Tennessee

Tennessee Baseball Earns Narrow Victory Over UNC-Asheville | Rocky Top Insider

Published

2 years ago

February 20, 2024

Tennessee Baseball Earns Narrow Victory Over UNC-Asheville | Rocky Top Insider

Photo via Tennessee Athletics

Tennessee baseball was tied with UNC-Asheville through six innings before manufacturing a run and using strong pitching to earn a 3-2 victory.

The Vols’ offense struggled as Tennessee set a new Lindsey Nelson Stadium home opener attendance record on a pleasant February afternoon.

Here’s what to know about the Vols’ home opener.

Solid First Career Start For Derek Schaefer

Freshman right-handed pitcher Derek Schaefer’s college debut didn’t go well on Saturday night when he allowed one run in 0.1 innings while earning the loss against Oklahoma.

Tennessee coach Tony Vitello decided to turn right back to Schaefer and gave him the ball in the Vols’ first midweek start of the season. It wasn’t a fully stretched out appearance but it was more than just a one inning opener like Tennessee oft uses in midweek games.

Like his appearance against Oklahoma, Schaefer didn’t get off to a strong start. He surrendered a leadoff walk and then a single to give the Bulldogs two-on with nobody out. The right-handed pitcher was able to escape the inning by allowing just one earned run and then settled in nicely.

But after a rocky first inning, Schaefer settled in very well. He retired the final six batters he faced and recorded three strikeouts in the three inning outing.

The freshman is extremely talented and has a chance to earn a real role out of Tennessee’s bullpen on the weekends. Getting his feet wet and being productive through three innings was a step in the right direction after his forgettable debut.

Quiet Day For Tennessee’s Offense

Tennessee’s offense is expected to be the strength of this season’s team and they looked like it during the Vols’ season opening weekend in Texas.

But in its first midweek game of the season, the Vols’ offense struggled. Tennessee totaled just three runs on five hits as they were tied with the Bulldogs through the first six innings.

Redshirt sophomore Kavares Tears continued his strong play from the weekend and went two-of-four including his second home run of the young season.

Five different Tennessee starters didn’t record hits and three didn’t reach base at all.

Granted, Tennessee didn’t start two of its normal starters— eventually pinch hitting and running Cannon Peebles and Bradke Lohry— but it was still an unexpected quiet performance from the Vols’ offense.

Tennessee Manufactures The Go-Ahead Run

When the Vols’ finally reclaimed the lead in the seventh inning, they didn’t do it with a big offensive breakthrough but by manufacturing a run. In fact, they did it without recording a single hit.

Robin Villeneuve worked a leadoff walk before the pinch hitting Dalton Bargo was hit-by a pitch to give Tennessee two runners on with nobody out. UNC-Asheville went to the bullpen after that and while Isaac Gonzales did a solid job out of the bullpen, the Vols found a way to scrap the go ahead run across.

Lohry, who pinch ran for Villeneuve, advanced to third on a Cannon Peebles fly out to right field before Hunter Ensley brough him home with a two-strike sac fly to center field.

RHP Austin Hunely did a strong job shutting the game down in his first career appearance. The redshirt freshman pitched a scoreless final three innings while allowing just three baserunners and striking out two batters.

Final Stats

Up Next

Tennessee basketball returns to Lindsey Nelson Stadium in less than 24 hours when they host ETSU in a midweek matchup. First pitch is at 4:30 p.m. ET.

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Tennessee

Memphis voters file federal lawsuit against new congressional map, claiming discrimination: ‘White control over Tennessee politics’

Published

31 minutes ago

May 12, 2026

Press Room

Memphis voters file federal lawsuit against new congressional map, claiming discrimination: ‘White control over Tennessee politics’

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WSMV) – Three Memphis voters, through the American Civil Liberties Union, have filed a federal lawsuit against Tennessee leaders, claiming the state’s new congressional maps are discriminating against Black voters.

The ACLU announced the lawsuit on Monday, saying that three organizations — the Black Clergy Collaborative of Memphis, the Memphis A. Philip Randolph Institute and the Equity Alliance, are also part of the lawsuit that was filed against Sec. of State Tre Hargett, Coordinator of Elections Mark Goins and several others.

“In May 2026, over the course of mere days, a White-dominated supermajority of the Tennessee General Assembly redrew Tennessee’s congressional map to crack the predominantly Black city of Memphis into three pieces and destroy the only district in which Black voters are able to elect representatives of their choice, shutting Black voters completely out of power in federal elections in Tennessee,” the filing states.

The ACLU and the other plaintiffs echo arguments made by Democrats while the maps were being debated during last week’s special session: “The cracking of Memphis unlawfully targeted Black voters.”

“The new plan carves through the center of Tennessee’s second largest city, dividing neighborhoods that have voted together for decades, splitting numerous counties and precincts, and cutting the Black population into thirds with suspect precision,” the lawsuit says. “The districts then run hundreds of miles east towards the Nashville suburbs, snaking through predominantly White and rural counties to dilute the voting power of now-divided Black Memphians.”

Gov. Bill Lee signed the new congressional map into law last week. The new map splits Shelby County, home of Memphis, into three districts.

Republicans have said the map modernizes the districting process and removes “racial data from the mapmaking process entirely.” Democrats, on the other hand, say that the move is meant to dismantle the Black-majority district.

Tennessee Speaker of the House Cameron Sexton (R) told WSMV that Republicans “have been very clear” on their intention to secure a ninth Republican seat in the state. He has said the map would help “ensure the state’s representation in Washington reflects its conservative values.”

The lawsuit draws significant attention to the racial makeup of Tennessee lawmakers, describing, “White control over Tennessee politics.” Plaintiffs allege that a white majority “faction” of state leaders “gave bizarre, robotic answers to the most basic questions about the map they were sponsoring.”

“None of the sponsors of the plan would admit who actually drew it, and the lead Senate sponsor—a White legislator with over a decade of service in the Tennessee General Assembly who had attended law school in Memphis — would not say whether Memphis was predominantly Black and claimed not to know that Congressional District 9 was a majority- Black district,” the filing says.

They seem to be referencing Sen. John Stevens (R-Huntingdon), who was asked during the special session if he was aware that the majority of the residents in the ninth district are Black.

“I’m not aware,” he responded. “I know how the map is divided, but I don’t know the racial makeup of the map.”

Stevens got his juris doctorate from the University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law.

The three Memphis residents who took part in the lawsuit are Amber Sherman, a lifelong resident of Memphis and the lead Tennessee regional organizer for Black Voters Matter Fund, Rachael Spriggs, a Memphis resident for more than 20 years who is the director of Power Building for the Equity Alliance, and Kermit Moore, a nearly lifelong resident of Memphis who is the president of the Memphis A. Philip Randolph Institute.

The lawsuit claims intentional discrimination in violation of the 14th and 15th Amendments, as well as retaliation for protected expression and association in violation of the First Amendment.

Plaintiffs are asking the court to declare that the newly drawn map is unconstitutional and restore district lines before primary elections proceed.

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New Tennessee law allows K9 officers to be transported by helicopter, ambulance to vet

Published

13 hours ago

May 11, 2026

Press Room

New Tennessee law allows K9 officers to be transported by helicopter, ambulance to vet

Tennessee State Senators Michele Reneau of Signal Mountain and Bo Watson of Hixson spoke today about the new law supporting police K-9’s.

The act allows injured dogs to get stabilization services on-site and then be transported via ambulance or helicopter to a vet hospital.

“In the past, officers were basically putting the k9 in their car and transporting them in their in their own vehicle, they didn’t have an ambulance or an air ambulance,” said Senator Watson. “This allows for an air ambulance. It also allows for a educational program for those in EMS, who will be taught how to manage canines emergency medical condition, which is different than a human’s.”

In April, Erlanger flew a K9 officer from Clay County, to North Carolina.

It was the first time the program was used for a live transport after several training runs.

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What You Need to Know About Tennessee Softball’s Path to Another WCWS | Rocky Top Insider

Published

1 day ago

May 11, 2026

Press Room

What You Need to Know About Tennessee Softball’s Path to Another WCWS | Rocky Top Insider

Tennessee softball’s path back to the Women’s College World Series is set. On Sunday night, the Lady Vols were named the No. 7 overall seed in the 2026 NCAA Tournament and will host the regional stage in Knoxville as it looks to return to the WCWS in back-to-back seasons.

The Lady Vols are matched up with Virginia, Indiana and Northern Kentucky in the regionals. It would play Georgia, Clemson, UNC Greensboro or Charleston in the super regionals.

Ahead of the tournament, here’s a look at each team in the Knoxville Regional and potential matchups for the ensuing best-of-three super regional if Tennessee advances.