Tennessee

Tennessee baseball powers past Rice to notch 10-0 start to 2025 season

Published

1 year ago

March 1, 2025

Press Room

Tennessee baseball powers past Rice to notch 10-0 start to 2025 season

Tennessee baseball continued its excellent showing in the Astros Foundation Classic in Houston.

The Vols powered past Rice 13-3
to mark its second win in the event in as many days.

This came after Tennessee (10-0) downed Oklahoma State on Friday in the event. This time, it was the Owls (2-7) who were on the tracks for the Vols’ dominant start on the mound and at the plate resulting in 10 uncontested wins to open the year.

TALK ABOUT IT IN THE ROCKY TOP FORUM

Getting the ball to start was Marcus Phillips. He allowed a run in the first inning off a wild pitch with the bases loaded, but settled in nicely afterward. Phillips went 4.2 innings while giving up five hits and a run while striking out eight.

After Phillips, Brayden Sharp entered. He went 1.1 innings issuing one walk, no hits and striking out two.

Nic Abraham, Michael Sharman, Austin Breedlove, Tanner Wiggins and Brayden Krenzel followed to round out the game.

At the plate, it was another healthy dose of power. Levi Clark ripped his fifth home run of his young freshman season despite still battling for consistent plate appearances given the depth of the roster.

Gavin Kilen also continued his hot streak. After roping two home runs in Friday’s win over the Cowboys, Kilen found the outfield seats again with a solo shot.

That wasn’t it for him, either. He hit his fourth home run in two days with another home run in the seventh. He also smacked a two-RBI triple. He also decided a double to finish 4-for-5 with four RBI, five runs and a walk.

WHAT HAPPENED

Tennessee got its offense rolling early, but without necessarily using its bats. The Vols put up three runs in the first inning without a single hit.

Instead, Tennessee used a double steal and error, throwing error and sacrifice fly to go along with four walks to put the trio of runs on the board.

In the bottom of the frame, Phillips got the ball. He allowed a run to score by tossing a wild pitch with one out and the bases loaded. He stopped the bleeding there, though.

The Vols would have his back in the top of the second. The bats finally woke up with two outs in the inning. After Kilen doubled, Hunter Ensley singled to push him home. Then, with two on, Clark hit a home run to make it a 7-1 game.

Tennessee and Rice would trade 1-2-3 innings before the bats sparked back up in the top of the fourth. It was Kilen who went yard for a solo shot to make it a seven-run game.

Phillips was pulled for Sharp who got out of the fifth. Kilen would add to the lead in the sixth with another home run.

In the seventh, Rice found some success and put up two runs on the Vols’ bullpen. Tennessee fired back with a Kilen triple to score two.

Ensley singled for another RBI, as well. To make it a nine-run game in the middle of the eighth.

In the ninth, Tennessee got another boost to make it a 10-run advantage. Stone Lawless doubled off the wall to push across one more.

UP NEXT

Tennessee has one final game remaining in its trip to Houston. Sunday morning, at 11:05 a.m. ET, the Vols will face Arizona.

You can watch the game on Astros.com.

Tennessee returns to Knoxville on Tuesday to face Radford. The Vols will turn around to play Xavier the following day. That’s before St. Bonaventure comes to town for a weekend slate of games.

Next week is the last full week of out-of-conference games. Tennessee opens its SEC slate at home against Florida from March 14-16.

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Tennessee

2026 Tennessee football preview: Grady Dangerfield

Published

2 hours ago

June 4, 2026

Press Room

2026 Tennessee football preview: Grady Dangerfield

Redshirt freshman kicker Grady Dangerfield enters his second season at Tennessee in 2026.

The 6-foot, 215-pound kicker appeared in two games for the Vols in 2025. He recorded 257 yards and three touchbacks on four kickoff attempts against UAB and New Mexico State.

Against the Blazers on Sept. 20, 2025, Dangerfield had three kickoff attempts for 195 yards. He also totaled 62 kickoff yards on one attempt versus New Mexico State on Nov. 15, 2025.

Dangerfield committed to Tennessee in Oct. 2024 over Navy and Virginia Tech. He was a Kohl’s Kicking five-star prospect and the No. 41 ranked kicker in the nation.

Dangerfield went to the Vols from James Island Charter High School in Charleston, South Carolina.

Tennessee will kick off its 2026 football season Sept. 5 versus Furman at Neyland Stadium. The season opener is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. EDT (SEC Network+).

The Vols will also host Kennesaw State, Texas, Auburn, Alabama, Kentucky and LSU, while playing at Georgia Tech, Arkansas, South Carolina, Texas A&M and Vanderbilt during the 2026 campaign.

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Tennessee

Tennessee AMC theater worker, 85, receives $146K from strangers for retirement after viral video

Published

13 hours ago

June 4, 2026

Press Room

Tennessee AMC theater worker, 85, receives 6K from strangers for retirement after viral video

A viral Tennessee movie theater worker, 85, was surprised with $146K as strangers rallied together to help her “enjoy retirement.”

Mary Ellen Eron was seen hauling a heavy black garbage bag and pushing a cleaning cart during her shift at the theater in Maryville, Tenn., which has since been viewed more than 13 million times.

“Let’s secretly help retire this beautiful woman. No one deserves to work at this age,” movie customer Brooklyn Green, who filmed the video, captioned the post.

Green launched a fundraiser last weekend after watching Mary, who has been a movie theater staffer for 45 years, hard at work – even though she’s a stranger.

“I knew nothing about her. I didn’t even know her name when I went to the theater,” Green told WATE reported. “I just decided that she was working so hard, and I aspired to be like her one day.

“Her physical appearance didn’t look too comfortable, especially since the way she was working so hard.”

Green set a target of $200,000 – and she raised $146,317 before pausing donations. More than 7,500 people donated to the charitable cause.

On Wednesday, Green posted the moment that she presented Eron, who helps the homeless and her local church, with the total figures from the crowdfunding page.

“Oh my goodness. That’s a lot of money,” Eron said as she realized the number on the piece of paper.

“That’s a lot of money and you deserve every bit of it,” Green said.

The clip also featured a message from Eron, who addressed the people who had contributed.

“Thank you so very much to all the wonderful people that have donated money to the GoFundMe,” she said.

“I’m overwhelmed and certainly blessed by the Lord and you wonderful people. Thank you once more.”

The theater’s manager revealed it will be Eron’s decision when she retires.

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Tennessee

Tennessee Baseball Breakout Star Announces He Won’t Enter the Transfer Portal

Published

23 hours ago

June 3, 2026

Press Room

Tennessee Baseball Breakout Star Announces He Won’t Enter the Transfer Portal

The Tennessee Volunteers have had their fair share of bad news as of late when it comes to the college baseball transfer portal, but luckily, they have received some great news.

The great news that they have received is that they will be returning one of their breakout stars from this past college baseball season, as he has no intentions of entering the college baseball transfer portal.

Trent Grindlinger Will Return to Tennessee

Tennessee’s Trent Grindlinger (30) begins to celebrate what he thought was a home run but was eventually called foul during a college baseball game between Tennessee and LSU at Lindsey Nelson Stadium in Knoxville, Tennessee., on April 3, 2026. | Brianna Paciorka/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The player who is set to return to Tennessee is Trent Grindlinger, who was electric this season and is expected to be a future top 10 MLB draft pick. This is expected for the first draft that he is eligible for, which is the 2027 MLB Draft rather than this upcoming draft that will feature multiple Vols, including Tennessee ACE, Tegan Kuhns.

Grindlinger finished last season with a batting average of .345, while hitting eight home runs and only striking out 28 times. This would be an electric season for the talented Volunteers’ batter, and he is set for a season that could and should be even better than that, which would be good enough to consider for some major college baseball end-of-the-season awards. He is just one of the few players who opted to stay and return rather than enter their name into the college baseball transfer portal, but if they were going to return anyone, he is the player they would want to return in the field.

Had he entered the transfer portal, there wouldn’t be a single college in the nation that wouldn’t want to add him, as every college would want to add the elite prospect. Not only that, but he would become the nation’s No. 1 player on the portal more than likely.

Luckily for the Vols, though, they don’t have to worry about that.

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