astros.

-UT Athletics

Zach Daniels Selected in Fourth Round of MLB Draft by Houston Astros

Posted on June 11, 2020

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee junior slugger Zach Daniels was the third Vol selected in the 2020 MLB Draft after being chosen with the final pick of the fourth round (No. 131 overall) by the Houston Astros on Thursday night.

Daniels joins fellow juniors Garrett Crochet (first round) and Alerick Soularie (second round) as UT players selected, marking the first time since 2007 that Tennessee has had three players picked in the first four rounds of the same draft. Daniels is the ninth player in program history to be selected by Houston.

During his three seasons on Rocky Top, Daniels combined to hit 13 home runs and drive in 44 runs. He also hit 11 doubles and scored 49 runs.

The 2020 draft is currently airing on ESPN2. Follow @Vol_Baseball on Twitter and Instagram for the most up-to-date coverage on Tennessee’s drafted players.

-UT Athletics

Alerick Soularie Drafted in Second Round by Minnesota Twins

Posted on June 11, 2020

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee junior outfielder Alerick Soularie was the second Volunteer to be selected in the 2020 MLB Draft, going to the Minnesota Twins in the second round with the 59th overall pick.

After his breakout sophomore season, Soularie earned numerous postseason honors, including first team All-SEC recognition as well as All-America honors from D1Baseball.com and Perfect Game.

Soularie is the fifth Tennessee player to be selected by the Twins.

Soularie joins fellow junior Garrett Crochet as Tennessee players selected so far in this year’s draft. UT has now had multiple players selected in the MLB Draft in each of the past seven years.

The 2020 draft is currently airing on ESPN2. Follow @Vol_Baseball on Twitter and Instagram for the most up-to-date coverage on Tennessee’s drafted players.

Lady Antebellum Changes Name to “Lady A” [Read Their Full Statement]

Posted on June 11, 2020

The members of Lady Antebellum—Charles Kelley, Hillary Scott, and Dave Haywood—have changed the name of their group to Lady A in an effort to recognize “those suffering from spoken and unspoken injustices.”

The word “antebellum” comes from the Latin words “ante” (“before”) and “bellum” (“war”), which is a romanticized adjective commonly used to describe the period before the American Civil War.

Lady A’s name change comes after more than two weeks of social unrest—in an effort to address systematic racism and discrimination—following the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police officers on May 25.

Lady A issued a statement via Facebook, which you can read below.

Dear Fans,

As a band, we have strived for our music to be a refuge…inclusive of all. We’ve watched and listened more than ever these last few weeks, and our hearts have been stirred with conviction, our eyes opened wide to the injustices, inequality and biases Black women and men have always faced and continue to face everyday. Now, blindspots we didn’t even know existed have been revealed.

After much personal reflection, band discussion, prayer and many honest conversations with some of our closest Black friends and colleagues, we have decided to drop the word “antebellum” from our name and move forward as Lady A, the nickname our fans gave us almost from the start.

When we set out together almost 14 years ago, we named our band after the southern “antebellum” style home where we took our first photos. As musicians, it reminded us of all the music born in the south that influenced us…Southern Rock, Blues, R&B, Gospel and of course Country. But we are regretful and embarrassed to say that we did not take into account the associations that weigh down this word referring to the period of history before The Civil War, which includes slavery. We are deeply sorry for the hurt this has caused and for anyone who has felt unsafe, unseen or unvalued. Causing pain was never our hearts’ intention, but it doesn’t change the fact that indeed, it did just that. So today, we speak up and make a change. We hope you will dig in and join us.

We understand that many of you may ask the question “Why have you not made this change until now?” The answer is that we can make no excuse for our lateness to this realization. What we can do is acknowledge it, turn from it and take action.

We feel like we have been Awakened, but this is just one step. There are countless more that need to be taken. We want to do better. We are committed to examining our individual and collective impact and making the necessary changes to practice antiracism. We will continue to educate ourselves, have hard conversations and search the parts of our hearts that need pruning—to grow into better humans, better neighbors. Our next outward step will be a donation to the Equal Justice Initiative through LadyAID. Our prayer is that if we lead by example…with humility, love, empathy and action…we can be better allies to those suffering from spoken and unspoken injustices, while influencing our children and generations to come.

Love,

Lady A
Hillary, Charles & Dave

PS – This is a work in progress so thank you for being patient with us while we work to make these changes.

photo by Curtis Hilbun, AFF-USA.com

Seggern Named CoSIDA Academic All-American

Posted on June 11, 2020

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Returning senior middle infielder Chelsea Seggern was named to the CoSIDA Academic All-America Division I third team, the organization announced Thursday.

Despite the cancellation of spring competition during COVID-19, CoSIDA continued its sponsorship of the Academic All-America awards program. Student-athletes were selected based on career statistics.

A kinesiology major with a 3.89 GPA, Seggern hit a .403, seven doubles, which ranked 10th in the SEC, and five home runs. She led the Lady Vols with 17 RBIs and five dingers.

The Thrall, Texas native tied for fifth in the league after being pegged at the plate nine times and assisted in turning 14 of the team’s 17 double plays to lead the conference.

Seggern, who opted to extend her eligibility for the 2021 season, tied for 37th nationally with an .863 slugging percentage and ranked 18th in the country with a .560 OBP in 2020. She started all 23 games and led UT with 13 walks.

-UT Athletics

Billboard Country Airplay Chart Has All Kinds of Cool Streaks Right Now

Posted on June 11, 2020

Check out a few fun streaks from the Billboard Country Airplay chart.

Thomas Rhett’s recent single, “Beer Can’t Fix, became his 15th No. 1 hit on the Billboard Country Airplay chart in May. “Beer Can’t Fix” is Thomas Rhett’s ninth consecutive No. 1 single, the longest ACTIVE streak on the Airplay chart.

With his latest No. 1 single, “Does to Me,” Luke Combs is the first country artist in history whose FIRST eight singles have reached No. 1 on the Billboard Country Airplay chart.

Blake Shelton owns the Billboard Country Airplay chart ALL-TIME record for consecutive No. 1 singles with 17, starting with “Hillbilly Bone” in 2010 and ending with “Came Here to Forget” in 2016.

Billboard created the Airplay chart in 1990.

And if you really want your mind blown . . . Alabama scored 21 CONSECUTIVE No. 1 singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, starting with “Tennessee River” in 1980 and ending with “You’ve Got the Touch” in 1987.

photos by Tammie Arroyo, AFF-USA.com

Garrett Crochet Selected by Chicago White Sox with 11th Pick in 2020 MLB Draft

Posted on June 10, 2020

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee junior pitcher Garrett Crochet became the 17th player in program history to be drafted in the first round when he was selected with the 11th overall pick by the Chicago White Sox in the 2020 Major League Baseball Draft on Wednesday night.

Crochet is just the fifth UT pitcher to be selected in the first round (including compensatory picks and competitive balance rounds), joining James Atkins (2007), Luke Hochevar (2006), Wyatt Allen (2001) and R.A. Dickey (1996), and is the highest drafted Vol since Nick Senzel went No. 2 overall to the Cincinnati Reds in the 2016 draft. He is also the second-highest drafted pitcher in program history behind Hochevar, who went No. 1 overall in 2006.

Tennessee has now had at least one player selected in every MLB Draft for the past 37 years, dating back to 1984. Crochet is the eighth player from UT to be drafted by the White Sox and the first since Stephen McCray in the 16th round of the 2010 draft.

Crochet was tabbed a preseason All-American by Baseball America and Perfect Game prior to the 2020 season. Despite being limited to just one appearance during his junior campaign due to arm soreness and the season being cut short because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the big lefty jumped up draft boards with impressive showings with the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team last summer and a dominant fall in which he displayed an elite fastball that was consistently in the mid-90s and was clocked as high as 100 mph. He also showed improved command of his secondary pitches, specifically his slider and changeup.

As a sophomore in 2019, Crochet displayed his versatility, pitching in a variety of different roles and situations. The Ocean Springs, Mississippi, native made 18 appearances and six starts, starting the year in the bullpen before eventually moving into a weekend starting role during conference play. He finished third on the team with five victories and second on the squad with three saves. Crochet also ranked second on the team with 81 strikeouts in 65.0 innings pitched.

One of the most impressive moments of Crochet’s career came during the 2019 NCAA Chapel Hill Regional. Just a few weeks after suffering a broken jaw that required surgery and metal plates to be inserted, Crochet returned to make two appearances and pitch six total innings during the regional.

In his first appearance after breaking his jaw in the final regular-season series of the year, Crochet tossed 2.1 scoreless innings in relief to earn the win over UNC Wilmington, which was Tennessee’s first NCAA tournament victory since 2005. He also pitched 3.2 innings in UT’s victory over Liberty to help the Vols advance to the regional championship.

Crochet showed flashes of his potential during an up and down freshman season in which he made 16 appearances and started 11 games. He finished the year tied for second on the team with five victories and was also second on the team with 62 strikeouts, which ranks fifth in program history for strikeouts by a freshman in a single season.

Be sure to tune in for rounds 2-5, which are set to air Thursday on ESPN2 starting at 5 p.m. ET.

UT Athletics

Peyton Manning Honored With Historical Marker at Rose Bowl Stadium

Posted on June 10, 2020

Rose Bowl / Credit: Rose Bowl Legacy Foundation & UT Athletics

PASADENA, Calif. — Making his college football debut on the famous and historic Rose Bowl Stadium turf, Peyton Manning was formally introduced to the football world when he trotted onto the field in Pasadena as a true freshman at Tennessee playing against UCLA on September 3, 1994.

Made possible by a generous gift by Kevin G. Clifford to the Rose Bowl Legacy Foundation, a historical marker honoring Peyton Manning and his first-ever college football game is now located outside Tunnel 16, the same number he wore on his jersey while in Knoxville. The donation from Clifford, who is a long-time Rose Bowl Stadium seat holder and former Pasadena resident, also supports the core of Legacy’s mission, which is to preserve, protect and enhance the Rose Bowl Stadium as a National Historic Landmark.

“It has been a privilege to partner with the Rose Bowl Stadium team to recognize our great friend, Peyton,” said Clifford about the project. “The Rose Bowl and Peyton are two American icons now joined together to honor America’s Stadium and all that is great about College Football!”

Beginning in 2017 with the dedication of the Jackie Robinson football statue in front of its main entrance, the Legacy Foundation has continued adding significant heritage projects around the venue’s property due to key donations from its support base. Other completed statues include the 1999 Team USA Women’s World Cup Championship Team and Keith Jackson, both dedicated in 2019. In 2017, the venue’s original locker room was saved and currently serves as a museum-like space recognizing the history of the National Historic Landmark.

Last year, with significant help in its planning from Pasadena Heritage, Legacy began raising funds to place historical markers around the venue to highlight some of its key moments. Manning’s marker is the second on the property thus far (Myron Hunt at Gate A). The Legacy Foundation hopes to add more historical markers to educate its visitors about past events and contributors to the Stadium’s sports and entertainment timeline. Some markers include UCLA’s ‘Gutty Little Bruins’, UCLA’s 1982 move to the Rose Bowl, Michigan Coach Bo Schembechler, Grambling Coach Eddie Robinson, the Ivy League, Brown University star Fritz Pollard, Notre Dame’s Knute Rockne, Stanford’s Pop Warner, and several more.

On that sunny September Pasadena day in 1994, legendary college football broadcaster, Keith Jackson, welcomed Peyton Manning to the field by telling fans to, “get used to it.” College football fans certainly got used to Peyton, and so did the record books. Manning checked into the game after an injury to the Vols’ starting quarterback, leading Tennessee for one drive and handing the ball off three times. Two weeks later, Manning completed his first collegiate pass against Florida. He was named the UT starting quarterback by mid-season and he never looked back.

Peyton competed in the Rose Bowl Stadium a second time in 1997 in a regular season shootout against UCLA All-American and new College Football Hall of Famer, Cade McNown. Tennessee won a tight one against the Bruins by a score of 30-24.

“You never forget your first time going into the huddle with the starters in a college game and it was an honor for me to have played my first college game in the Rose Bowl,” said Manning. “It’s a memory that will never be taken away from me. I was aware of the history of the venue going into the game and I’m proud to be a small part of that history.”

Over the next two-plus decades, fans from Knoxville to Indianapolis to Denver and all around the world enjoyed Peyton’s talents on the football field and fans in all of those communities and beyond benefited from his generosity away from it.

Clifford is also a Board of Directors member of the prestigious National Football Foundation, which has a mission to promote and develop the power of amateur football in developing the qualities of leadership, sportsmanship, competitive zeal and the drive for academic excellence in America’s young people. The Wabash (IN) graduate spent over 37 years as one of the key leaders of Capital Group and its management committee, serving as the CEO of American Funds Distributors.

“Thank you to Kevin for his special commitment to the future of America’s Stadium and his willingness to recognize such a key part of our iconic timeline in Peyton,” said chief development officer Dedan Brozino. “So many sports and entertainment careers have crossed paths with the Rose Bowl during its lifetime and it is special for us to recognize the first college game of one of the all-time greats to ever play the quarterback position.”

About the Rose Bowl Legacy Foundation
Formed in 2010, the Rose Bowl Legacy Foundation is a 501©3, tax-exempt organization whose primary goal is to financially ensure the protection, preservation and enhancement of the future of the Stadium as a National Historic Landmark. The Foundation has established funding for key capital improvement initiatives, educational programming and heritage protection due to the generosity of supporters from around the world who are invested in its premier future.

About the Rose Bowl Stadium
The Rose Bowl Stadium is the proud home of the Tournament of Roses’ Rose Bowl Game, UCLA Bruins football, AmericaFest Fourth of July Celebration, concerts including Kenny Chesney, Coldplay, Taylor Swift and U2, international and Premier League soccer matches and the World’s Largest Flea Market.

A National Historic Landmark built in 1922 and known around the world, the Rose Bowl Stadium has earned its world class reputation by hosting five NFL Super Bowl games, the 1984 Olympic Soccer matches, the 1994 Men’s World Cup, the 1999 Women’s World Cup, four BCS National College Football Championship Games and the College Football Playoff Semi-Final game.

-UT Athletics via Rose Bowl Legacy Foundation

2020 SEC Football Media Days to be conducted in virtual format

Posted on June 10, 2020

Jarrett Guarantano / Credit: 99.1 The Sports Animal

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama – The Southeastern Conference will hold its first-ever virtual football media days in 2020, the Conference announced Wednesday.

SEC Football Media Days was scheduled to be held in Atlanta, July 13-16, at the College Football Hall of Fame and Omni Atlanta Hotel.

“Conducting football media days in a virtual format will provide us the opportunity to manage the event in a healthy manner as we continue to be impacted by COVID-19, and will provide flexibility for our programs to adjust their preparation for the 2020 football season according to the preseason calendar that is expected to be expanded due to the cancellation of the spring football season,” said SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey. “We look forward to returning to our traditional media days format in 2021.”

The virtual event will feature Sankey’s annual “State of the SEC” address, as well as media sessions with the conference’s 14 head coaches and select student-athletes from each school. The SEC is in planning with the SEC Network to provide wall-to-wall coverage of the virtual event.

The dates and times for SEC Virtual Football Media Days have not been announced at this time.

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Miranda Lambert Scores First Solo Top 10 Hit in Six Years With “Bluebird”

Posted on June 10, 2020

The most decorated artist in the history of the ACM Awards—Miranda Lambert—scored her first solo Top 10 hit in six years with “Bluebird.”

The tune, which Miranda co-wrote with Luke Dick and Natalie Hemby, is No. 10 on the Billboard Country Airplay chart. The last time Miranda had a solo Top 10 hit was with “Automatic,” which reached No. 3 in June 2014.

Miranda’s duet with Carrie Underwood, “Somethin’ Bad,” reached No. 7 in October 2014, while Jason Aldean’s “Drowns the Whiskey,” which featured Miranda, hit the top of the chart in August 2018.

“Bluebird” is featured on Miranda’s seventh studio album, Wildcard.

“This song is special,” says Miranda. “It’s got this hope to it. It’s got a darkness too, though, but it’s also hopeful. Life is going to give you lemons, period. If there wasn’t problems then we wouldn’t appreciate the great days, but going through those things and overcoming problems—whatever they are—makes us strong and appreciate the sun. You know, it’s like ten straight days of rain and then the sun comes out and you’re like, ‘I forgot how much I loved it.’ Since we wrote ‘Bluebird,’ I’ve been seeing bluebirds everywhere. And the bluebirds have been there, but I never saw them like I see them now. It kinda reminds me to open my eyes to what’s around me.”

photo by NCD