Connect with us

Tennessee

Tennessee baseball rolls past Indiana State in midweek bout

Published

on

Tennessee baseball rolls past Indiana State in midweek bout


Gavin Kilen homered twice, including a three-run shot in the fourth inning and No. 15 Tennessee run-ruled Indiana State, 12-1 in seven innings at Lindsey Nelson Stadium Tuesday.

The Vols (38-11), who were coming off of their third-straight series loss to Auburn last weekend, were productive and aggressive at the plate, taking early swings and totaling 11 hits.

TALK ABOUT IT IN THE ROCKY TOP FORUM

The lineup accounted for five home runs, two from Kilen and one each from right fielder Reese Chapman, first baseman Andrew Fischer and center fielder Colby Backus in the sixth inning.

Advertisement

Kilen was 3-of-4 at the plate with four RBIs, while Fischer finished 2-of-4.

Tennessee got the most out of its arms, too. Michael Sharman set the tone with strong start, allowing five hits, one run and striking out three in 3.2 innings of work.

Relievers Austin Breedlove, Brandon Arvidson, Brayden Krenzel and Thomas Crabtree combined to give up just one hit and five strikeouts.

Sycamores (22-26) left fielder Jorge Cartagena had Indiana State’s lone RBI in the second.

Backed by a strong start from Michael Sharman, who tossed a couple of strikeouts in the top half of the first inning, the top of Tennessee’s order made quick work of Indiana State starter Jacob Spencer.

Advertisement

Gavin Kilen, Andrew Fischer and Hunter Ensley all singled, with Ensley’s knock going up the middle to score Kilen and give the Vols an early 1-0 lead.

Dean Curley, batting fifth in the order, was recorded the fourth hit with a single to short that allowed Fischer to score and extend the Tennessee lead to 2-0.

The Sycamores got out of the inning with the damage limited there, but Kilen came through again in the second with a two-run shot to right field to open up a 4-0 lead through two innings.

Sharman, who stranded base-runners in the first and second, ran into trouble again in the third with two on and two outs after Indiana State had gotten on the board on Carter Beck‘s RBI ground out. But Jeremy Martinez harmlessly flew out to left to prevent the Sycamores from adding more.

After the Vols went down in order in the bottom third, Sharman gave up a walk and back-to-back bunts moved Jorge Cartagena over to third with two outs. That ended Sharman’s night and Austin Breedlove took over out of the bullpen to try and leave the Sycamores empty-handed in the inning.

Advertisement

Breedlove delivered, striking out Mason Roell looking to end the frame.

Reese Chapman led off the bottom fourth with a solo no-doubter to right-center to swell the Tennessee lead to 5-1. Stone Lawless and Jay Abernathy each wore a pitches in consecutive at-bats to give the Vols a couple of one-out base-runners.

Kilen paid them both off, mashing a three-run home run over the wall in right to stretch the lead to 8-1.

Breelove issued a walk to lead off the fifth before Brandon Arvidson entered with two outs, but he gave up a walk against the first batter he faced and stolen base put two in scoring position for Indiana State.

Arvidson escaped the jam with a strikeout.

Advertisement

Back at the plate, Tennessee was quickly back in position to add to its lead after Curley advanced to second on a fielding error at third, and Ariel Antigua moved into third with no outs in the bottom fifth.

Chapman scored Antigua on a fly-out to left and the Vols were up 9-1, two runs away from the run-rule with at least two more frames left to play.

With two outs, Abernathy extended the inning with a chopper to second that Jackson Taylor was unable to field in time and the Vols had the bases loaded, but Kilen grounded out at first to end the frame.

Fischer got off to an emphatic start in the bottom sixth, though. He mashed a home run to right–Tennessee’s third of the night–to up the lead to 10-1, and Colby Backus followed it up with a single to left.

Curley brought the Vols into run-rule territory with a ground out to first that scored Backus, but just for good measure, Chris Newstrom made the most of insertion into the lineup in the inning with a solo shot that stayed fair down the third base line and exited the stadium left.

Advertisement

Tennessee continues its final stretch with another top 15 series against No. 11 Vanderbilt this weekend.

The Vols, who have won four-straight series against the Commodores, are looking to end a skid after losing three-straight series for the first time under Tony Vitello.

Vanderbilt (34-14, 14-10) is coming off of series win over Alabama.

First pitch between Tennessee and the Commodores is slated for Friday at 5:30 p.m. ET (SEC Network) at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.

Left-handed pitcher Liam Doyle (8-2, 2.39 ERA) will start for the Vols.

Advertisement



Source link

Tennessee

Has Tennessee ever made a Final Four? Vols hope third time’s a charm under Barnes

Published

on

Has Tennessee ever made a Final Four? Vols hope third time’s a charm under Barnes


play

For the third straight season, Rick Barnes has Tennessee basketball in the Elite Eight. After Sunday, March 29’s game against No. 1 Michigan, he’s hoping to have taken the Vols where they’ve never been before.

Despite becoming a March Madness fixture, the Tennessee Vols have never, in their history, made the Final Four. Despite a pedigree of modest success, including 11 regular season SEC titles and and five conference tournament championships (most recently in 2022), Tennessee has not been able to cross the threshold to college basketball’s most coveted weekend.

Advertisement

The Barnes era marks the closest Tennessee has come, with consistency, even though its best shot arguably came before Barnes’ time. The Vols’ first Elite Eight trip was under Bruce Pearl in 2010, while Barnes was still roaming the Longhorns bench in Texas.

Barnes has taken Tennessee to the 2024, 2025, and 2026 Elite Eights. There’s an argument to be made 2026 is his most impressive run yet, as a No. 6 seed in the Midwest bracket.

The Vols went as a No. 2 seed in both 2024 and 2025, ultimately losing to the No. 1 seeds of their respective brackets in the Elite Eight. While it could be easy to think it will be more of the same Sunday against No. 1 Michigan, Tennessee has now taken down No. 3 Virginia and No. 2 Iowa State to get to this point. So perhaps one more upset is in store.

Has Tennessee basketball ever made a Final Four?

Tennessee has not made a Final Four in its history, making it one of five SEC schools to not get to the national semifinal round.

Advertisement

The others are Missouri, Mississippi, Texas A&M, and Vanderbilt. Alabama basketball made its first Final Four in 2024.

Tennessee basketball Elite Eight record

The Vols are 0-4 in the Elite Eight, with losses in 2010, 2024, 2025, and 2026.

Here’s a look at their full history in the fourth full round of the tournament.

  • 2010: No. 5 Michigan State 70, No. 6 Tennessee 69
  • 2024: No. 1 Purdue 72, No. 2 Tennessee 66
  • 2025: No. 1 Houston 69, No. 2 Tennessee 50
  • 2026: TBD, vs. No. 1 Michigan

Rick Barnes Elite Eight record

Barnes is not just defined by his career at Tennessee. He does have a Final Four appearance, winning his first Elite Eight game with Texas in 2003. Since then, though, he is 0-4 in the Elite Eight, with two losses at both Texas and Tennessee.



Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Tennessee

Tennessee football gets commitment from WR Kesean Bowman

Published

on

Tennessee football gets commitment from WR Kesean Bowman


Tennessee football and coach Josh Heupel picked up a commitment from Brentwood Academy four-star wide receiver Kesean Bowman on March 28 while he was visiting the school.

Bowman narrowed his list to Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Ohio State, Alabama and Miami on March 2. All five schools were among his top 10 he acknowledged on Oct. 30. Texas, LSU, USC, Texas A&M and Oregon were among the schools left off his list.

The 6-foot, 174-pound Bowman is ranked as the No. 2 prospect in the state for the 2027 class. He is the No. 6 wide receiver nationally, according to 247Sports Composite. He has more than 35 other offers. He decommitted from Oregon last September, more than two months after committing to the Ducks.

Advertisement

Bowman was a Division II-AAA Mr. Football semifinalist, who caught 49 passes for 665 yards and 11 TDs, during BA’s 2025 state runner-up season. He also had a rushing TD and was named the DII-AAA West Region Offensive MVP. He was named to The Tennessean’s 2025 All Midstate Large Class football team and is a Middle Tennessee Sports Awards offensive football player of the year nominee.

Bowman helped BA finish 11-1 in 2025, losing to Baylor in the DII-AAA state championship game.

Tennessee and Heupel have also offered Brentwood Academy offensive tackle Rance Brown, a 6-6, 290-pound lineman who transferred from Southside (Alabama). The Vols are pursuing BA junior four-star linebacker Kenneth Simon II as well.

Tyler Palmateer covers high school sports for The Tennessean. Have a story idea for Tyler? Reach him at tpalmateer@tennessean.com and on the X platform, @tpalmateer83.

Advertisement

He also contributes to The Tennessean’s high school sports newsletter, The Bootleg. Subscribe to The Bootleg here.



Source link

Continue Reading

Tennessee

What are the Titans’ top remaining needs ahead of 2026 NFL Draft?

Published

on

What are the Titans’ top remaining needs ahead of 2026 NFL Draft?


The Tennessee Titans have made some improvements throughout the offseason and appear better positioned heading into the draft than they were in 2024, with added depth on both sides of the ball.

Yet, even with the added talent, they still have multiple needs they must continue to address to help both now and in the future, and another solid draft would go a long way in finding a sustainable path forward. Gilberto Manzano of Sports Illustrated looked at the roster and saw some of the same things as he broke down their remaining needs heading into the draft. 

Tennessee Titans

Draft needs: RB, WR, edge, S

The running back duo of Tony Pollard and Tyjae Spears hasn’t been a productive one. Cam Ward desperately needs a game-changer at one of the skill positions. Newcomer wideout Wan’Dale Robinson doesn’t exactly fit that bill, but he’ll make life easier for the second-year quarterback.

Advertisement

With Robert Saleh now the head coach in Tennessee, it wouldn’t be a surprise if the Titans used the No. 4 pick on one of the top edge rushers.

There is no doubt that the Titans should add some playmakers in this draft class, and they shouldn’t bank on hitting a dynamic playmaker in the fourth round again. Tennessee could definitely use a premium pick on at least one or possibly two offensive weapons. 

Tennessee also must invest in the interior of the offensive line to help Cam Ward and the offense. While it’s true that Pollard and Spears did not blow the doors off the running game, they were also hampered by subpar play along the offensive line for the past two seasons, after line guru Bill Callahan failed to transform the Titans’ line into a consistent unit. It wasn’t until after he and his son Brian Callahan left that the play-calling for the running game took off. 



Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Trending