Tennessee baseball gets revenge on Vanderbilt after losing 13-4 on Wednesday. The BaseVols responded with a 6-4 win on Saturday afternoon to eliminate the Commodores and advance to the SEC Tournament championship game. 

Tony Vitello opted to make a few lineup changes ahead of the semifinal game. Ariel Antigua started at shortstop, Cannon Peebles manned the plate at catcher, and Dalton Bargo started at third, with Billy Amick moving to designated hitter. 

That’s a much different lineup than what Tennessee fans are used to seeing, but it seemed to work out for the Vols. Peebles went two-for-three with one RBI and two runs scored, but the other players inserted into the lineup didn’t do anything special. 

Peebles helped get the scoring started after Vanderbilt committed an error. His sac fly pushed across Tennessee’s second run in the fourth to jump out to a lead over the Dores. Vanderbilt responded in the bottom of the fifth with a couple of runs of their own, but a Christian Moore home run in the sixth was all Tennessee needed to finish off Vandy. 

Zander Sechrist pitched a gem for the Vols, who needed him to bring a little extra on the mound with a bullpen running on empty. He allowed two runs over six innings with five strikeouts. The offense gave Sechrist and Marcus Phillips, who came in to relieve Sechrist, a big enough lead to finish off Vandy. 

Phillips pitched the final three innings and allowed two runs, shutting down Vanderbilt’s offense and handing them their lone loss in the SEC Tournament. The offense gave Sechrist and Phillips some breathing room, and they were able to get the job done on the mound to relieve the rest of the bullpen and prepare for the SEC Tournament championship game. 

The Vols will look to add another trophy to their collection after winning the regular-season SEC Championship. After the Saturday afternoon win, Tennessee will face LSU in the championship game on Sunday at 3 PM ET.

HOOVER, Ala. — Vanderbilt baseball’s Alan Espinal pummeled a two-run homer off of Marcus Phillips in the Commodores’ blowout win over Tennessee on Wednesday afternoon. Phillips, a fringe weekend arm for the Vols, looked far from a reliable postseason option.

Just over 72 hours later, Phillips rose to the occasion against the same Vanderbilt lineup. He recorded the final nine outs to seal a 6-4 victory and send Tennessee to the SEC Tournament Championship for the third time in four years.

“He grew up a lot today,” Tennessee coach Tony Vitello said of Phillips. “It was good.”

Phillips pitched the final three innings for Tennessee. He blew past Vanderbilt in a dominant seventh inning, striking out the first two batters he faced and then getting a groundout on the third.

“I think early we weren’t getting ready and he was 99 to 100 that first inning and he kind of carved us up a little bit,” Vanderbilt coach Tim Corbin said of Phillips.

The challenge increased for Phillips in the eighth and ninth inning. The tall right-hander allowed two extra-base hits and walked two batters in the eighth inning. Vanderbilt scored one run and brought the go-ahead run to the plate.

Vitello kept rolling with Phillips and the sophomore got out of it, inducing a Matthew Polk chopper back to himself for the final out of the inning.

“Tough one to answer other than just gut feel,” Vitello said of rolling with Phillips. “Part of it is just communication with Frank, and a lot of times you just got to go with your gut. … There were some dicey moments in there where obviously we’re glad we stuck with him.”

The dicey moments weren’t over yet either. Vanderbilt’s first two batters singled in the ninth inning which brought the tying run to the plate. One of the runs scored but the tying run never got on base as Phillips shut the door on the Commodores.

Phillips earned the save after Zander Sechrist went six innings for the second straight start, holding Vanderbilt’s offense at bay on an evening Tennessee badly needed him to eat outs.

“You just got to grit it out, and our team followed Zander’s lead today,” Vitello said. “So we were blessed to have him out there … but I think he was even better tonight and kind of built off of last time out. So it was good the team followed him.

Phillips gave Vanderbilt a much different look and found success in a crucial spot. He allowed four hits, two runs and one earned run while walking two and striking out three. The numbers were great and the upper-90s fastball was impressive but him channeling it and being effective was the most impressive part.

“I think just the conviction. You can kind of see it when he’s steering it in there,” Vitello said of the key to Phillips’ success. “With him in particular, the harder he throws the better he throws because he’s so big and strong and the stuff is so good. … From the get-go that it was coming out of his hand with conviction.”

That conviction is key as Tennessee keeps trying to expand its options in the bullpen. Andrew Behnke did it against Mississippi State and Phillips did it against Vanderbilt. They provided a burst of confidence entering the NCAA Tournament and Tennessee is looking for more guys to follow their lead in Sunday’s title tilt against LSU.

“Some guys will have to look at Mr. Andrew Behnke and Marcus Phillips and say, I can do that as well.”

PRESS RELEASE FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS SERVICES

CONTACT: Stephen Bell

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 23, 2024

Governor Lee honors fallen Tennesseans at Annual Memorial Day Ceremony

Nashville – Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee, Tennessee Department of Veterans Services Commissioner Tommy Baker, and Tennessee Adjutant General, Major General Warner A. Ross II paid tribute to three  service members who gave the ultimate sacrifice during the State’s Memorial Day service Thursday afternoon.

United States Army, PFC Mark P. Wilson, from Elizabethton, TN, served in Company A, 1st Battalion, 112th Infantry Regiment, 28th Infantry Division. On November 8, 1944, his unit was engaged with German forces during the Battle of the Hürtgen Forrest. PFC Wilson was killed when an artillery shell destroyed a house where he was taking shelter. He was reported missing in action on November 8, 1944. His body was unable to be recovered, and the Germans never reported him as a prisoner of war. He was declared killed in action after the war. In May 1945, a resident of the town discovered remains in the rubble of the house and buried them nearby.

U.S. personnel could not identify these remains, and they were interred as unknown in the Ardennes American Cemetery. The remains were disinterred in July 2021 and sent to the DPAA laboratory at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, for identification. On September 12, 2022, PFC Wilson was officially accounted for.

Wilson was buried in Arlington National Cemetery on June 7, 2023, with full military honors.

Tennessee Army National Guard, CW3 Danny E. Randolph joined the Tennessee Army National Guard on April 21, 2009, as an Aviation Operations Specialist. Before becoming a Warrant Officer, he served as an Air Traffic Controller while deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in 2011. He graduated from the Warrant Officer Candidate School on May 28, 2015. Upon graduating from flight school on August 21, 2014, he served as a UH-60 Blackhawk Pilot and Aviation Life Support Equipment Officer. Chief Randolph aspired to be a Maintenance Test Pilot, graduating from the Aviation Maintenance Officer Course on October 06, 2020. His dedication to duty and loyalty to his State was evident in his eagerness to volunteer for several national emergency missions, including hurricane relief, wildfire support, and COVID-19 support.

Chief Randolph tragically lost his life on February 15, 2023, in a UH-60 Blackhawk accident in Huntsville, AL. He was born to parents Chester and Patricia on July 23, 1982, in Hendersonville, TN. He married his wife Melissa on May 5, 2017. He was a father to 4 children and 3 stepchildren: Jackson, Laine, Kori, Skyler, Barrett, Avery, and Everett.

Tennessee Army National Guard, CW3 Daniel L. Wadham enlisted on May 14, 2007, as a Combat Engineer but was reclassified to Military Police shortly after completing Advanced Individual Training. He deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom with the 252nd Military Police Company in 2007. He graduated the Warrant Officer Candidate School on June 06, 2013. Upon graduating from WOCS, he was assigned as a UH-60 Pilot and eventually an Aviation Safety Officer for his company. While serving as a UH-60 Pilot in A Company 1-230th AHB, he deployed again to Kosovo in 2018. His dedication to duty and loyalty to his state was evident in his eagerness to volunteer for national emergency missions, including multiple hurricane relief missions and COVID- 19 support.

Chief Wadham, of Joelton, TN, tragically lost his life on February 15, 2023, in a UH-60 Blackhawk accident in Huntsville, AL. He was born September 29, 1983, in Harris County, TX, to parents Timothy and Debby. He married his wife Rosetta on 10 August 2021. He was father to two daughters, Lillian and Scarlett.

“Today we honor the servicemembers who paid the ultimate price for our freedom,” said Gov. Lee. “Words cannot express the depth of our gratitude for the thousands of men and women who chose to put their lives on the line so we could live in the most exceptional nation in the world.

“May we never forget their courage and willingness to faithfully serve our country.”

“As we remember those we have lost, let us offer a ‘thank you’ for their sacrifice—a ‘thank you’ to their families for all they have sacrificed,” said Baker, “Their sacrifice does not go unnoticed by our state or nation or the people for whom our heroes take the oath to protect and defend.”

“Memorial Day is a day of great remembrance for those service members who sacrificed everything for us,” said Maj. Gen. Warner Ross, Tennessee’s Adjutant General. “Out of respect, I challenge everyone to take time today and remember and honor those that gave so much. We need to ensure that their memories and sacrifice are never forgotten.”

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