Spring practice just ended for the Tennessee Vols football program, there are reports that the Lady Vols have found a new basketball assistant and another quarterback confirmed his commitment to Josh Heupel on Monday. None of those things, however, actually made our coverage for today, which centers around confirmed stories within the program.
Our morning update on Rocky Top in this case will stay on the diamond. After last week’s series loss to the Vanderbilt Commodores, baseball got back in the win column by taking two of three from the Texas A&M Aggies this past weekend. That manifested itself in rankings and awards given out Monday that we have to cover.
Beyond just the recognition, though, we actually have a baseball preview to bring you. At the same time, we’ve got an update on a scheduled softball outing to address, so there’s plenty of Tennessee Vols news without football or basketball today. Let’s dive in.
Baseball moves up in rankings, set to host Lipscomb – Wes Rucker, GoVols247
Now at 32-9 and 12-6 in the SEC, the Tennessee Vols baseball team moved up in all the rankings this past week. They reached the top five in all major polls except for Collegiate Baseball Poll, Perfect Game and Baseball America where they were No. 7, No. 6 and No. 6 respectively. UT returns home for a Tuesday night matchup with the Lipscomb Bisons.
"The Vols will host the Bisons at 6:30 p.m. Eastern before hosting a three-game series against Kentucky on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. The Lipscomb game and the final two games against Kentucky will be available to stream on SEC Network+ via the ESPN app, while the opener against the Wildcats on Thursday will be broadcast on ESPNU."
Two baseball Vols earn SEC honors – SECSports
In their series win over the Texas A&M Aggies this past weekend, Tennessee baseball made history, as they scored 20 runs in the clinching game on Sunday. Their play has earned them some recognition. Jake Rucker earned SEC Co-Player of the Week, and Drew Gilbert earned SEC Newcomer of the Week.
"Tennessee’s Jake Rucker recorded 10 hits on the week, including a home run and four doubles, to go along with a .944 slugging percentage and a .579 on-base percentage.…Tennessee’s Drew Gilbert had a hit in three of Tennessee’s four games and was second on the team with six RBI last week. Gilbert tied his career-high with four hits on Sunday against the Aggies."
Softball vs. Western Carolina canceled – UTSports
Tuesday’s scheduled doubleheader for the Tennessee Lady Vols at the Western Carolina Catamounts has been canceled. UT was coming into the matchup with a 35-8 overall record and having just won a key series, taking two of three, against the Georgia Bulldogs this past weekend.
"The cancellation was a mutual decision between both programs and not COVID-19 related. The Lady Vols will hit the road this weekend as they travel to Auburn for a three-game series beginning April 30."