Tennessee
Nichols: In Clover Crushing, Tennessee Gives Itself — and Drew Gilbert — At Least One More Shot
![Nichols: In Clover Crushing, Tennessee Gives Itself — and Drew Gilbert — At Least One More Shot Nichols: In Clover Crushing, Tennessee Gives Itself — and Drew Gilbert — At Least One More Shot](https://www.si.com/.image/t_share/MTkwMTMwMDU3ODYyMTk0ODQ2/02789f72-7a55-4e4a-875f-c05f6f6b4559.jpg)
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Tony Vitello had a troublesome dialog with Drew Gilbert earlier than Recreation 2 between Tennessee and Notre Dame.
After the Vols’ pregame meal, he needed to remind Gilbert — who was ejected on Friday and needed to miss Saturday’s recreation too because of this — that he couldn’t be on the premises any longer.
“That was enjoyable,” stated Vitello. “I received the look I think about plenty of our opponents have gotten.”
Had both of them recognized what was forward on Saturday, that dialog won’t have been as fulfilling.
And Gilbert’s look, fairly than being a easy dagger-eyed glare, might have shot precise lasers by means of the MVP Room inside Lindsey Nelson Stadium.
As a result of Gilbert didn’t simply miss a Tennessee win, which introduced the Vols off the mat of their Tremendous Regional in opposition to Notre Dame.
He additionally missed a second he most likely would have loved — when Mike Honcho swung his means right into a full Rob Gronkowski landing celebration.
After hammering a three-run shot within the fifth inning in opposition to Notre Dame, Jordan Beck strutted out of the batter’s field, spiked his bat on the turf — so intensely, by the way in which, that it bounced shoulder-high — and screamed towards Tennessee’s dugout.
It didn’t matter that neither Gilbert nor pitching coach Frank Anderson have been there to yell again — the Vols have been removed from accomplished.
Evan Russell slammed a solo shot for a 6-0 lead and the thirty ninth residence run of his profession, passing Todd Helton to turn into the brand new residence run chief at Tennessee.
Then, Luc Lipcius — who had led off the inning with a house run for a 2-0 benefit and the thirty eighth residence run of his profession — went yard once more to tie himself with Russell.
“Fairly cool a pair outdated guys are on the high,” quipped Lipcius afterward.
Previous guys or not, Tennessee dominated. Eight runs. Seven hits. One lengthy fifth inning.
Spherical and spherical and spherical they went, the Vols hitting homers and the Irish having no reply in a 12-4, clover-crushing onslaught — that was by no means as shut as the ultimate rating confirmed, by the way in which — to power a pivotal Recreation 3 with a Faculty World Sequence berth on the road.
Notre Dame began its ace, John Michael Bertrand. And he was annihilated.
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Tennessee subbed Seth Stephenson for Gilbert in middle. And Stephenson was nice.
However he wasn’t any higher on offense than Chase Dollander was on protection. The Georgia Southern switch — who recommended Anderson final week, but thrived even with out him Saturday — was good for a full 112 pitches in seven innings with 5 strikeouts and solely two earned runs.
“My mindset was the identical it has been all season,” Dollander stated. “Throw strikes and provides the offense an opportunity to do what they do.”
Take into account that half accomplished.
Up subsequent? What ought to be a raucous Recreation 3 between Tennessee and Notre Dame, the winner set to go to Omaha.
Close to the tip of Saturday’s UT win, a four-syllable chant broke out: “FREE DREW GIL-BERT! FREE DREW GIL-BERT!”
The Vols’ pupil part was loud and proud on Saturday, simply because it was on Friday.
However when Gilbert digs into the batter’s field on
“I feel the gang goes to go berserk when Drew Gilbert will get that first AB tomorrow,” stated Lipcius, who added that the Vols “do it for him” and “need to see him play once more.”
Maybe nobody will likely be extra excited, although, than Vitello himself.
Not simply with the kind of giddiness he felt on Saturday when he was tasked with telling Gilbert to go away.
However as a result of, for at the very least yet another day, Vitello will get to look at Gilbert — his on-field twin — play baseball in a Tennessee uniform.
“Write no matter you need,” Vitello stated on the topic. “I am unable to put it into phrases.”
Cowl photograph through Jake Nichols
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Tennessee
Titans WR Calvin Ridley Suffers Minor Injury
![Titans WR Calvin Ridley Suffers Minor Injury Titans WR Calvin Ridley Suffers Minor Injury](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_6000,h_3375,x_0,y_0/c_fill,w_1440,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/all_titans/01j3tvnr3c9ta4zkqfta.jpg)
The Tennessee Titans are breathing a sigh of relief today after an injury to wide receiver Calvin Ridley wasn’t deemed a serious one.
Coach Brian Callahan spoke with reporters following practice to explain Ridley’s ankle flareup.
“No issues coming out of practice,” Callahan said via reporter JT Ruhnke. “Calvin Ridley had a little slight ankle issue. He was out for a little bit. He came back and he was fine. Nobody else with really any issues so we should be good to go on the injury front.”
Any injuries at this point during training camp are tough, so the Titans are happy to have avoided one here, especially to one of the richest players on the team in Ridley. Tennessee signed Ridley this offseason to a four-year, $92 million deal, making him one of the highest-paid receivers in the NFL.
Ridley, 29, returned to the NFL last season after missing the entire 2022 campaign serving a suspension for violating the league’s anti-gambling policy. He bounced back in a big way, catching 76 passes for 1,016 yards and eight touchdowns for the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The Jags were hoping to re-sign him in free agency, but he said “no thanks” and instead joined arguably their biggest rival in the Titans.
Ridley is expected to be a key contributor for the Titans this season in coach Callahan’s new-look offense alongside fellow free agent signee Tyler Boyd and veteran wideout DeAndre Hopkins.
If Ridley can stay healthy like he did in 2023, he could have another big year for the Titans as they look to climb out of last place in the AFC South and take over his former team along with the Indianapolis Colts and Houston Texans to return to first place in the division.
Ridley and the Titans play their first preseason game in two weeks against the San Francisco 49ers. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT from Nissan Stadium.
Make sure you bookmark Tennessee Titans on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!
Tennessee
Observations From Saturday's Titans Practice at Nissan Stadium
_Quarterback Mason Rudolph was sharp once again, completing all four of his passes in 7-on-7 and 6 of 7 passes on team drills. I now have Rudolph 23-of-25 in the 7-on-7 and team work in camp. Rudolph handled the pressure well on Saturday, and I liked how he directed his pass catchers after making some of his throws.
-Quarterback Malik Willis also had a good day, and he got a nice compliment from Callahan after today’s work. I had Willis 3-of-4 in 7-on-7 drills and 3-of-5 in team drills, making him 6-of-9 for the day. I now have Willis at 18-of-24 in 7-on-7 and team work combined in camp. Willis made a beautiful back-shoulder throw to receiver Tre’Shaun Harrison, and he was on the money on throws under pressure.
“Really pleased with Malik,” Callahan said. “I think both those quarterbacks have really done a nice job. Malik came out and had a nice day with some aggressive throws. He’s really done a nice job knowing what to do, where to go with the football. And, really pleased with how he played today. It was a good day for Malik.”
-Tight end Josh Whyle was a popular target on the day, but he kicked himself for losing the football following one catch.
Tennessee
Tennessee State men’s hockey lands first two commitments for 2025-26 season
![Tennessee State men’s hockey lands first two commitments for 2025-26 season Tennessee State men’s hockey lands first two commitments for 2025-26 season](https://www.gannett-cdn.com/authoring/authoring-images/2024/07/05/PNAS/74310929007-tsuhkyan-070524001.jpg?auto=webp&crop=4931,2774,x0,y0&format=pjpg&width=1200)
Tennessee State men’s hockey landed its first two known commitments on Friday, their first step in building a roster for the 2025-26 Division I season.
Trey Fechko, a 20-year-old forward out of Minnesota, posted his commitment news on X.
Playing for the Janesville Jets − a Tier 2 junior hockey team out of the NAHL − Fechko had 13 goals and 20 assists in 34 games last season. The 6-foot-1, 192 pound right-handed skater played previously for the Spruce Grove Saints (AJHL) and the Trail Smoke Eaters (BCHL). Prior to that, he played for Edina High School in Minnesota.
Fechko told the Tennesseean he was considering other schools, but was intrigued by the opportunity to help build a program at TSU.
Tyron Fevry, an 18-year-old center out of Montreal, announced his commitment on Instagram.
Fevry is a 5-9, 187 pound left-handed skater who played with the Brantford Bandits and Hamilton Kitty B’s in the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League (GOJHL) last season. In 51 total games, he had 14 goals and 23 assists, adding one goal and two assists in five playoff games with the Bandits.
In his Instagram post, Fevry said he felt honored and grateful for the opportunity to play at TSU.
Tennessee State hired coach Duante’ Abercrombie in April to lead the program.
The Tigers announced they were adding men’s hockey − the first hockey team at an HBCU school − in June 2023.
HOW ABERCROMBIE GOT HERE: Duante’ Abercrombie’s path to TSU was guided by Black hockey heroes
The effort to bring hockey to Tennessee State was a collaborative one, with the NHL, Nashville Predators, and College Hockey Inc. all playing an important role.
The Tigers are set to begin play in 2025-26. Their inaugural schedule has yet to be announced.
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