Tennessee baseball returns to Lindsey Nelson Stadium this weekend where they’ll face Ole Miss in its SEC home opener.
The Vols are looking to bounce back from a disappointing first weekend of conference play where they won the series opener at Alabama before dropping the final two games of the series. Ole Miss started out SEC play strong as they two out of three in a home series against South Carolina.
Tony Vitello’s seventh Tennessee team looks to defend its home field in its first of two straight home conference series.
Here’s everything to know about the matchup.
More From RTI: What Tony Vitello Said Following The Vols’ Midweek Win Over Xavier
How To Watch — No. 8 Tennessee (19-3, 1-2 SEC) vs. Ole Miss (16-6, 2-1 SEC)
Game One
- 6:30 p.m. ET
- Stream: SEC Network+
- PxP: Jack Benjamin, CC: Bobby Moranda
Game Two
- 6 p.m. ET
- Watch: SEC Network+
- PxP: Jack Benjamin, CC: Bobby Moranda
Game Three
- 1 p.m. ET
- Watch: SEC Network+
- PxP: Jack Benjamin, CC: Bobby Moranda
What Tennessee HC Tony Vitello Said About Ole Miss
On what he knows about Ole Miss
“Not too much. I’ve got to work on that – maybe take a five-minute session before I come in here on Tuesdays, you guys typically ask. I was getting made fun of by a great baseball guy today that just… my knowledge isn’t that good if it’s outside of our circle, but with those guys coming in, we’ll dive in as much as possible. We do know some of those guys that they picked up in the transfer portal because we’re tracking that just like every other team. They got some guys we recruited out of high school that chose to go there as well. So, we’re a little bit familiar with the personnel. But if you’re talking about the program, [I’m] all too familiar. They’re going to be aggressive on offense. They’re going to be really well-coached pitching wise. Coach B(ianco) has a national championship ring for a reason. I won’t say he built it from dust, but I think some people lose sight, no matter where you live in the country, of what he has created down there not just with the program, but the entire environment surrounding the baseball program.”
Projected Pitching Matchups
Ole Miss:
Ethan Lege — .384/.490/.699, 6 HR, 11 XBH, 25 RBI, 13 BB, 5 K
Jackson Ross — .347/.520/.597, 5 HR, 8 XBH, 24 RBI, 26 BB, 18 K
Andrew Fischer — .316/.443/.789, 9 HR, 16 XBH, 25 RBI, 17 BB, 15 K
Ethan Groff — .313/.433/.506, 4 HR, 8 XBH, 12 RBI, 17 BB, 18 K, 8 SB
SS Luke Hill — .233/.387/.315, 1 HR, 4 XBH, 12 RBI, 18 BB, 13 K, 8 SB
Last Three Series
Tennesse:
- Dropped two out of three at Alabama
- Swept Illinois at home
- Swept Bowling Green at home
Ole Miss:
- Won two out of three against South Carolina at home
- Won two out of three against Iowa at home
- Won two out of three against High Point at home
Prediction
Tennessee is looking for its first SEC series win of the season as it returns to Knoxville after spending its opening weekend in Tuscaloosa. The Vols didn’t name a Sunday starter but it would be shocking if it wasn’t sophomore AJ Russell. The big question will be how long Russell can pitch in his second outing back from side soreness.
I think the Vols bounce back from a disappointing opening weekend in conference play.
Tennessee takes two out of three
