Tennessee Vols morning report: Baseball wins SEC East
We are now in the final week of May, and the Tennessee Vols are making history in a couple of sports. All of the regular seasons for spring sports are now officially in the rearview mirror as well, so any more sports coverage we provide will involve postseason play.
Our morning update on Rocky Top relies heavily on the diamond. Baseball achieved an amazing accomplishment this past weekend, and there’s a story involving an individual player as well. Softball, however, did not have a good weekend, and we have to cover that as well.
Outside of the diamond, though, we’ve got a bittersweet update in men’s tennis and a recap of an individual performance in women’s golf. Simply put, plenty of things are still going on. Let’s start with the baseball news.
Baseball wins East, earns No. 2 seed in SEC Tournament – Wes Rucker, GoVols247
With a series win over the South Carolina Gamecocks and the Vanderbilt Commodores failing to sweep the Kentucky Wildcats, the Tennessee Vols baseball team clinched the SEC East by a half game and earned a No. 2 seed in the SEC Tournament, behind the Arkansas Razorbacks. They will face the winner between USC and the Alabama Crimson Tide on Wednesday.
"If the Vols win that Wednesday game, they’ll play again at 4:30 p.m. Eastern on Thursday. If they lose to either the Gamecocks or the Crimson Tide, they’ll play an elimination game Thursday at 10:30 a.m. Eastern."
Jake Rucker a Dick Howser semifinalist – Sportswriters.net
The National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association named Tennessee Vols junior infielder Jake Rucker as a semifinalist for the Dick Howser Trophy, which is given to the top player annually in college baseball. There were 42 semifinalists overall.
"This is the 34th year of the Dick Howser Trophy. The finalists will be announced on Thursday, June 10. Due to COVID-19 protocols at TD Ameritrade Stadium in downtown Omaha, the home of the College World Series for the ninth year, the announcement of this year’s winner will be done via Zoom. The winner will be unveiled on MLB Network and then, a press conference with the winner will be held after the announcement is made. The date and time for the announcement will be announced in the near future."
Softball falls in Regionals – UT Daily Beacon
Despite hosting the event and winning the first game over the Eastern Kentucky Colonels, the Tennessee Lady Vols softball team was eliminated in its NCAA Regionals event with losses to the James Madison Dukes and Liberty Flames. Their season ends with a 42-15 overall record.
"Liberty slammed the door shut in the seventh. The Lady Vols, just one down, could only watch as an Amber Bishop moonshot landed behind the left field wall. The Lady Flames went on to win, 6-4."
Men’s tennis falls in semis, singles and doubles underway – NCAA.com
On Friday, the Tennessee Vols men’s tennis team fell 4-2 to the Baylor Bears in the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament. Singles and doubles championships began Sunday, and Adam Walton and Martim Prata both advanced to the second round of singles while Freshman Johannus Monday lost in his opener.
"Scoring will be a best-of-three sets in both singles and doubles play. There will be no-ad scoring and a 7-point tiebreaker (first to seven points, must win by two points) at six-games-all for all matches. In doubles, a 10-point match tiebreaker will be played instead of a third set."
Mikayla Bardwell ends season – UTSports
Although the Tennessee Lady Vols golf team did not make NCAA Championships, junior Mikayla Bardwell competed in the individuals event this past weekend. She finished 14-over par and tied for 97th in the tournament.
"Bardwell’s three consecutive birdies as the end of round three neared momentarily brought her score in her back nine to 1-under, but two late bogeys moved her back above par for the back nine. As her junior campaign comes to a close, Bardwell recorded four top-seven finishes and scored in the 60s on four occasions in her third year on Rocky Top."