• Box Score (PDF)
• SEC Tournament Stats (PDF)
• SEC Tournament Bracket
• Postgame Press Conference
• Press Conference Transcript (PDF)
• Photo Gallery

Game Recap: Baseball | May 23, 2024

HOOVER, Ala. – No. 1/1 Tennessee rebounded from its opening-game loss at the SEC Tournament with a 7-4 victory over No. 3/4 Texas A&M in Thursday’s elimination game at the Hoover Met.

The Volunteers used a well-rounded effort from their pitchers and hitters as numerous individuals played key roles in the win over the Aggies (44-13).

Kavares Tears led the charge offensively with a big day at the dish, going 3-for-5 with a home run and game-high four RBIs. Leadoff man Christian Moore also finished with three hits, an RBI and a run scored as he and Tears combined for six of the team’s 10 total hits.

Veteran lefthander Chris Stamos got UT off to a solid start on the mound with a career-best 3.1 innings to open the game, holding the Aggies potent lineup to just one run on one hit while striking out three batters before handing the ball off to AJ Causey in the fourth inning.

The Alabama native put forth another strong relief effort for the Big Orange to pick up his SEC-leading 11^th victory of the year, scattering five hits and allowing two runs while racking up seven strikeouts in four innings of work.

After having its lead cut to one in the top of the sixth inning, Tears’ three-run opposite-field blast gave Tennessee some breathing room in the bottom of the seventh before senior catcher Cal Stark added a homer of his own in the bottom of the eighth to make it a 7-3 game heading into the ninth.

Texas A&M leadoff man and SEC Freshman of the Year Gavin Grahovac hit his second solo home run of the day in the top of the ninth to bring the Aggies within three, but that was as close as they would get as Kirby Connell struck out first-team All-SEC outfielder Braden Montgomery to end the game. 

Reliever Brock Peery was stuck with the loss despite not allowing a hit over 1.1 innings of action after walking three and allowing one run to score.

STAT OF THE GAME: By earning his 11^th win of the year, Causey moved into a tie for sixth in UT single-season history for victories, tying five other players including Chad Dallas, who reached the milestone most recently by doing so in 2021.

The junior righthander has now recorded a win in each of his last five appearances and has tallied seven or more strikeouts in six of his last seven outings.

UP NEXT: The Volunteers await the loser of Thursday’s final game between No. 5 seed Mississippi State and No. 8 seed Vanderbilt, who they’ll play in Friday’s nightcap at approximately 7:30 p.m. ET on the SEC Network. The winner of that contest will advance to Saturday’s semifinal round.

• Box Score (PDF)
• Postgame Press Conference
• Press Conference Transcript (PDF)
• Photo Gallery

Game Recap: Baseball | May 22, 2024

HOOVER, Ala. – No. 1/1 Tennessee didn’t open its 2024 SEC Tournament run the way it had hoped, falling to Vanderbilt, 13-4, at the Hoover Met on Wednesday evening.

The Volunteers were unable to overcome a tough night on the mound in which they used eight pitchers and gave up 15 hits, including four home runs.

UT (46-11) was only able to muster four runs on seven hits, three of which came on one swing from sophomore designated hitter Reese Chapman.

After the Vols struck first with an RBI double from Hunter Ensley in the bottom of the second inning, the Commodores quickly erased the deficit and jumped in front with a five-run third inning, scoring four of their five runs with two outs.

Following another Vanderbilt run in the top of the fourth to extend its lead to 6-1, Tennessee mounted a two-out rally in the bottom of the inning to get back in the game. A Kavares Tears single followed by a Dean Curley walk put two aboard for Chapman, who launched an 0-1 pitch over the right-field wall for a three-run homer to cut the deficit to two.

The Commodores (37-20) answered with a run in the top of the fifth and built their lead back up to five on a two-run homer by Alan Espinal in the top of the seventh, his second long ball of the game after hitting a three-run shot in the third inning. The senior catcher was the catalyst for Vandy’s attack, finishing with five RBIs on the day.

Jonathan Vastine put the exclamation point on the Dores’ win with a three-run homer of his own in the top of the eighth to make it 12-4.

On a positive note for the Vols, sophomore righthander AJ Russell made his return from injury by tossing a scoreless sixth inning despite having to work out of some trouble after allowing the first two batters to reach base. The Franklin, Tennessee, native struck out Vastine to strand runners on the corners to end the frame and finished with a pair of punchouts in the inning.

Nate Snead got the starting nod, his first as a Vol and just the second of his career, and got off to a great start with a pair of scoreless innings before running into trouble in the third. The Wisconsin native was stuck with the loss after allowing five runs on five hits in 2.2 innings.

Blake Burke was a bright spot for the offense, reaching base three times, drawing a walk and leading the team with a pair of base hits. Tears, Curley and Bradke Lohry also added singles for the Orange and White.

STAT OF THE GAME: With a shutout inning of relief, Kirby Connell extended his streak of scoreless appearances to nine. The veteran lefty did not allow a hit on Wednesday and has not surrendered a run since April 21 at Kentucky.

UP NEXT: The Vols will await the loser of Wednesday’s nightcap between No. 4 seed Texas A&M and No. 5 seed Mississippi State, who they’ll play in an elimination on Thursday afternoon at approximately 2 p.m. ET on the SEC Network.

CARY, N.C. – Tennessee was one of five schools with two players named 2024 Golden Spikes Award semifinalists, USA Baseball announced on Monday afternoon.

Juniors Christian Moore and Blake Burke were both among the 25 semifinalists for college baseball’s most prestigious award, which is presented annually to the top amateur baseball in the country.

Moore and Burke, who rank first and second in UT program history in career home runs with 54 and 46, respectively, are the fifth and sixth Vols to ever earn semifinalist status for the Golden Spikes Award, joining Kentrall Davis (2008), Nick Senzel (2016), Chase Burns (2022) and Trey Lipscomb (2022).  

Moore, who was also named a first-team All-SEC selection on Monday, won the SEC triple crown in league play, leading all players with a .429 batting average, 20 home runs and 41 RBIs in conference games. The junior second baseman ranks in the top-15 nationally in hits (11^th – 87), home runs (6^th – 27), slugging percentage (14^th – .808) and total bases (6^th – 181).

On top of becoming Tennessee’s career leader in home runs, Moore also set the program’s single-season record for homers, having sent 27 balls over the wall this season, besting the previous mark of 24 set by Sonny Cortez back in 1998. Entering postseason play, the New York native leads the team in most offensive categories, including batting average (.388), OPS (1.262), runs (64), hits, home runs, RBIs (60), total bases, slugging percentage and on-base percentage (.454).

Burke, who also garnered All-SEC acclaim on Monday, had a monster junior season that saw him become the program’s career leader in home runs before being passed by his teammate, Moore. The junior first baseman leads the SEC and ranks 10^th nationally with a career-high 23 doubles and has also set or tied career bests in batting average (.359), runs (56), hits (78), homers (16), RBIs (50) and stolen bases (eight). His 44 hits in SEC play ranked fourth in the league.

Burke also broke UT’s program record for the longest hitting streak, besting Condredge Holloway’s 1975 record of 27 straight games with a hit with a 31-game hit streak from March 1 through April 25 this season.

Of the nine conferences that were represented, the SEC led the way with nine players on the 25-man semifinalist list, followed by the ACC with seven.

Fan voting will again play a part in the Golden Spikes Award in 2024. Baseball fans can vote for their favorite players on GoldenSpikesAward.com, beginning today with the naming of the semifinalists. USA Baseball will announce the finalists for the award on June 5, and fan voting will once again open at GoldenSpikesAward.com before closing on June 21.

The 46th Golden Spikes Award will be presented on June 22 at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN ahead of Game 1 of the College World Series finals.

To view the full semifinalist list stay up to date on the 2024 Golden Spikes Award, visit GoldenSpikesAward.com and follow @USAGoldenSpikes on Instagram and Twitter/X.