Baseball Preview: #10 Vols Open SEC Play with Trip to Georgia

Vols Baseball / Credit: UT Athletics

Baseball Preview: #10 Vols Open SEC Play with Trip to Georgia

Posted on March 19, 2021
Vols Baseball / Credit: UT Athletics

ATHENS, Ga. – Fresh off a walk-off win over in-state rival ETSU, No. 10 Tennessee enters conference play on a high note as the Volunteers head south to take on the Georgia Bulldogs this weekend in Athens.

The Big Orange have won four straight entering their SEC opening series while the Bulldogs have won six in a row coming into the matchup between SEC East rivals. The Vols and Dawgs open their three-game series on Friday at 6 p.m.

BROADCAST INFO

All three games between Tennessee and Georgia will be streamed live on SEC Network Plus and the ESPN app with Matt Stewart and Jason Jacobs on the call.

Fans can also listen live as the Voice of Tennessee Baseball John Wilkerson calls the action on the UT Gameday App and UTSports.com. Friday’s series opener will also be broadcast on the Vol Network (FM 99.1 / AM 990) following the conclusion of the men’s basketball game against Oregon State. Radio broadcasts for Saturday and Sunday’s contests will depend on men’s and women’s basketball coverage.

PROJECTED STARTING PITCHERS

Game 1: RHP Chad Dallas (2-0) vs. LHP Luke Wagner (3-0)
Game 2: LHP Will Heflin (2-1) vs. LHP Ryan Webb (2-0)
Game 3: RHP Blade Tidwell (2-1) vs. RHP Jonathan Cannon (1-0)

SERIES HISTORY

Overall: Georgia leads, 120-119
In Knoxville: UT leads, 66-51
In Athens: UGA leads, 69-50
Neutral Sites: UT leads, 3-0
Last Meeting: L, 7-1 (April 13, 2019)

Georgia leads the all-time series by the slimmest of margins with a 120-119 record against UT. The Vols are 3-3 in their last six games played in Athens.

NOTABLE

One More for 100
Tennessee head coach Tony Vitello needs just one more victory to earn his 100th career win. If Vitello is able to secure that victory in the Vols’ next 10 games, he would become the fastest head coach in program history to reach 100 wins, eclipsing Rod Delmonico (1990-2007), who did it in 163 games.

Bats Come Alive
After some early-season inconsistencies at the plate, Tennessee seems to have found its stroke heading into conference play. The Vols have scored nine or more runs in their previous three games and have recorded double-digit hits in three of their last four.

UT 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.

Vols in the Top 10
Tennessee is ranked No. 10 in the USA Today Coaches’ Top 25, marking its first appearance in the top 10 of any poll since March 13, 2006 when the Vols were ranked as high as No. 5 by Baseball America. UT is ranked in the Top 25 in five of the six major college baseball polls this week: USA Today (No. 10), NCBWA (No. 11), D1Baseball.com (No. 13), Baseball America (No. 18), Perfect Game (No. 19).

Walk-Off Wins
The Vols recorded their second walk-off win on Tuesday night vs. ETSU. Sophomore outfielder Jordan Beck hit a three-run homer in the bottom of the 10th to give UT a 9-6 win. It was his second home run of the night after also hitting a solo shot in the second.

The walk-off homer was the first for the Vols since April 25, 2010 in a 4-2 win vs. Vanderbilt, when VFL Blake Forsythe hit a two-run homer in the 11th inning. Tennessee’s other walk-off win this season came against Indiana State on Feb. 28. Luc Lipcius scored on a throwing error in the 11th to give the Vols a 6-5 win over the Sycamores.

Walsh’s Impressive Streak Continues
Redshirt senior closer Redmond Walsh has not allowed an earned run in his last 13 appearances, a total of 27.0 innings pitched. The last earned run Walsh allowed was against Liberty on June 2, 2019 in the NCAA Chapel Hill Regional. He also leads all active pitchers in NCAA Division I baseball with a 1.13 career earned run average.

The Louisville, Tennessee, native struck out five of the six batters he faced in 1.2 shutout innings to record his third save of the season last Friday against UNCG, 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.

OPPONENT SCOUT

Georgia Bulldogs

  • 2021 Record: 13-3 (0-0 SEC)
  • 2019 Postseason: NCAA Athens Regional
  • Head Coach: Scott Stricklin (8th season) // Led Georgia to top eight national seeds in the past two NCAA Tournaments (2018 & 2019).
  • Georgia was picked to finish fifth in the SEC Eastern Division in the preseason coaches’ poll.
  • The Bulldogs enter the series on a six-game winning streak after sweeping Lipscomb at home last weekend and are ranked No. 7 in the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper Poll.
  • Georgia has been strong offensively and, on the mound, so far this season, ranking fourth in the SEC with a .300 team batting average and second in the league with a 2.35 team ERA.
  • Connor Tate leads the Dawgs with a .410 batting average and 11 runs scored while Corey Collins leads the team with four homers and 16 RBI.
  • LHP Noah Webb has been one of the top weekend starters in the SEC. He has yet to allow a run in three starts and boasts a 2-0 record with 19 strikeouts in 12.2 innings pitched.

ON DECK

The Vols kick off a five-game homestand next Tuesday night against Eastern Kentucky at 6:30 p.m. The game will be streamed live on SEC Network Plus and the ESPN app.

-UT Athletics

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Baseball Preview: #10 Vols Open SEC Play with Trip to Georgia

Vols Baseball / Credit: UT Athletics

Baseball Preview: #10 Vols Open SEC Play with Trip to Georgia

Posted on March 19, 2021 by Vince Ferrara • 0 Comments
Vols Baseball / Credit: UT Athletics

ATHENS, Ga. – Fresh off a walk-off win over in-state rival ETSU, No. 10 Tennessee enters conference play on a high note as the Volunteers head south to take on the Georgia Bulldogs this weekend in Athens.

The Big Orange have won four straight entering their SEC opening series while the Bulldogs have won six in a row coming into the matchup between SEC East rivals. The Vols and Dawgs open their three-game series on Friday at 6 p.m.

BROADCAST INFO

All three games between Tennessee and Georgia will be streamed live on SEC Network Plus and the ESPN app with Matt Stewart and Jason Jacobs on the call.

Fans can also listen live as the Voice of Tennessee Baseball John Wilkerson calls the action on the UT Gameday App and UTSports.com. Friday’s series opener will also be broadcast on the Vol Network (FM 99.1 / AM 990) following the conclusion of the men’s basketball game against Oregon State. Radio broadcasts for Saturday and Sunday’s contests will depend on men’s and women’s basketball coverage.

PROJECTED STARTING PITCHERS

Game 1: RHP Chad Dallas (2-0) vs. LHP Luke Wagner (3-0)
Game 2: LHP Will Heflin (2-1) vs. LHP Ryan Webb (2-0)
Game 3: RHP Blade Tidwell (2-1) vs. RHP Jonathan Cannon (1-0)

SERIES HISTORY

Overall: Georgia leads, 120-119
In Knoxville: UT leads, 66-51
In Athens: UGA leads, 69-50
Neutral Sites: UT leads, 3-0
Last Meeting: L, 7-1 (April 13, 2019)

Georgia leads the all-time series by the slimmest of margins with a 120-119 record against UT. The Vols are 3-3 in their last six games played in Athens.

NOTABLE

One More for 100
Tennessee head coach Tony Vitello needs just one more victory to earn his 100th career win. If Vitello is able to secure that victory in the Vols’ next 10 games, he would become the fastest head coach in program history to reach 100 wins, eclipsing Rod Delmonico (1990-2007), who did it in 163 games.

Bats Come Alive
After some early-season inconsistencies at the plate, Tennessee seems to have found its stroke heading into conference play. The Vols have scored nine or more runs in their previous three games and have recorded double-digit hits in three of their last four.

UT 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.

Vols in the Top 10
Tennessee is ranked No. 10 in the USA Today Coaches’ Top 25, marking its first appearance in the top 10 of any poll since March 13, 2006 when the Vols were ranked as high as No. 5 by Baseball America. UT is ranked in the Top 25 in five of the six major college baseball polls this week: USA Today (No. 10), NCBWA (No. 11), D1Baseball.com (No. 13), Baseball America (No. 18), Perfect Game (No. 19).

Walk-Off Wins
The Vols recorded their second walk-off win on Tuesday night vs. ETSU. Sophomore outfielder Jordan Beck hit a three-run homer in the bottom of the 10th to give UT a 9-6 win. It was his second home run of the night after also hitting a solo shot in the second.

The walk-off homer was the first for the Vols since April 25, 2010 in a 4-2 win vs. Vanderbilt, when VFL Blake Forsythe hit a two-run homer in the 11th inning. Tennessee’s other walk-off win this season came against Indiana State on Feb. 28. Luc Lipcius scored on a throwing error in the 11th to give the Vols a 6-5 win over the Sycamores.

Walsh’s Impressive Streak Continues
Redshirt senior closer Redmond Walsh has not allowed an earned run in his last 13 appearances, a total of 27.0 innings pitched. The last earned run Walsh allowed was against Liberty on June 2, 2019 in the NCAA Chapel Hill Regional. He also leads all active pitchers in NCAA Division I baseball with a 1.13 career earned run average.

The Louisville, Tennessee, native struck out five of the six batters he faced in 1.2 shutout innings to record his third save of the season last Friday against UNCG, 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.

OPPONENT SCOUT

Georgia Bulldogs

  • 2021 Record: 13-3 (0-0 SEC)
  • 2019 Postseason: NCAA Athens Regional
  • Head Coach: Scott Stricklin (8th season) // Led Georgia to top eight national seeds in the past two NCAA Tournaments (2018 & 2019).
  • Georgia was picked to finish fifth in the SEC Eastern Division in the preseason coaches’ poll.
  • The Bulldogs enter the series on a six-game winning streak after sweeping Lipscomb at home last weekend and are ranked No. 7 in the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper Poll.
  • Georgia has been strong offensively and, on the mound, so far this season, ranking fourth in the SEC with a .300 team batting average and second in the league with a 2.35 team ERA.
  • Connor Tate leads the Dawgs with a .410 batting average and 11 runs scored while Corey Collins leads the team with four homers and 16 RBI.
  • LHP Noah Webb has been one of the top weekend starters in the SEC. He has yet to allow a run in three starts and boasts a 2-0 record with 19 strikeouts in 12.2 innings pitched.

ON DECK

The Vols kick off a five-game homestand next Tuesday night against Eastern Kentucky at 6:30 p.m. The game will be streamed live on SEC Network Plus and the ESPN app.

-UT Athletics