Tennessee Vols morning report: Baseball opener, Athlon football rankings
The Tennessee Vols’ baseball opener and their football ranking in Athlon lead our Volunteers news for Friday, Feb. 16, 2018.
Happy Friday to Vol Nation! The spring sports are fully underway for the Tennessee Vols, and winter sports are still in season. At the same time, there’s always news surrounding what Phillip Fulmer calls the engine that drives the train of the athletic program.
That makes for a ton of news to bring you on Rocky Top as we kick off the upcoming weekends. And it’s no different this weekend.
We’ve got the opening game to one sport to preview along with two other tournaments in two other sports. At the same time, there are two recaps from yesterday to talk about.
And, like we said, the engine has news as well. The engine is obviously football. But that’s not where the lead is today, surprisingly. It’s actually baseball. And that’s where we start.
Tennessee baseball season begins – Al Lesar, Knoxville News Sentinel
The Tennessee Vols baseball program will begin its 2018 season Friday night as they host the Maryland Terrapins in a three-game series over the weekend. It is their first game under new head coach Tony Vitello.
"The 39-year-old Vitello, a college assistant for the past 16 seasons (the most recent was a four-year stint at Arkansas), will be the guy making the final decisions for the first time in his life."
Tennessee football ranked No. 58 in Athlon – Steven Lassan, Athlon Sports
The Tennessee Vols football program was No. 58 in Athlon’s ranking of all 130 teams prior to spring practice. They were just ahead of the Kentucky Wildcats.
"Pruitt needs time to implement his style of play and overall makeup of the roster. Progress should be notable, but Tennessee has a tough path to six or seven wins."
Tennessee Lady Vols lose to Alabama – WATE TV
The Tennessee women’s basketball program can’t seem to beat the Alabama Crimson Tide. Out of the blue, Holly Warlick’s team lost to them for a fourth straight time. This one, however, shockingly came in Knoxville.
"Jordan Lewis scored 14 of her 19 points in the fourth quarter Thursday as Alabama upset No. 11 Tennessee 72-63. Alabama (16-10, 6-7 Southeastern Conference) has won its last four meetings with Tennessee (21-5, 9-4) after losing to the Lady Vols 42 straight times from 1984-2016."
Tennessee softball to compete in Michele Smith Invitational – USF Series online
The Tennessee Lady Vols softball team will compete in the Michele Smith Invitational over the weekend. They play five games against the Oklahoma State Cowboys and UMASS Minutemen on Friday, the Florida Atlantic Owls and South Florida Bulls Saturday, and the Marshall Thundering Herd Sunday.
Men’s golf to compete at Wyoming Desert Intercollegiate – Wyo4news
The Tennessee Vols men’s golf team will compete in a 23-team tournament over the weekend at the University of Wyoming.
"The University of Wyoming men’s golf team will host the three-day Wyoming Desert Intercollegiate at the Classic Club in Palm Desert, Calif., beginning this Friday."
Vols finish in top half of Day 2 of swimming and diving SEC championships – SECSports
The Tennessee Vols men’s swimming and diving team was in second place at the end of Day 2 of the SEC Championships, and the women’s team was in third place.
"The Florida men and the Texas A&M women are in the lead at the 2018 SEC Swimming & Diving Championships following day two of the event at Texas A&M’s Rec Center Natatorium."
Women’s tennis defeats N.C. State – UTSports
The Tennessee Lady Vols tennis team defeated the N.C. State Wolfpack 4-3 on Thursday.
"After splitting the first two courts to finish in doubles, the Lady Vols (10-0) won a hard-fought match on Court 2 to take an early 1-0 advantage. In singles, NC State claimed two of the first three matches, but UT pulled away in the end by taking three of the courts to get the victory."