Tennessee baseball dropped its series opener against Ole Miss, 7-4, on Friday night at Lindsey Nelson Stadium. The Vols bats were quiet and could not find enough to overcome a mid game deficit.

Following the game, Tennessee head coach Josh Elander discussed Landon Mack’s start, young bullpen arms impressing and much more. Here’s everything Elander said.

More From RTI: Tennessee Baseball Moves Up First Pitch Time For Saturday Game Against Ole Miss

On what went sideways for Landon Mack

“I just thought some of the big fellas didn’t miss some pitches. Those balls were both really touched. The one that was hit to right center, and I think it was Mr. Utermark after the fact. And had them kind of in between early but they landed on a few right there. Again, competing over the white, we’ll take it. But they were able to scatter some hits around it. You have some free passes here and there that we don’t need to give up. And just credit to Mississippi’s hitters because they landed on those pretty good.”

On what Ole Miss starter Hunter Elliott did well

“Just being a crafty vet. I mean, he was throwing some change ups. His slider-cutter was kind of blending tonight. Sometimes it had 11 inches horizontal, sometimes eight. Three almost backing up a little bit. But that’s a guy that knows how to pitch in this league. There’s a reason he throws on Friday night for that club, and we had two chances to get him. We punch out one time and hit into a double play the other. And I’ve always told the offense, these guys know on Friday night, you usually have one chance to get that guy, and if you don’t get him, you’re going to be in trouble (and) playing from behind the whole time. But credit to him. He did a good job of getting all the way through six, but then good job by our crew to kind of punch back and get (Walker) Hooks in the game. It’s a guy they have a lot of confidence in, and they’re going to have to bring him back at some point. So that was the one positive down there late.”

On young bullpen arms throwing well

“It was really good. I mean, I’ve continued to challenge those guys. We want to be able to kind of mix and match and have some options there. I thought Abraham did a really good job against the middle of the meat of the order. And then Chandler Day, just to see him pitch with emotion. And it was really cool. I mean, those three come in and punch out three guys. It was really, really good with the different look that he brings. And then Will Haas, I was really excited about. 93 (mph) and really running that heater. Completely different look from Chandler Day. So he’s a guy that I said on the radio a minute ago— we didn’t ever know if he was going to show up as well as he was thrown down the stretch (of his high school career). Gets hurt and ends up making it to campus, but he seems to continue to get better and better as he gets further away from being cleared. And that is definitely a big positive from the end of tonight, is having those two lefties, how they threw the ball.”

On Tennessee sophomore Jay Abernathy going 2-for-4 with a home run, two RBIs and two runs scored

 “Just playing baseball, and then we talked to him, he’s got to keep that ball in front. He knows that. Makes a good play on the backhand early in the game, but does a good job of beating a cutter to the spot and driving it out of the yard. He’s just an easy guy to bet on. Good makeup, and it’s nice to see him having some success, because stuck with him for a while, because we expect him to be able to have success in this league, and I know he believes that, too. So we need him to continue to string some things together because if he can play good defense, keep it in front on the dirt, and then in the outfield, he’s dynamic out there in centerfield, too.”

On where Tennessee third baseman Henry Ford is physically after dealing with an illness for several weeks, if he’s still hampered by it

“I think so. It was a grind. His toughness was really cool to see, how he grinded through that. A lot of guys would have taken some time off, and he continues to work incredibly hard on defense. He’s come a long way, really, with Coach (Ross) Kivett and what those two have done together, but it seems like right now, a little bit of being in between (at the plate). There’s some sliders, he’s running out of bat, but again, he’s a guy that we expect — we’re going to leave him right there and let him do his deal, and he can change the game in one swing. And hey, two for four tonight. Would like to have maybe a little bit better at-bat late, but he’s a guy that, he’s a winner, and I’m glad he’s a Tennessee Vol.”

On if he anticipates using injured Tennessee catcher Stone Lawless (facial fractures) either of the next two days

“We’ll see. You know, the last box I wanted to get checked tonight was to actually catch live pitching. We were able to get him some live ABs yesterday. He got completely cleared by the doctors. Arm feels good, body feels good, so I’ll talk with the staff, and we’ll look at some matchup stuff for tomorrow. But yeah, he’s a guy that just the way he receives the baseball, whether it be framing runs above average or whatnot, he makes an impact on the game just by how he catches the baseball. So we’ll look at that, but we just want to make sure we put him in a good spot to have success. And anytime you have any kind of orbital deal or whatnot, I just want to be careful with it.”

With spring practice lurking just beyiond the horizon, the high school football regular season is still more than four months away. As teams around the state of Tennessee prepare to officially start the 2026 season, High School on SI writer Jay Pace predicts which teams will bring home a state championship in each of Tennessee’s nine classifications. 

The Quest For The Golden Ball

Class 1A

South Pittsburg Pirates

South Pittsburg doesn’t just win in Class 1A—it dominates. With a loaded roster and no real challenger in sight, the Pirates aren’t defending a title as much as they’re chasing history. Led by Florida St, commit, Dayon Cooper and a typically nasty Pirate defense, SPHS makes history in 2026, as it wins back-to-back state titles for the first time ever.

Class 2A

Marion County Warriors

The Warriors return to championship form in 2026 after falling short in their bid to win back-to-back state titles, following a 20-7 loss to Huntingdon in last season’s BlueCross Bowl 2A championship game.

The return of senior quarterback Zaiden Humphreys and an experienced roster still smarting from that loss will be the difference in 2026.

Class 3A

Westview Chargers

Is there really any question here? Quarterback Graham Simpson and running back Asa Barnes return after record-setting seasons that ended with a perfect 15-0 record and a state championship. With the addition of some key transfers this off-season, the 2026 edition may be better than the 2025 group that outscored its opponents 707-177. Chargers roll again in 2026.

Class 4A

Alcoa Tornadoes

Death, taxes and Alcoa. The Tornadoes have won 11 straight state titles and 19 overall in the past 22 seasons. Alcoa is without peer in the state of Tennessee when it comes to championship programs. Classified as a 4A school, Alcoa could compete for a championship in Class 6A — and that is not an exaggeration.. QB Thomas Manu and WR Jamir Dean return as Alcoa roars to a 12th straight state title.

Class 5A

Page Patriots

After four straight losses in the 5A championship game, coach Charles Rathbone and the Patriots finally exorcised their championship-game demons to claim their first state title in school history by knocking off defending 5A champion Sevier County 21-14.

Page proved it can close the deal and with that barrier now gone, the Patriots don’t stall, they build on it 

Class 6A

Oakland Patriots

For the most dominant 6A program in state history, the beat rolls on in 2026 for Coach Kevin Creasy’s Patriots. Oakland has won two straight class 6A titles and eight of the last 11. Creasy, who enters his 19th season as a head coach, has won nine state championships across three different programs, beginning with Trousdale County in 2008.

Despite losing several key contributors from last years title team, no one appears capable of stopping an Oakland three-peat in 2026.

Division II

Class 1A

Nashville Christian Eagles

Despite losing the Gatorade Player of the Year in five-star quarterback Jared Curtis (Vanderbilt), and all-state running back TJ Ward (TCU), the Eagles are the favorites to bring home a gold ball once again in 2026.

Led by junior quarterback Tate Mathis and senior RB/WR Kaden Grigsby, the Eagles remain a formidable foe in Year 1 of the post-Jared Curtis era. If you want to be the best, you’ve got to beat the best — and until that happens, Nashville Christian remains the favorite.

Class 2A

Battleground Academy Wildcats

When Bobby Bentley arrived in Franklin three years ago, he inherited a program that hadn’t finished above .500 in nearly five years. The Wildcats were bad.

How bad was it? Bentley once recalled a waitress at a local restaurant openly mocking the program shortly after he took over.

Heading into his third season at Battleground Academy, the Wildcats have gone from a punchline to a perennial powerhouse. In two seasons under Bentley, they are 24-4 and the reigning champions in Division II-AA.

The roster is loaded with elite talent hungry to prove last year was no fluke. Right now, II-AA is Battleground Academy’s world, and everyone else is just living in it.

Class 3A

Brentwood Academy Eagles

With apologies to Baylor, Brentwood Academy is the team to beat in the state’s most competitive classification.

After losing a 28-24 heartbreaker in last year’s BlueCross Bowl to Baylor, Brentwood has spent the offseason significantly upgrading an already loaded roster.

The message is clear: It’s championship or bust for coach Paul Wade’s Eagles in 2026. Anything less will be considered a failure.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) – More than 79,000 people across Middle Tennessee are without power on Thursday night after severe storms hit the region.

Those outages were reported across Nashville Electric Service, Cumberland Electric Membership Corporation, Dickson Electric System and Middle Tennessee Electric.

Severe storms hit Thursday evening, bringing hail, lightning and strong winds that downed trees and power lines in some areas. In Mt. Juliet, police said that they were responding to several calls for issues related to the storm and urged people to be careful if traveling.

“Do not approach any downed power or utility lines,” Mt. Juliet Police warned.

These are the latest outages by utility company, as of 8:40 p.m. on Thursday, as well as where to find the latest impacts.

Nashville Electric Service — 46,011 customers without power (Outage map)

Cumberland Electric Membership Corporation — 12,988 customers without power (Outage map)

Dickson Electric Service — 8,054 customers impacted (Outage map)

Middle Tennessee Electric — 11,772 customers impacted (Outage map)