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The Sultan Of Swat
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Ole Miss Rebels
(16-6) Overall (2-1) SEC
@
Tennessee Volunteers
(19-3) Overall (1-2) SEC
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – No. 7/8 Tennessee jumps right back into Southeastern Conference play this weekend as No. 17/NR Ole Miss visits Lindsey Nelson Stadium. The Vols are coming off a 10-2 midweek win over Xavier and will be looking to win their first conference series of the year after dropping two of three games at Alabama last weekend in Tuscaloosa.
Fans can also listen to John Wilkerson and Vince Ferrara call the action on the Vol Network (FM 99.1/AM 990). A free audio stream will also be available on UTSports.com, the Tennessee Athletics App and the Varsity App.
GAME 2: RHP Drew Beam (3-1, 3.03 ERA) vs. LHP Liam Doyle (2-0, 3.95 ERA)
GAME 3: TBD vs. RHP Grayson Saunier (3-2, 4.09 ERA)
in Knoxville: Rebels lead, 22-19
in Oxford: Rebels lead, 25-23-1
at Neutral Sites: Rebels lead, 3-1
Last Meeting: W, 4-3 – March 27, 2022 in Oxford
Tennessee has won five of the last six meetings in the series, including a series sweep in Oxford back in 2022. The Vols are 6-3 against Ole Miss overall under Tony Vitello and have won back-to-back series against the Rebels.
Whenever AJ Causey has been on the mound for Tennessee this season, it's been a winning recipe for the Big Orange, who have come away victorious in all five of his appearances this year.
Causey improved to 4-0 last Friday when he led the Vols to an 11-3 win over No. 12/14 Alabama. Making his first-ever SEC start, Causey bounced back from allowing two solo home runs in the first inning to hold the Crimson Tide scoreless over the next 5.2 frames and retired 15 of the final 17 batters he faced on the night.
The junior righthander enters this weekend's series tied for the SEC lead with four victories while ranking seventh in the league in ERA (1.65) and strikeouts (38). Causey's strikeout-to-walk ratio (9.50) also ranks second in the SEC and 18th in the country.
Burke Closing in on Home Run Record
Junior slugger Blake Burke enters this weekend with 38 career home runs after hitting his eighth of the year Tuesday's midweek win over Xavier, which moved him into a tie for third in program history with UT legend and Pro Baseball Hall of Famer Todd Helton (1993-95).
The California native needs just two more homers to tie the program record of 40 held by his predecessor at first base, Luc Lipcius (2017-22).
Vols Dominant in SEC Home Opening Series Under Vitello
UT has been nearly unbeatable in SEC home opening series under Vitello, posting a 14-1 record during his head coaching tenure (2018-pres.). In that span, the Vols have swept four of their five SEC home opening series.
2023: Swept #12 Texas A&M (3-0)
2022: Swept South Carolina (3-0)
2021: Swept #14 LSU (3-0)
2020: No SEC Games (COVID-19)
2019: Won Series vs. South Carolina (2-1)
2018: Swept Alabama (3-0)
(16-6) Overall (2-1) SEC
@
Tennessee Volunteers
(19-3) Overall (1-2) SEC
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – No. 7/8 Tennessee jumps right back into Southeastern Conference play this weekend as No. 17/NR Ole Miss visits Lindsey Nelson Stadium. The Vols are coming off a 10-2 midweek win over Xavier and will be looking to win their first conference series of the year after dropping two of three games at Alabama last weekend in Tuscaloosa.
BROADCAST INFO
All three games this weekend will be streamed on SEC Network+ and the ESPN app with Jack Benjamin (PxP) and Bobby Moranda (analyst) on the call.Fans can also listen to John Wilkerson and Vince Ferrara call the action on the Vol Network (FM 99.1/AM 990). A free audio stream will also be available on UTSports.com, the Tennessee Athletics App and the Varsity App.
PROJECTED STARTING PITCHERS
GAME 1: RHP AJ Causey (3-0, 1.65 ERA) vs. LHP Gunnar Dennis (3-0, 4.56 ERA)GAME 2: RHP Drew Beam (3-1, 3.03 ERA) vs. LHP Liam Doyle (2-0, 3.95 ERA)
GAME 3: TBD vs. RHP Grayson Saunier (3-2, 4.09 ERA)
SERIES HISTORY
Overall: Rebels lead, 50-43-1in Knoxville: Rebels lead, 22-19
in Oxford: Rebels lead, 25-23-1
at Neutral Sites: Rebels lead, 3-1
Last Meeting: W, 4-3 – March 27, 2022 in Oxford
Tennessee has won five of the last six meetings in the series, including a series sweep in Oxford back in 2022. The Vols are 6-3 against Ole Miss overall under Tony Vitello and have won back-to-back series against the Rebels.
NOTABLE
Cause(y) and EffectWhenever AJ Causey has been on the mound for Tennessee this season, it's been a winning recipe for the Big Orange, who have come away victorious in all five of his appearances this year.
Causey improved to 4-0 last Friday when he led the Vols to an 11-3 win over No. 12/14 Alabama. Making his first-ever SEC start, Causey bounced back from allowing two solo home runs in the first inning to hold the Crimson Tide scoreless over the next 5.2 frames and retired 15 of the final 17 batters he faced on the night.
The junior righthander enters this weekend's series tied for the SEC lead with four victories while ranking seventh in the league in ERA (1.65) and strikeouts (38). Causey's strikeout-to-walk ratio (9.50) also ranks second in the SEC and 18th in the country.
Burke Closing in on Home Run Record
Junior slugger Blake Burke enters this weekend with 38 career home runs after hitting his eighth of the year Tuesday's midweek win over Xavier, which moved him into a tie for third in program history with UT legend and Pro Baseball Hall of Famer Todd Helton (1993-95).
The California native needs just two more homers to tie the program record of 40 held by his predecessor at first base, Luc Lipcius (2017-22).
Vols Dominant in SEC Home Opening Series Under Vitello
UT has been nearly unbeatable in SEC home opening series under Vitello, posting a 14-1 record during his head coaching tenure (2018-pres.). In that span, the Vols have swept four of their five SEC home opening series.
2023: Swept #12 Texas A&M (3-0)
2022: Swept South Carolina (3-0)
2021: Swept #14 LSU (3-0)
2020: No SEC Games (COVID-19)
2019: Won Series vs. South Carolina (2-1)
2018: Swept Alabama (3-0)
OPPONENT SCOUT
Ole Miss Rebels (16-6, 2-1 SEC)- Head Coach: Mike Bianco (24th season)
- 2023 Record: 25-29 (6-24 SEC)
- 2023 Postseason: N/A
- Rankings: D1Baseball – NR | USA Today – RV | Baseball America – 17 | NCBWA – RV | Perfect Game – NR
- 2024 SEC Preseason Poll: 6th in Western Division
- Preseason All-Conference Selections (0)
- Stat Leaders:
- Batting Avg: Ethan Lege (.384)
- Runs: Ethan Lege (25)
- Hits: Ethan Lege (28)
- Home Runs: Andrew Fischer (9)
- RBI: Fischer & Lege (25)
- Stolen Bases: Groff & Hill (8)
- Wins: Dennis & Saunier (3)
- Saves: Connor Spencer (4)
- ERA (min. 10 IP): Mason Nichols (0.79)
- WHIP (min. 10 IP): Mason Nichols (0.88)
- Innings Pitched: Riley Maddox (25.2)
- Strikeouts: Gunnar Dennis (29)
ON DECK
The Vols continue their eight-game homestand with four more games in Knoxville next week, starting with an in-state matchup against Tennessee Tech on Tuesday night at 6 p.m. before hosting Georgia over the weekend.
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