Tennessee

Tennessee Baseball vs. Alabama Score, Updates Series Finale | Rocky Top Insider

Published

2 years ago

March 17, 2024

Press Room

Tennessee Baseball vs. Alabama Score, Updates Series Finale | Rocky Top Insider

Photo By Kate Luffman/Tennessee Athletics

SCORE: Tennessee 4, Alabama 3 | T4

*SCROLL DOWN FOR LIVE AT-BAT- BY AT-BAT FEED*

Fifth-ranked Tennessee baseball (18-2, 1-1 SEC) is set to battle fourteenth-ranked Alabama (16-3, 1-1 SEC) in Tuscaloosa at Sewell-Thomas Stadium Sunday in game three of a three-game series. Sunday’s contest will serve as a series rubber match as Tennessee won the series opener before losing game two to the Tide on Saturday night.

First pitch is at 2 p.m. ET on the SEC Network. It will be the second televised game of Tennessee’s season, as Saturday night’s game against the Tide served as the first. You can also listen to the game here.

The Vols enter the matchup coming off of their first loss since game two of the season, as the Tide won Saturday’s contest 6-3. Drew Beam bounced back after a rocky start to turn in a strong eight-inning performance, but the Vols’ offense couldn’t do enough to overcome the early deficit. Read all about Tennessee’s loss on Saturday night here.

For the at-bat by at-bat thread of Saturday night’s loss, click here.

Sunday will be the first series rubber match of Tennessee’s season, as the Vols swept UAlbany, Bowling Green and Illinois in their three previous series. The Vols did win a makeshift ‘rubber match’ on day three of opening weekend in Arlington by beating Baylor to go 2-1 in the Shriners Children’s College Showdown.

A series win would mark the fourth consecutive and most impressive of the season for Tennessee, as Alabama is the toughest opponent the Vols have faced.

Alabama’s Saturday win snapped a two-game losing streak, and they’ll be looking to carry their momentum into Sunday to get a series win of their own.

More From RTI: Final SEC Bracketology Projections Before the Selection Show

Lineups, pitching matchup and additional pre-game notes are below, followed by the LIVE at-bat by at-bat game thread.

Starting Lineups

TENNESSEE STARTING NINE:

2B Christian Moore (R)

1B Blake Burke (L)

3B Billy Amick (R)

RF Kavares Tears (L)

LF Dylan Dreiling (L)

DH Robin Villeneuve (R)

CF Hunter Ensley (R)

SS Dean Curley (R)

C Cal Stark (R)

Lineup Notes:

Ensley gets his second start in center of the weekend, Tears moves back to right field.
Stark gets his first catcher start of the weekend, slides into the nine-hole.
Villeneuve stays at DH for the third straight game.
Bargo not in the lineup after he came up lame running to first base on Saturday night on a fly ball. Looked like a hamstring.

ALABAMA STARTING NINE:

3B Gage Miller

CF TJ McCants

LF Ian Petrutz

RF Evan Sleight

DH William Hamiter

C Mac Guscette

1B Will Hodo

SS Justin Lebron

2B Bryce Eblin

Pitching Matchup:

Vols So. RHP AJ Russell (0-0, 2.45 ERA, 2 app., 2 starts, 7.1 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 14 K, .231 opp. batting avg., 1.09 WHIP)

vs.

Crimson Tide Jr. RHP Hagan Banks (0-0, 0.00 ERA, 2 app, 1 start, 3.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 6 K, .091 opp. batting avg., 0.82 WHIP)

Pitching notes:

Russell makes his return to the starting rotation since the UAlbany series, as he’s been dealing with soreness.
This is Russell’s first SEC start of his career and first time ever starting on a Sunday.
This is Banks’ second start but as the stats show, he hasn’t seen much action this year. Alabama doesn’t have a reliable Sunday guy, so they’re still experimenting to see if they can find one.

Uniforms

Tennessee: Smokey greys

Vols are undefeated in Smokey greys this season.

GAME THREAD

1st Inning:

-Christian Moore flies out to RF.

-Blake Burke lines out to LF.

-Billy Amick slaps a single to center field.

-Kavares Tears flies out to CF. To the warning track.

END OF TOP HALF

-Gage Miller singles through the right side.

Miller advances to second on a balk.

-TJ McCants strikes out swinging.

-Ian Petrutz drives an RBI single to left center to score Miller.

-Evan Sleight lines out to LF.

-William Hamiter pops up to 2B.

END OF BOTTOM HALF

Score: Vols 0, Crimson Tide 1

2nd Inning:

-Dylan Dreiling strikes out swinging.

-Robin Villeneuve strikes out swinging.

-Hunter Ensley singles to LF. Impressive as the pitch was up high in the zone and Ensley got it.

-Dean Curley fouls out to 1B.

END OF TOP HALF

-Mac Guscette flies out to CF.

-Will Hodo grounds out to 3B.

-Justin Lebron strikes out swinging. Pitch hit him, but Lebron swung for strike three. Nice 1-2-3 inning from Russell.

END OF BOTTOM HALF

Score: Vols 0, Crimson Tide 1

3rd Inning:

-Cal Stark works a walk after a great at-bat.

-Christian Moore singles to RF over the second baseman’s head. Stark advances to second.

Alabama calls a mound meeting.

*Pitching change: LHP Kade Snell (0-0, 11.57 ERA) on to pitch for Banks*

-Blake Burke is walked on four pitches to load the bases with no outs.

-Billy Amick out on an infield fly to 1B.

-Kavares Tears strikes out swinging.

-Dylan Dreiling rips a bases-clearing double to left center. Dreiling advanced to third on the throw home.

-Robin Villeneuve ropes an RBI double down the LF line.

-Hunter Ensley grounds out to SS.

END OF TOP HALF

*Pitching change: G-Sr. LHP Chris Stamos (3-0, 2.35 ERA) on to pitch for Russell*

-Bryce Eblin flies out to RF. To the warning track.

-Gage Miller works a walk.

Tennessee challenges call at first that Miller is safe on a pickoff attempt. Call STANDS as Burke didn’t get the tag down in time.

-TJ McCants singles through the right side. Miller advances to second.

*Pitching change: So. RHP Nate Snead (4-0, 1.80 ERA) on to pitch for Stamos*

-Ian Petrutz knocks an RBI single through the right side to score Miller. McCants advances to third.

-Evan Sleight sends a sac fly to CF to score McCants.

Petrutz advances to second on a passed ball.

-William Hamiter is hit by a pitch.

-Mac Guscette reaches on a fielder’s choice as Hamiter is out at 2B, unassisted.

END OF BOTTOM HALF

Score: Vols 4, Crimson Tide 3

4th Inning:

Score: Vols 4, Crimson Tide 3

5th Inning:

Score: Vols , Crimson Tide

6th Inning:

Score: Vols , Crimson Tide

7th Inning:

Score: Vols , Crimson Tide

8th Inning:

Score: Vols , Crimson Tide

9th Inning:

FINAL: Tennessee Vols __, Alabama Crimson Tide __

Source link

Tennessee

What we learned as Vanderbilt baseball sweeps Tennessee for first time since 2013

Published

6 hours ago

March 29, 2026

Press Room

What we learned as Vanderbilt baseball sweeps Tennessee for first time since 2013

For a Vanderbilt vs Tennessee baseball rivalry already full of lore, the Commodores added a unique chapter with their weekend series at Hawkins Field.

Vanderbilt (17-12, 5-4 SEC) won all three games via walk-off: 3-2 win in 10 innings on March 27; 6-5 in 16 innings on March 28, and 16-15 on March 29. The final game ended with an “ultimate grand slam” by Tommy Goodin while down three in the bottom of the ninth inning to sweep the 21st-ranked Vols (18-10, 3-6).

The three games were all different, with the opener being a pitchers duel between Connor Fennell and Tennessee’s Brandon Arvidson and Tegan Kuhns. The second game was a marathon in which each team had one five-run inning. In the third game, pitchers on both sides were still feeling the effects of the previous game as Vanderbilt won a high-scoring shootout.

“Emotionally, that’s probably going be my biggest concern,” coach Tim Corbin said. ” . . . It’s a lot of baseball. But I think the strength is these kids are young. They’ve got a day to get back, kind of get their body back a little bit, to stay away from here. There’s a ripple effect that takes place from playing three games, emotionally draining and tough games.”

Here’s what we learned.

Vanderbilt’s offense comes through when it needs to

Vanderbilt this season has often struggled to get the big hit, constantly leaving runners stranded. This weekend, the Commodores were able to come through with timely hits. Brodie Johnston recorded eight hits in the series, including a home run, while Ryker Waite had two doubles and a home run among his four hits.

Different players came through in every big situation. In Game 1, Logan Johnstone had the walk-off single. In Game 2, Mike Mancini and Ryker Waite both hit home runs and Mack Whitcomb had the walk-off squeeze bunt. In Game 3, Johnston and Rustan Rigdon hit home runs, while Johnstone, Chris Maldonado and Whitcomb each had a pair of RBIs.

Vanderbilt hit for plenty of power, too, with four doubles and six home runs in the series. The Vols had three doubles and two homers.

“It was a wild series,” Corbin said. “Polarizing, no doubt, felt that way, too. I think that’s why it becomes very emotional, because you have periods of not moving the ball and periods of moving the ball. So always comes down to timely hits, doesn’t it?”

Vanderbilt finds bullpen contributors

With six pitchers injured, including Austin Nye, who is out for the season, Vanderbilt has struggled to get production out of its bullpen. While that group was up and down throughout the series, the Commodores got significant production out of a few arms they hadn’t in the past.

In Game 2, freshman Tyler Baird pitched five scoreless innings, walking two and striking out four. Going into the outing, he’d had an ERA of 6.89, with 12 walks in 15⅔ innings, and hadn’t lasted even an inning last week against Mississippi State. Replacing him, fellow freshman Nate Schlote threw three scoreless innings, with two walks and three strikeouts. In Game 3, Jakob Schulz threw 3⅔ scoreless innings, with one walk and two strikeouts.

“That’s really what it is, you’re pitching for the first few times in the conference, you get tentative,” Corbin said. “(Baird) was tentative against Mississippi State. But I also know that that bus ride was probably a long one for him, and (pitching coach Scott Brown) did a good job of grabbing him right away, like a little small car accident, getting him back in the driver’s seat again to drive, and he did. Made a good adjustment.”

Vanderbilt gets back on track

The Commodores were reeling entering the week. They’d lost five straight games, including getting swept at Mississippi State. There were questions of whether they would even make the postseason.

Now they are in a better spot. With new contributors in the bullpen and the offense stepping up, Vanderbilt can feel better heading to Texas A&M for a weekend series April 3-5.

“I think it’ll be very huge,” Goodin said. “I think this is a very big, big boost . . . This definitely could be a really good turning point for all of us. And, you know, really going in there and playing at the caliber that we play at, just like this, it’s awesome.”

Aria Gerson covers Vanderbilt athletics for The Tennessean. Contact her at agerson@gannett.com or on X @aria_gerson.

Source link

Tennessee

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

Published

18 hours ago

March 29, 2026

Press Room

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

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.

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.

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

Tennessee

Tennessee football gets commitment from WR Kesean Bowman

Published

1 day ago

March 28, 2026

Press Room

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.

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.

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

Source link