Texas A&M baseball fans knew that their team was facing an uphill battle as they hit the road for a weekend series against the No. 1 Tennessee Volunteers in a rematch of the 2024 College World Series.

But Friday night’s battle was like trying to climb Mount Everest with two broken legs.

The Aggies dropped below .500 Friday night in game one of the weekend series, losing in a run rule-shortened affair to the Volunteers in Knoxville, 10-0.

And to add salt to the wound, the Aggies were held to zero hits on the night, their only base runners coming on two walks by the Tennessee pitching.

One of those walks was to Jace LaViolette, who just so happened to break another Texas A&M baseball record, this one for most career walks for the Maroon and White, having taken his 141st career ball four Friday night.

The Volunteers began their scoring with a pair of home runs by first baseman Andrew Fischer, first a solo shot in the second inning, and then a three-run round-tripper the following inning, giving the Vols a 4-0 lead after three innings.

Tennessee third baseman Dean Curley would extend the lead with a solo home run in the fifth inning, giving the top-ranked team a 5-0 advantage leading into the sixth inning, which is where Tennessee sealed the deal on the night.

After two RBI singles by shortstop Ariel Antigua and designated hitter Dalton Bargo, center fielder Hunter Ensley put the dagger in the visiting team with a three-run home run, giving the reigning national champions a 10-0 lead.

The Aggies would go down in order in the top of the seventh, resulting in their first run-ruling of the season.

Many might believe that the team used up all their offense in their most recent midweek game against Incarnate Word, where they scored an incredible 21 runs, which could easily cover two games, but it had to be known that the top-ranked team in the nation was not going to be just another game on the schedule.

Due to inclement weather scheduled to be in the Knoxville area over the weekend, the final two games of the series will be a doubleheader Saturday. Game one will be at 2:00 p.m. and game two will follow up at 6:00 p.m. Both games will be available on SEC Network.

Chase Dollander was called up by the Colorado Rockies on Friday, setting up the Tennessee baseball product to make his MLB debut.

Dollander is the seventh player from the Tony Vitello era to reach the major leagues. The No. 9 overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft is the third to do so with the Rockies, following outfielder Jordan Beck and pitcher Seth Halvorsen. Beck and Halvorsen made their MLB debuts last season and are on the Rockies’ roster.

Dollander was ranked as the No. 25 MLB prospect in January and is Colorado’s top prospect. He is 27-11 with a 3.32 ERA in 69 minor league games with 66 starts. He has 466 strikeouts in 339 innings with 120 walks.

He made 23 starts in the minor leagues between High-A Spokane and AA Hartford last season. He was 6-2 with a 2.59 ERA and 169 strikeouts in 118 innings with 47 walks. He opened the season with AAA Albuquerque, where he made one start and struck out five in four innings of one-run baseball.

Chase Dollander called up to MLB by Colorado Rockies

Dollander had 238 strikeouts in 168 innings at Tennessee and had a 3.64 ERA at Tennessee in the 2022 and 2023 seasons. The Evans, Georgia, native went 10-0 with a 2.39 ERA in 2022 and was named the SEC pitcher of the year. He earned numerous All-American honors for his sophomore season. He was 7-6 with a 4.75 ERA as a junior in 2023, but settled in late in the season after a rocky start in the first couple months.

The 6-foot-2, 200-pound Dollander struck out 10 or more batters nine times in 31 starts for Tennessee.

He is the highest-drafted pitcher under Vitello and only Christian Moore was drafted higher. Moore was picked No. 8 by the Los Angeles Angels in the 2024 MLB Draft.

Dollander transferred to Tennessee after a strong freshman season at Georgia Southern, where he was 4-3 with a 4.01 ERA.

Chase Dollander is the seventh Vol coach by Tony Vitello to reach MLB

Dollander is the fifth Vol currently in the major leagues.

Pitcher Garrett Crochet debuted with the Chicago White Sox in 2020 when he skipped the minor leagues and debuted in the same year he was drafted No. 11 overall. He earned an all-star bid in 2024 as a star starter for the White Sox, who traded him to the Boston Red Sox before the 2025 season.

Pitcher Ben Joyce debuted for the Los Angeles Angels on May 29, 2023, less than a year after the hard-throwing reliever was selected in the third round of the 2022 MLB Draft.

RUSSELL: What’s next for AJ Russell after starting for Tennessee baseball vs Tennessee Tech

Beck, who was the No. 38 pick in the 2022 draft, made his debut with the Colorado Rockies on April 30, 2024. Halvorsen was called up on August 30, 2024, and made his debut a day later with the Colorado Rockies.

Andre Lipcius made his debut on Sept. 1, 2023 with the Detroit Tigers, who drafted Lipcius in the third round of the 2019 MLB Draft with the No. 83 pick. Trey Lipscomb debuted with the Washington Nationals on March 30, 2024. He was picked in the third round of the 2022 MLB Draft. Lipcius and Lipscomb are currently at AAA with the White Sox and Nationals, respectively.

Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at michael.wilson@knoxnews.com and follow him on Twitter @ByMikeWilson. If you enjoy Mike’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it

SELMER, Tenn. (WMC) – The Tennessee Emergency Management Agency reports more than 20 injuries and multiple deaths in McNairy County.

Action News 5 has learned from several county officials that four people lost their lives after an EF-3 tornado hit the county overnight Thursday.

Action News 5’s crews on the ground Thursday saw several areas near the middle of Selmer, Tennessee, and outskirts of the town destroyed.

Some businesses and homes received significant damage, others are gone.

The American Red Cross has opened a shelter at the Selmer Community Center and is offering hot meals to those in need.

Tennessee Governor Bill Lee, Congressman David Kustoff, and other state officials surveyed damage in Selmer on Thursday.

Law enforcement agencies in and outside of Selmer are assisting with emergency recovery efforts, including the Selmer Police Department, Tennessee Highway Patrol, and others.

Tennessee Task Force One, from Memphis, also assisted with recovery efforts.

The threat of severe weather is not over yet. Emergency officials are urging residents to be vigilant as rain and potential flooding are expected throughout the week.

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