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Tennessee Vols morning report: Baseball moves up rankings

By Caleb Calhoun

KNOXVILLE, TN - SEPTEMBER 09: Tennessee Volunteers fans cheer during the first half of the game against the Indiana State Sycamores at Neyland Stadium on September 9, 2017 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TN - SEPTEMBER 09: Tennessee Volunteers fans cheer during the first half of the game against the Indiana State Sycamores at Neyland Stadium on September 9, 2017 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) /
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As we continue to move deep into May, baseball is shockingly still one of the biggest stories surrounding the Tennessee Vols. Success on the diamond combined with a couple of big decisions by the administration has that sport dominating all others, even as the men’s basketball program reportedly scheduled a home and home with the Arizona Wildcats on Monday.

Our morning update on Rocky Top leads with lots of these success on the diamond. That includes UT moving up the rankings again, having a player recognized by the SEC and having another player become a finalist for a national award. Oh, and there is news surrounding attendance plans for the stadium coming up.

Beyond baseball, women’s golf continuing postseason play earns some coverage too, so we aren’t done looking at the postseason. Let’s start with the news surrounding Tony Vitello’s program though as we dive in.

Baseball as high as No. 4, set to host Tennessee Tech – Wes Rucker, GoVols247

Coming off a sweep over the Missouri Tigers to move into first in the SEC East and tied for first in the SEC overall, the Tennessee Vols baseball team moved up to as high as No. 4 in some of the rankings Monday. At 37-11 overall, they will host the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles Tuesday in a midweek matchup. The first pitch is set for 6:30 p.m. ET.

"Only one critical area — the official NCAA RPI — went the wrong way for Tennessee this week, but that was expected following a three-game series at Mizzou, which has a significantly lower RPI slot than any other team in the SEC. The Vols fell one spot to No. 8 in the RPI, where they had been ranked in the top four before sliding after recent series against struggling Texas A&M and even-more-struggling Mizzou."

Full capacity returning to baseball this weekend – WBIR

On Monday, Tennessee Vols athletic director Danny White announced that Lindsey Nelson Stadium will return to full capacity this weekend. At that point, the baseball program will be playing host to the top-ranked Arkansas Razorbacks.

"Tuesday’s game against Tennessee Tech will continue seating limits that were already in place, according to UT Athletics.But the stadium will be open to 100 percent capacity for the Friday-Sunday home stand against top-ranked Arkansas."

Drew Gilbert recognized by SEC – SECSports

For the second time this season, Tennessee baseball outfielder Drew Gilbert earned SEC Newcomer of the Week on Monday. Gilbert was critical in helping UT sweep Mizzou.

"Tennessee’s Drew Gilbert had another impressive series for the Vols, leading the team with nine hits, five runs and six RBI while batting .600 for the weekend in the sweep at Missouri. Gilbert had multiple hits in all three games against the Tigers."

Evan Russell a Senior CLASS Award finalist – seniorclassaward.com

The Senior CLASS Award named Tennessee baseball outfielder Evan Russell as one of its top 10 finalists on Monday. Russell is the first player in school history to be named a finalist.

"To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition.…An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School®, the Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities."

Women’s golf continues NCAA Regionals – UTSports

At 11-over par, the Tennessee Lady Vols golf team finished Monday of the NCAA Regionals tied for eighth place. They were three strokes away from sixth place, which is where a team needs to reach to be able to qualify for to advance. Play continues on Tuesday and Wednesday.

"Junior Mikayla Bardwell led Tennessee through the opening 18 holes on Monday, recording her ninth round of par or better this season while shooting even-par (72) in the first round. She stands tied for 11th after day one in Simpsonville.Micheala Williams-Luck had a solid showing during Monday’s opening round, as she shot +2 (74). She made par or better on 16 holes in round one and is tied for 25th place with two rounds remaining."

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