Tennessee
Why Jaylen Carey earned ‘bodyguard’ title for Tennessee vs Ole Miss
Jaylen Carey’s frame garners a lot of attention for Tennessee basketball.
As the Vols (16-6, 6-3 SEC) throttled Ole Miss (11-11, 3-6) by a score of 84-66 at Food City Center on Feb. 4, Carey used his size to protect his teammates.
In the first half, freshman Nate Ament crashed to the ground after a defender aggressively bodied him up. Referees kept the call at a common foul, but in the second half, Ole Miss player James Scott received a flagrant after swiping at Bishop Boswell’s face.
On both occasions, the 6-foot-8, 267-pound Carey found himself in the middle of a scrum against a group of Ole Miss defenders.
“Yeah man, that’s our bodyguard, that’s our team bodyguard right there,” Ament said. “He likes to get in fights and stuff like that. I’m just joking, but he’s our enforcer. Knowing that someone like that is having my back, it’s incredible. He broke my wrist in the summer when I tried to dunk on him, but that’s a whole different story.”
Carey shared a double technical foul with Scott after the second skirmish. Tennessee coach Rick Barnes wasn’t so keen on Carey’s activities.
“I don’t mind it, but I don’t want him to get technical fouls, especially when we’re short a post player,” Barnes said. “I know his teammates respect him for it. It happened so quickly. I think our guys appreciate it. I just don’t want it to get us at the wrong time when we are really playing with three of our starting five post players.”
Tennessee basketball center Felix Okpara making ‘progress’
The Vols won another game without starting center Felix Okpara. He missed his second straight contest with a left calf injury. Tennessee would have been even thinner in the frontcourt if Carey was ejected.
There’s no return timetable for Okpara, but Barnes sounded optimistic after talking to director of men’s basketball sports medicine Chad Newman.
“Chad told me today (Okpara) was feeling better today,” Barnes said. “I said, ‘How’s he feeling?’ He said he thought he made progress today. I can’t tell you when because that’s the honest answer. He told me that right before the game. He said he had a good day.”
The Vols’ big men weren’t as productive against Ole Miss as they were against Auburn. Redshirt sophomore J.P. Estrella finished with 12 points and nine rebounds. Freshman DeWayne Brown II, who replaced Okpara in the starting lineup, had five points, three rebounds and an assist. Carey, nearly ejected with four fouls, had four points, five rebounds and an assist.
Wynton Jackson covers high school sports for Knox News. Email: wynton.jackson@knoxnews.com
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Tennessee baseball will look to salvage the final game of the SEC series against Ole Miss.
The Vols (25-14, 7-10 SEC) play Game against the No. 23 Rebels (29-11, 10-7) on April 19 (1 p.m. ET, SEC Network+) at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.
Ole Miss has been on a roll. The 8-1 win on April 18 against the Vols moved the Rebels to eight straight wins. It got an ace-level start from Cade Townsend and a grand slam from Tristan Bissetta to secure Game 2.
Taylor Rabe (3-1, 3.16 ERA) will start for the Rebels. Evan Blanco (3-2, 3.67 ERA) will be on the mound for Tennessee.
Tennessee baseball vs. Ole Miss live updates
What channel is Tennessee baseball vs. Ole Miss on today?
- TV channel: SEC Network+
- Live stream: ESPN app
Tennessee baseball vs. Ole Miss game times
- Game 3: April 19 (1 p.m. ET)
Tennessee baseball vs. Ole Miss probable pitchers
- Tennessee: LHP Evan Blanco (3-2, 3.67 ERA)
- Ole Miss: RHP Taylor Rabe (3-1, 3.16 ERA)
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) – The Tennessee Volunteers baseball team dropped game two to Ole Miss on Saturday afternoon, 8-1. The Rebels clinch the series, the first time Ole Miss has won a series in Knoxville since 2016.
A bright spot for the Vols was Tegan Kuhns who threw 5.2 innings not allowing a run, striking out 10 batters on five hits.
Cam Appenzeller picked up his first loss of the season coming in out of the bullpen for Kuhns. The SEC Freshman of the Week did not have a great outing. Appenzeller went 2.1 innings giving up six earned runs.
Tennessee escaped a shutout as Trent Grindlinger hit a solo home run in the ninth inning. Grindlinger’s home run was one of Tennessee’s two hits on the night.
The Volunteers look to avoid the series sweep as theY round out the series with Ole Miss on Sunday at Lindsey Nelson Stadium. First pitch is set for 1 p.m. on the SEC Network+.
Copyright 2026 WVLT. All rights reserved.
Tennessee (25-13, 7-9 SEC) will continue a three-game home baseball series on Saturday. The Vols will host No. 23 Ole Miss (28-11, 9-7 SEC) at Lindsey Nelson Stadium. Rankings reflect the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll.
Ole Miss won Game 1 on Friday, 7-4.
Saturday’s Game 2 was scheduled for 6 p.m. EDT. Due to possible inclement weather on Saturday, first pitch for Game 2 will take place at 4 p.m. EDT.
“Due to the chance of inclement weather tomorrow night, tomorrow’s game versus Ole Miss will now start at 4 p.m. EDT,” Tennessee announced on Friday.
Below is how to watch information for Saturday’s Tennessee-Ole Miss Game 2.
What channel is Tennessee versus Ole Miss baseball on?
- TV channel: SEC Network+
- Livestream: Watch live on SECN+
- Announcers: Myan Patel (play-by-play) and Cody Hawn (analyst)
Watch Tennessee baseball live
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