Tennessee baseball is back in action this weekend at Lindsey Nelson Stadium with a three-game series against Samford. The Vols are 4-0 to start the season having outscored opponents 75-6 to this point.
But Samford is the best opponent that Tennessee has faced to date and should pose more of a threat than they’ve seen to this point. Here’s details on how to watch the weekend series and more.
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How to Watch: Tennessee Baseball (4-0) vs. Samford (3-1)
Game One: 2 p.m. ET on Friday afternoon
- Stream: SEC Network+
- PxP: Andy Brock
Game Two: 2 p.m. ET on Saturday afternoon
- Stream: SEC Network+
- PxP: Andy Brock, CC: Cody Hawn
Game Three: 1 p.m. ET on Sunday afternoon
- Stream: SEC Network+
- PxP: Andy Brock, CC: Cody Hawn
Projected Pitching Matchups
Friday:
Tennessee LHP Liam Doyle (1-0, 0.00 ERA, 0.20 WHIP, 5 IP, 11 K, 0 BB) vs. Samford LHP Miller Riggins (1-0, 3.60 ERA, 0.40 WHIP, 5 IP, 5 K, 0 BB)
Saturday:
Tennessee RHP Marcus Phillips (0-0, 0.00 ERA, .75 WHIP, 4 IP, 4 K, 2 BB) vs. Samford RHP Cameron Keshock (0-0, 6.00 ERA, 2.00 WHIP, 3 IP, 3 K, 1 BB)
Sunday:
TBA vs. Samford RHP Josh Leerssen (0-0, 0.00 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, 3 IP, 4 K, 1 BB)
Cold Weather To Affect Series
Some Knoxville winter weather has already affected the series with first pitch time for both the Friday and Saturday games being moved up. Cold weather has been the common denominator for the first four Tennessee games this season and that will stay the same this weekend.
As of the time of publication, the Weather Channel projects it to be 33 degrees and sunny at first pitch on Friday and 41 degrees and partly cloudy on Saturday. The high on Sunday is 51 degrees.
This should be the coldest series of the season with temperatures expected to rise next week ahead of Tennessee’s trip to Houston for the Astros College Classic next weekend.
Will Tegan Kuhns and Dylan Loy Make Their Season Debut?
Two of Tennessee’s key pitchers have yet to throw this season in freshman RHP Tegan Kuhns and sophomore LHP Dylan Loy. Kuhns was ill last weekend while Loy is still working his way back from a minor injury.
Kuhns dropped some weight while sick last weekend and could potentially return this weekend though it remains uncertain. Loy pitched in Tennessee’s final scrimmage weekend a week before the season’s opening weekend but Vitello said that they wanted him to face Tennessee batters before he pitches in a game.
Both Kuhns and Loy are potential weekend starters and will have major roles in the bullpen if not. Whether they pitch this weekend is a storyline worth watching.
Quick Prediction
Samford is the best team that Tennessee has faced so far this season. The Bulldogs were picked to finish second in the SoCon and are a consistently solid program.
They should be relatively competitive in at least one game this weekend and it would not be overly surprising if they earned a win. Still, my best guess is Tennessee sweeps the Bulldogs.
Tennessee sweeps Samford
