Tennessee
Why Cannon Peebles changed his walk-up song before two-homer game for Tennessee baseball
Cannon Peebles has made some adjustments in the batter’s box lately.
The Tennessee baseball catcher also made one before he is in the box. He flipped his walk-up song to “My Girl,” the 1965 classic by The Temptations.
“It is a song that kind of keeps me loose,” Peebles said. “Going up to the plate smiling, having fun. I think it fits my vibe. If you know me, it fits my vibe.”
The vibes were good in the Vols’ series opener vs. Kentucky on April 18.
Peebles homered twice and had three hits in Tennessee’s 8-2 win against Kentucky at Lindsey Nelson Stadium. The switch-hitter homered from both sides of the plate while delivering his first two-homer game at Tennessee.
The junior had been using “I Got 5 on It” by Luniz throughout the season, a nod to wearing the No. 5.
Peebles is hitting .219 with seven homers and 23 RBIs this season.
He was 3-for-5 with a two-run homer in Tennessee’s 10-8 win at Ole Miss on Sunday. He went 3-for-4 with two homers and a single against the Wildcats. He hit a three-run homer from the right side in the sixth inning then homered from the left side in the eighth inning.
He had one three-hit game last season, his first with the Vols after transferring from NC State.
“I think that he’s matured a lot and I think he’s kind of starting to find his ideal personality,” Vols coach Tony Vitello said. “I think he’s finding his way and (Tanner Franklin) and him, those guys are juniors that’ll play pro ball and stuff like that, but they are still young. So you want to have high standards, but you also want to leave room for guys to kind of navigate their way through the waters and find the best version of themselves.”
Peebles also hit a crucial homer in Tennessee’s series at South Carolina, coming off the bench to hit the eventual game-winning homers in a 7-5 win.
The Virginia native was an All-ACC freshman selection at North Carolina State in 2023. The switch-hitting catcher hit .352 with 12 homers and 50 RBIs in 39 games. He had .697 slugging percentage and a .456 on-base percentage.
He transferred to Tennessee but had an up-and-down season first season. He hit .216 with two homers and 24 RBIs, but became a valuable pinch hitter. He battled for an eight-pitch walk as a pinch hitter in the ninth inning of Tennessee’s comeback win against Florida State in the College World Series. His walk extended the inning, which led to four Vols runs and a win that catapulted UT to its first national title.
Peebles is giving Tennessee even more now with vibes as good as sunshine on a cloudy day.
“The bat is heating up now in the perfect time and he is playing great defense behind the plate,” pitcher Liam Doyle said.
Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at michael.wilson@knoxnews.com and follow him on X @ByMikeWilson or Bluesky @bymikewilson.bsky.social. If you enjoy Mike’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it.
Tennessee
Sick and tired: Counties near Chattanooga are now reporting highest flu rates in Tennessee
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn — Tennessee health officials say flu activity is rising sharply in around Chattanooga, with counties surrounding Hamilton showing some of the highest rates in the state.
Marion, Grundy, Sequatchie, Bradley, Meigs, Rhea, Bledsoe, McMinn and Polk counties are currently the only areas in Tennessee rated “very high” for influenza activity by the Tennessee Dept. of Health. Photo via the Tennessee Health Dept.
Marion, Grundy, Sequatchie, Bradley, Meigs, Rhea, Bledsoe, McMinn and Polk counties are currently the only areas in Tennessee rated “very high” for influenza activity by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
These counties have flu positivity rates greater than 10 percent. By comparison, the statewide average is 6.5 percent, and Hamilton County itself is at 6.9 percent.
State and federal health experts say the surge comes as influenza A(H3N2) continues to circulate widely. The CDC reports at least 11 million flu illnesses, 120,000 hospitalizations, and 5,000 deaths nationwide so far this season. One pediatric death was reported this week in Tennessee, bringing the season total to nine nationwide.
File photo: Getty Images.
Georgia officials are also reporting higher-than-average flu activity, signaling that the region is experiencing a particularly active season. Health authorities encourage residents six months and older to get vaccinated if they have not already and to take precautions such as frequent handwashing and staying home when sick.
Flu activity is expected to remain elevated in Tennessee and across the U.S. for several more weeks, according to the CDC. Local hospitals and clinics are urging families to monitor symptoms and seek care early, especially for children, older adults, and those with chronic health conditions.
For the latest guidance on influenza vaccination and antiviral treatments, visit the Tennessee Department of Health or the CDC at cdc.gov.
Tennessee launched the country’s first-ever public database tracking and listing convicted domestic abusers as part of a ratified law honoring a sheriff’s deputy who was murdered by her abusive ex-boyfriend.
The database, which officially launched on Jan. 1, includes offenders’ names, photos and dates of birth and is part of Savanna’s Law. The bill was signed into law by Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee in May 2025 and required the state to establish the registry in Savanna Puckett’s name.
Puckett, a 22-year-old Robertson County Sheriff’s deputy, was tragically killed by her ex-boyfriend, James Conn, at her home on Jan. 23, 2022. Conn had a lengthy history of domestic assault arrests that Puckett had no knowledge of before they began dating.
Conn shot Puckett in the torso and head before he set her home on fire. He pleaded guilty to her murder in August 2023 and was sentenced to life in prison.
Puckett’s distraught mother, Kim Dodson, was determined to save other domestic abuse victims from her daughter’s fate and began pushing state lawmakers for change.
She was a staunch advocate for the bill’s passage and said that if the registry had existed sooner, her daughter might still be alive.
“I was just horrified when I finally saw all those records because I know Savanna well enough that she would have never dated him. I honestly, honestly, honestly feel that if she had known that she could still be here,” Dodson told WSMV.
The domestic abuser registry is run through the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and lists anyone in the state who has been convicted of at least two domestic violence-related charges, according to the website.
However, the offender’s registration is dependent on the accusing victim. If the victim doesn’t consent to their abuser’s name being included, then the offender can bypass the registry.
The database doesn’t include info on offenders convicted before the new year, so the current list is limited. But it was made in the mirror image of the state’s sex offender registry, which is more fleshed out with decades-worth of listings.
The sex offender registry includes a rolling queue of “wanted violators” and a “map of offenders.”
Tennessee has previously ranked among the top 10 states with the most domestic violence homicides. In 2019, it tied for fifth with South Carolina in a separate list detailing the states with the highest femicide rates, WTVF reported.
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