Tennessee
Seldom has Vanderbilt baseball looked as much an underdog as it does vs Tennessee | Estes
![Seldom has Vanderbilt baseball looked as much an underdog as it does vs Tennessee | Estes](https://www.gannett-cdn.com/authoring/authoring-images/2024/05/11/PNAS/73649908007-vandy-ut-base-an-051024014.jpg?auto=webp&crop=4448,2502,x0,y0&format=pjpg&width=1200)
No one is going to feel sorry for Vanderbilt baseball, especially those dudes across the state in orange.
The fact that Tennessee entered this weekend’s series at Hawkins Field ranked No. 1 in the nation isn’t some outlier in our state’s best college sports rivalry. It was the continuation of a shift that dates back a few years now.
So, too, was the Vols’ 8-4 victory over the unranked Commodores in Friday’s Game 1, which made it eight in a row in the series. With a monstrous offense and overachieving pitching staff that keeps piecing together outs and wins, Tony Vitello’s Tennessee (41-9, 18-7 SEC) is barreling toward a return to the College World Series, likely hosting the NCAA regionals and super regionals along the way.
In the coming weeks, there will be plenty more to say about these Vols.
As for the rest of this weekend, that looms far more important for Vanderbilt (33-17, 11-14).
It’ll have two more opportunities to break the in-state jinx and start turning a sinking season before it’s too late. Not impossible.
But seldom have Tim Corbin’s Vandy Boys looked as much an underdog as they do right now.
All is not well on that side of the diamond. Vanderbilt’s sub-standard hitting is now paired with an underachieving pitching staff that’s banged-up, hurting for confidence and increasingly unreliable in critical situations.
Friday’s loss — during which the Commodores’ bullpen blew a 4-3 eighth-inning lead — wasn’t just another deflating setback to their in-state rival. It was their sixth SEC loss in a row, period. During that stretch, they have been outscored 58-26.
Hopes to host an NCAA regional are all but gone. You’d think an NCAA bid remains assured. But look at Vanderbilt’s five remaining regular-season games: Two more this weekend against Tennessee, followed by a three-game series at No. 5 Kentucky.
Something needs to go right for Vanderbilt. Quickly.
And that’s why Friday night’s blown lead felt especially cruel. Because the Commodores and their home fans had started to sense a turning point was at hand. Starting pitcher Bryce Cunningham gave them that belief, striking out 10 and allowing only three runs in 6⅔ innings.
“He attacked, obviously, a good offensive team,” Corbin said of Cunningham. “I thought he did what he needed to do to put us in a good position to win.”
Down to their final six outs, the Vols just grabbed their bats and swatted aside the Commodores like a minor annoyance. A five-run eighth inning featured home runs by Kavares Tears and Cannon Peebles. Vanderbilt’s freshman relief pitchers Miller Green and Brennan Seiber combined to allow five hits and five runs in 2⅓ innings.
That Corbin, facing the nation’s most powerful offense, chose to hand a one-run lead to a freshman in Green suggested a lack of faith in the rest of his (healthy) pitching staff.
“I mean, we’ve got what we’ve got, OK,” Corbin said when asked afterward about his bullpen’s struggles, “unless Jesus comes into the picture.”
It wasn’t just the pitching. The 3-4-5 hitters in Vanderbilt’s lineup were a collective 0-for-11, with five strikeouts. Tennessee’s A.J. Causey, who slipped to allow three runs in the sixth inning that put Vanderbilt ahead 4-3, was able to stay in the game. He threw the final 6⅓ innings, thus saving Vols arms for the remainder of the series.
After losing the starting role on Friday nights, Causey has been effective out of the bullpen for Tennessee, which has gotten by without injured pitcher A.J. Russell, who was expected to star atop the Vols’ rotation this season.
Entering this weekend, they haven’t lost an SEC series since the first one in March.
They are a legit powerhouse and national title contender.
If this Vanderbilt team wants to have a chance to be viewed that way again this season, it’ll need to figure out a way to finally beat them before the losing streak grows.
Reach Tennessean sports columnist Gentry Estes at gestes@tennessean.com and on the X platform (formerly known as Twitter) @Gentry_Estes.
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Tennessee
8 of the Best Places to Retire in Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee Army National Guard puts on Boot Camp for students
![Tennessee Army National Guard puts on Boot Camp for students](https://whnt.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2024/06/PKG.00_00_15_04.Still001.jpg?w=1280)
FAYETTEVILLE, Tenn. (WHNT) — One step at a time, a group of seven students are seeing if they have what it takes to join the Tennessee Army National Guard.
They’re participating in a week-long “boot camp” summer program put on by the Tennessee Army National Guard at Lincoln County High School.
“We just wanted to make sure we had something for the kids in the area to do something over the summer,” said Specialist Bree Bailey, a Recruiter with the Tennessee Army National Guard.
She said that it is rewarding to see the students’ eyes open to new career opportunities within the military because of the camp.
“You see a light bulb go off, that’s for sure,” she said. “They realize that it’s not all about getting deployed and going overseas and all the scary things and the stories that they hear….You’re able to kind of educate them a little bit further on what the military actually is and what it does have to offer, opportunities, doors that can be opened” .”
Throughout the week, the students, who range from 12 to 18 years old, have learned basic medical skills, weapons systems, squad movements, and more.
Specialist Bailey said, “Pretty much by the end of the week, they will be able to run a full mission from start to finish.”
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On Thursday, a Deputy from the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office gave the students a hands-on lesson on basic combative skills. That included foot positioning, how to throw a punch and protect yourself.
“We’re going to be soft with it,” Bailey said. “We’re not here to hurt each other, but just to give them a little bit of taste.”
This is the first year that the Tennessee Army National Guard has put on this camp in several years. Specialist Bailey said she looks forward to growing their presence in Lincoln County and hopes next year’s camp is double in size.
Tennessee
Tennessee State Parks provides new all-terrain wheelchairs at additional state parks – KTVZ
![Tennessee State Parks provides new all-terrain wheelchairs at additional state parks – KTVZ](https://ktvz.b-cdn.net/2024/06/WTVFTNstateparkswheelchairs-300.jpg)
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NASHVILLE, Tennessee (WTVF) — Tennessee State Parks are providing new all-terrain wheelchairs at state parks!
You may remember this story from last summer, where our Cole Johnson showed how the wheelchairs were helping those at Radnor Lake State Park.
The new additions announced this week will bring the total chairs to 22. The chairs are designed to navigate a wide range of terrains and give visitors the opportunity to access recreation that they would’ve been unable to access prior.
The chairs are free and are available for kids and adults.
You are allowed to request a wheelchair upon arrival to the park, but its advised to give advance notice to the park you’re visiting so that you can ensure there’s one available for use.
The wheelchairs are available at the following parks:
Cedars of Lebanon State Park Cordell Hull Birthplace State Park David Crockett State Park Fall Creek Falls State Park Fort Pillow State Historic Park Harrison Bay State Park Indian Mountain State Park Meeman-Shelby Forest State Park Nathan Bedford Forrest State Park Sgt. Alvin C. York State Park Booker T. Washington State Park Cove Lake State Park Cumberland Mountain State Park Cummins Falls State Park Chickasaw State Park Henry Horton State Park Long Hunter State Park Natchez Trace State Park Radnor Lake State Park Tims Ford State Park Lamar Alexander Rocky Fork State Park Warriors’ Path State Park
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