Tennessee Vols morning report: Baseball wins, softball advances
Happy Friday the 13th! A holiday that seems to be associated with the Tennessee Vols ironically comes after a very successful day for the athletic program. That success includes a five-star forward committing to the men’s basketball team in Julian Phillips, which we wrote about here.
Our morning update on Rocky Top leads with a pair of wins on the diamond as well. Baseball put on a show to start off its final regular season SEC home series Thursday, and softball won in a historic thriller to advance in its postseason.
Track and field also has a postseason event that warrants ongoing coverage. Beyond those three sports, we’ve got awards to cover in softball and women’s golf, so there is plenty to get to. Let’s start things off on the diamond.
Tony Vitello, players talk first win vs. Georgia – Ben McKee, VolQuest
On Thursday, the Tennessee Vols baseball team defeated the Georgia Bulldogs 5-2 at home to take the opener of a three-game series. UT will face the Dawgs again on Friday at 5:30 p.m. ET and Saturday at 1 p.m. ET. Tony Vitello, Blake Burke and Chase Dollander all recapped the game. Here’s a bit of what Vitello said about mixing up the rotation.
"“Anytime you come upon these Thursday games, like we did last week, it’s going to kind of cause potential to shake things up, anyway. Garrett Crochet was in the stadium tonight, which it was great to see him. “"
Burke was the star offensively, going 3-of-4 with two home runs. Here’s what he said about finally arriving at the plate.
"“Just trusting the work I’ve been putting in. Me and (Josh) Elander have been working a lot in the cages and stuff, so just trusting my abilities and trying to put my best move on the ball.”"
Dollander got the start on the mound and allowed just one run in six innings. He said his fastball was his strength in the game.
"“It was playing really well off my other stuff. I would have to say my change-up looked really good, my curveball looked really good tonight too. My slider was a little iffy at times, but, you know, that’s something you can always work on during practice.”"
Softball wins SEC quarterfinals 1-0 in 13 innings – Ken Lay, VolsWire.com
In their longest SEC Tournament game ever, the No. 3 seed Tennessee Lady Vols softball program defeated the No. 11 seed Mississippi State Bulldogs 1-0 in 13 innings Thursday. Ashley Rogers pitched all 13 games for UT and allowed just three hits.
"Tennessee advances to face No. 7 Missouri at 3 p.m. EDT in Friday’s semifinals. The Tigers eliminated No. 2 Alabama, 3-2, in eight innings."
Track and Field continues SEC Championships – UTSports
The opening day of the Outdoor Track and Field SEC Championships, hosted by the Ole Miss Rebels at the Ole Miss Track and Field complex in Oxford, Miss., saw the Tennessee Vols come away with one medal and two individuals scoring points. Play resumes Friday afternoon and will last through Sunday.
"Georgios Korakidis brought home Tennessee’s first medal of the 2022 SEC Outdoor Track & Field Championships, capturing bronze in the men’s hammer throw.…In the nightcap, Sydney Seymour and Karl Thiessen posted a pair of fourth-place finishes in the women’s and men’s 10,000-meter run."
Four softball Lady Vols earn academic honors – AcademicallAmerica.com
Amanda Ayala, Erin Edmoundson, Kiki Milloy and Ashley Rogers have all earned College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-District 3 First Team honors, tied for the most among all SEC teams. This is the highest number of CoSIDA All-District honors for the Tennessee Lady Vols softball team since 2014.
"The 2021-22 Academic All-District® Baseball and Softball Teams, selected by CoSIDA, recognize the nation’s top student-athletes for their combined performances on the field and in the classroom. The CoSIDA Academic All-America® program separately recognizes baseball and softball honorees in four divisions — NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and NAIA."
Two women’s golfers earn SEC awards – SECSports
On Wednesday, the Southeastern Conference released its postseason women’s golf awards. Bailey Davis of the Tennessee Lady Vols made All-SEC Freshman, and senior Mikayla Bardwell, the only individual to compete at NCAA Regionals from UT, earned the SEC Community Service Award for Rocky Top.
"In the 2021-2022 school year, Bardwell has done almost 50 hours of service to the community which is outstanding to do during a pandemic, including Northstar Church and Cedar Brook Outreach. She enjoys helping people in her church and plans to continue to do so after graduation."