KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – No. 16 Tennessee scored early and often en route to a 14-0 thrashing of Georgia Southern to complete the series sweep in front of 4,580 fans at Lindsey Nelson Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
The Vols have now opened each of the past four seasons with a series sweep and have outscored their opponents 106-16 over those 12 games. The Big Orange racked up 16 hits on Sunday, including eight for extra bases.
UT had contributors throughout the lineup, as 12 different players recorded a hit and 10 Vols drove in a run. Preseason All-American Jordan Beck led the way, going 3-for-3 with a run scored and a pair of RBIs.
Newcomer Seth Stephenson also had a big day at the plate with a pair of doubles and two runs scored. The Texas native batted .500 for the weekend with a homer, three RBIs and three stolen bases.
True freshman right hander Drew Beam got the start in his collegiate debut and gave the Vols three solid innings, allowing just one hit. Camden Sewell pitched two shutout innings in relief to earn his first win of the year.
Kirby Connell, Ben Joyce, Will Mabrey and Jake Fitzgibbons combined to pitch the final four innings to keep the shutout intact.
Parker Biederer, Noah Ledford and Noah Searcy each had a hit for the Eagles, who were held to just three knocks in the game.
The Vols are back in action with five home games next week, starting with a pair of midweek games on Tuesday against Tennessee Tech and Wednesday against UNC Asheville, tickets for both contests are on sale at AllVols.com. Both games will be streamed on the ESPN app and feature audio broadcasts on UTSports.com.
NOTABLE
Season-Opening Sweeps: Tennessee has now recorded a series sweep to open the season in four straight years. In those four sweeps (12 games), UT has outscored its opponents 106-16 after a 33-3 margin in this weekend’s series against the Eagles.
You Get Nothing and Like It: The Vols held Georgia Southern to just three hits on Sunday to secure their second shutout of the weekend. It took Tennessee 59 games to record two shutouts last season despite having one of the top team ERA’s in the country.
Series Attendance Record: Tennessee shattered its previous attendance record for a three-game series. The Vols total attendance for the weekend was 13,566, besting the previous mark of 11,280 vs. Florida in 1994.
Game 1: 4,335
Game 2: 4,651
Game 3: 4,580
Series Total: 13,566
-UT Athetics
