No. 18 Tennessee baseball’s series opener against No. 13 South Carolina in Columbia has been postponed to Friday due to inclement weather in the area.
First pitch for Thursday’s night game was originally scheduled for 7 p.m. ET. Now, the two teams will play a doubleheader on Friday, with both games being nine innings.
First pitch for game one of the doubleheader is set for 3 p.m. ET with game two starting approximately one hour after the completion of game one.
Thursday's game against South Carolina has been postponed. We will play a doubleheader on Friday, May 19, beginning at 3 p.m. ET at Founders Park.#GBO // #OTH // #BeatSC pic.twitter.com/gxLoZCvXY2
— Tennessee Baseball (@Vol_Baseball) May 18, 2023
Friday’s doubleheader will serve as Tennessee’s third of the season and second in SEC play. The last time the Vols played in a doubleheader, they lost both games to Missouri in Columbia, Missouri, on a Sunday.
Weather has become a recurring obstacle for Tennessee over the past week. The postponing marks the third straight game to be affected by weather for Tennessee. The Vols’ series finale vs. Kentucky experienced a two-hour lightning/rain delay, and Tennessee’s midweek matchup against Belmont experienced a 90-minute rain delay.
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Tennessee’s upcoming series against South Carolina will be the final series of the regular season. Currently sitting at 14-13 in SEC play, the Vols have a chance to significantly improve their case to host an NCAA Regional if they were to win the series.
However, if Tennessee were to lose the series, it would be severely unlikely that the Vols would host.
Tennessee has yet to win a series on the road all season, and they only have two true road wins this season. The Vols beat UC San Diego in Arizona in the third game of the season, but it was at a neutral site.
The last time the Vols hit the road was two weeks ago, when they lost two of three to Georgia in Athens.
The last time Tennessee faced South Carolina in a three-game series was last season in Lindsey Nelson Stadium. The Vols swept the Gamecocks in what was the first SEC series of the season.
