NO SIR EEE
The Sultan Of Swat
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Samford Bulldogs (3-1) Overall (0-0) SOCON
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Tennessee Volunteers (4-0) Overall (0-0) SEC
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – No. 2/4 Tennessee will look to keep its hot start going with another home series against Samford this weekend at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.
This weekend will be a step up in competition as the Bulldogs have consistently been one of the best mid-major programs in college baseball over the past decade, having won six Southern Conference titles, including five since 2018.
Lindsey Nelson Stadium is undergoing extensive renovations that will make it one of the best college baseball stadiums in the nation upon completion. Renovations will be ongoing throughout the season, so be sure to be on the lookout for updated information throughout the course of the year when it comes to seating, stadium entry, parking, etc.
Fans are encouraged to check the Tennessee Baseball Gameday Central page prior to each game for the most updated info in regards to parking, stadium policies, stadium entry points and more.
Updates for this weekend's series, including general stadium info, new section numbers, stadium entry information, parking info and more can be seen HERE.
Fans can also listen to the Voice of Tennessee Baseball John Wilkerson and Vince Ferrara call the action via a free audio stream on UTSports.com, the Tennessee Athletics Mobile App and the Varsity App.
UT: LHP Liam Doyle (1 GS, 1-0, 0.00 ERA)
SU: LHP Miller Riggins (1 GS, 1-0, 3.60 ERA)
Game 2 – Saturday (2 pm)
UT: RHP Marcus Phillips (1 GS, 0-0, 0.00 ERA)
SU: RHP Cameron Keshock (1 GS, 0-0, 6.00 ERA)
Game 3 – Sunday (1 pm)
UT: TBD
SU: RHP Josh Leerssen (1 GS, 0-0, 0.00 ERA)
Overall: 0-0
in Knoxville: 0-0
in Birmingham: 0-0
at Neutral Sites: 0-0
Last Meeting: N/A
Friday's series opener between Tennessee and Samford will be the first official meeting between the two programs. The Vols and Bulldogs did square off in a fall exhibition game on Nov. 5, 2023 in Nashville.
The Vols have dominated in all facets over their first four games, outscoring their opponents 75-6. UT outscored Hofstra 46-2 during its season-opening series last weekend. Tennessee's 46 runs were its most in a series since plating 68 in a sweep of Iona in 2022 and its most in a season-opening series since outscoring Morehead State 54-1 over three games in 2004.
In Tuesday's midweek win over UNC Asheville, Tennessee homered five times and drew 22 walks in a 29-4 rout of the Bulldogs, tying the single-game record for runs scored during the Tony Vitello era.
Freshmen Showing Out
Tennessee's top-ranked true freshman class hasn't wasted any time showing why it was ranked No. 1 in the nation by Perfect Game for 2024.
The trio of Jay Abernathy (.750), Levi Clark (.714) and Manny Marin (.600) have the three highest batting averages on the team entering this weekend while Chris Newstrom isn't far behind (.400). That foursome has combined for 16 runs scored, 13 hits and 15 RBIs through four games this season. Entering this weekend's series, a true freshman leads the team in seven major offensive categories including RBIs (Clark - 8), slugging percentage (Clark - 1.429), on-base percentage Abernathy (.778) and stolen bases (Abernathy - 4).
On the mound, RHP Nic Abraham and RHP Brayden Krenzel both posted scoreless outings in their collegiate debuts during Tuesday's win over UNC Asheville while highly touted RHP Tegan Kuhns has yet to make his debut after dealing with the flu but has the ability to be a major contributor on this year's staff.
Non-Conference Dominance
Tennessee has been extremely hard to beat in non-conference play during Vitello's tenure. Since the start of the 2019 season, the Vols are 124-23 in non-conference play. UT went 32-3 against non-SEC foes during the 2024 season, including an 8-1 mark in the postseason.
The Big Orange have not lost a regular-season non-conference weekend series since 2020 (Wright State) and have swept 12 of their 14 regular-season non-conference weekend series since 2020. Tennessee is also 65-10 in midweek games under Vitello, as well.
Decade of the Vols
Since the start of the 2020 season, no team in college baseball has won more games and posted a higher winning percentage than Tennessee. UT's 230 victories and .782 winning percentage both rank No. 1 in the nation over the past five seasons.
NCAA Division I Leaders by Winning Pct (Since 2020)
1. Tennessee - .782 (230-64)
2. Arkansas - .731 (198-73)
3. UC Santa Barbara - .717 (180-71)
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Tennessee Volunteers (4-0) Overall (0-0) SEC
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – No. 2/4 Tennessee will look to keep its hot start going with another home series against Samford this weekend at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.
This weekend will be a step up in competition as the Bulldogs have consistently been one of the best mid-major programs in college baseball over the past decade, having won six Southern Conference titles, including five since 2018.
IMPORTANT GAMEDAY INFO & REMINDERS
Start times for games one and two of this weekend's series have been moved up to 2 p.m. ET due to expected low temperatures. Due to the early start time on Friday, gates will not open until 1 p.m. instead of the normal 90 minutes prior to first pitch.Lindsey Nelson Stadium is undergoing extensive renovations that will make it one of the best college baseball stadiums in the nation upon completion. Renovations will be ongoing throughout the season, so be sure to be on the lookout for updated information throughout the course of the year when it comes to seating, stadium entry, parking, etc.
Fans are encouraged to check the Tennessee Baseball Gameday Central page prior to each game for the most updated info in regards to parking, stadium policies, stadium entry points and more.
Updates for this weekend's series, including general stadium info, new section numbers, stadium entry information, parking info and more can be seen HERE.
TICKET INFORMATION
Limited single-game tickets for non-conference home games can be purchased through AllVols.com.BROADCAST INFO
All three games of UT's season-opening series against the Pride can be streamed live on SEC Network+ and the ESPN app. Andy Brock will handle play-by-play duties while VFL Cody Hawn will serve as the analyst for Saturday and Sunday's contests.Fans can also listen to the Voice of Tennessee Baseball John Wilkerson and Vince Ferrara call the action via a free audio stream on UTSports.com, the Tennessee Athletics Mobile App and the Varsity App.
PROJECTED STARTING PITCHERS
Game 1 – Friday (2 pm)UT: LHP Liam Doyle (1 GS, 1-0, 0.00 ERA)
SU: LHP Miller Riggins (1 GS, 1-0, 3.60 ERA)
Game 2 – Saturday (2 pm)
UT: RHP Marcus Phillips (1 GS, 0-0, 0.00 ERA)
SU: RHP Cameron Keshock (1 GS, 0-0, 6.00 ERA)
Game 3 – Sunday (1 pm)
UT: TBD
SU: RHP Josh Leerssen (1 GS, 0-0, 0.00 ERA)
SERIES HISTORY
Vols vs. SamfordOverall: 0-0
in Knoxville: 0-0
in Birmingham: 0-0
at Neutral Sites: 0-0
Last Meeting: N/A
Friday's series opener between Tennessee and Samford will be the first official meeting between the two programs. The Vols and Bulldogs did square off in a fall exhibition game on Nov. 5, 2023 in Nashville.
NOTABLE
Dominant Start to 2025The Vols have dominated in all facets over their first four games, outscoring their opponents 75-6. UT outscored Hofstra 46-2 during its season-opening series last weekend. Tennessee's 46 runs were its most in a series since plating 68 in a sweep of Iona in 2022 and its most in a season-opening series since outscoring Morehead State 54-1 over three games in 2004.
In Tuesday's midweek win over UNC Asheville, Tennessee homered five times and drew 22 walks in a 29-4 rout of the Bulldogs, tying the single-game record for runs scored during the Tony Vitello era.
Freshmen Showing Out
Tennessee's top-ranked true freshman class hasn't wasted any time showing why it was ranked No. 1 in the nation by Perfect Game for 2024.
The trio of Jay Abernathy (.750), Levi Clark (.714) and Manny Marin (.600) have the three highest batting averages on the team entering this weekend while Chris Newstrom isn't far behind (.400). That foursome has combined for 16 runs scored, 13 hits and 15 RBIs through four games this season. Entering this weekend's series, a true freshman leads the team in seven major offensive categories including RBIs (Clark - 8), slugging percentage (Clark - 1.429), on-base percentage Abernathy (.778) and stolen bases (Abernathy - 4).
On the mound, RHP Nic Abraham and RHP Brayden Krenzel both posted scoreless outings in their collegiate debuts during Tuesday's win over UNC Asheville while highly touted RHP Tegan Kuhns has yet to make his debut after dealing with the flu but has the ability to be a major contributor on this year's staff.
Non-Conference Dominance
Tennessee has been extremely hard to beat in non-conference play during Vitello's tenure. Since the start of the 2019 season, the Vols are 124-23 in non-conference play. UT went 32-3 against non-SEC foes during the 2024 season, including an 8-1 mark in the postseason.
The Big Orange have not lost a regular-season non-conference weekend series since 2020 (Wright State) and have swept 12 of their 14 regular-season non-conference weekend series since 2020. Tennessee is also 65-10 in midweek games under Vitello, as well.
Decade of the Vols
Since the start of the 2020 season, no team in college baseball has won more games and posted a higher winning percentage than Tennessee. UT's 230 victories and .782 winning percentage both rank No. 1 in the nation over the past five seasons.
NCAA Division I Leaders by Winning Pct (Since 2020)
1. Tennessee - .782 (230-64)
2. Arkansas - .731 (198-73)
3. UC Santa Barbara - .717 (180-71)
OPPONENT SCOUT
Samford Bulldogs (3-1)- 2024 Record: 36-22 (14-7 SoCON)
- 2024 Postseason: N/A
- 2025 SoCON Preseason Poll: 2nd
- Head Coach: Tony David
- Overall Record: 104-77 (11th year)
- Record at Samford: Same
- Preseason All-Conference Selections (3):
- SP Miller Riggins
- RP Evan Stockmesser
- 2B Jeffrey Ince
ON DECK
The Big Orange wrap up their season-opening eight-game homestand with a midweek tilt against North Alabama next Tuesday before leaving Knoxville for the first time this year for the 2025 Astros Foundation College Classic in Houston next weekend.
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