Tag: baseball

Chad Dallas leads Tennessee to victory on opening day

Recapping UT’s win over Georgia Southern Friday night.

After nearly a calendar year away from the diamond, Tennessee’s baseball team made a triumphant return Friday night.

The Volunteers opened its 2021 season with a 5-3 victory at Georgia Southern. It was Tennessee’s first game in 346 days after the COVID-19 pandemic brought a premature end to the 2020 campaign last March.

The Vols (1-0) received a stellar pitching performance from starter Chad Dallas, who took a no-hitter into the bottom of the seventh inning.

Dallas went 6.1 innings, surrendering two hits and a pair of earned runs, while striking out six Eagles.

He gave way to Sean Hunley, who was on the mound for 1.2 innings. Hunley gave up one earned run, a hit and three strikeouts.

Closer Redmond Walsh nabbed the save by hurling a scoreless ninth and striking out two of the three Georgia Southern hitters he faced.

Offensively for the Vols, right fielder Jordan Beck went 2-for-4 with a home run, a double and a run. He drove in three for Tennessee, which jumped to a 5-0 lead before withstanding a seventh-inning rally by the Eagles (0-1).

Luc Lipcius had two hits, including an RBI double, while scoring a run.

[vertical-gallery id=36845]

A quick look at Game 2 of Florida baseball’s season-opening series vs Miami

The second game of the series is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. EST at Florida Stadium, with options for both watching and listening listed.

The No. 1-ranked Florida Gators baseball team took the first game of both the 2021 season and its three-game series against the Miami Hurricanes on Friday evening, 7-5. The game marked the inaugural event in the program’s newly-christened Florida Field, which replaced the former McKethan Stadium to make way for progress.

Tommy Mace came out strong, throwing five innings of one-run ball while striking out eight before giving way to the bullpen. Things got a bit hairy in the top of the ninth when the ‘Canes threatened with a comeback, but the six-run cushion entering the inning proved to be enough to buffer the barrage.

The second game of the series is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. EST at Florida Stadium, with options for both watching and listening listed below. Here is a preview of what to expect.

No. 1 Florida baseball opens up 2021 season against No. 21 Miami Hurricanes this weekend

Opening day has finally arrived for the top-ranked Florida Gators baseball team, who will unveil their brand-new Florida Ballpark on Friday.

Opening day has finally arrived for the top-ranked Florida Gators baseball team, who will unveil their brand-new Florida Ballpark on Friday afternoon to kick off a three-game series against their in-state rivals the No. 21 Miami Hurricanes.

Florida has dominated the series in recent years, won each of the last six regular-season series and15 of their last 18 games — including last year’s sweep of the then-No. 1 Hurricanes in Coral Gables; head coach Kevin O’Sullivan’s all-time record against the ‘Canes is a healthy 34-13.

The Gators got off to a historic start in 2020, winning its first 12 games to start the season for the first time in school history, a streak that was snapped by the Florida State Seminoles in the last game before the season was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. UF looks to get back on that winning track against a tough opponent this weekend.

Here is a look below at the starting pitchers lined up for the weekend as well as details on how to watch each game. You can also find our projected starting lineup at the bottom of this article.

Drew Gilbert named second-team All-America by NCBWA

Drew Gilbert named second-team All-America by college baseball writers.

Another University of Tennessee baseball player has picked up national preseason honors.

Volunteers’ sophomore pitcher and outfielder Drew Gilbert was named a second-team All-America Standout by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association.

He was selected to the team as a utility player.

Gilbert is the fifth Tennessee player to receive preseason All-America honors. He joins Max Ferguson, Jake Rucker, Connor Pavolony and Jackson Leath to earn All-America honors.

In the abbreviated 2020 season, Gilbert’s first on Rocky Top, he emerged as one of the Big Orange’s most versatile players.

He made 10 starts for the Diamond Vols in the outfield and made for appearances on the mound, all out of the bullpen.

Gilbert picked up a win last season against Stanford in the inaugural Round Rock Classic.

At the plate, he batted .350 and had multiple hits in five games.

[vertical-gallery id=36493]

SEC Preseason Coaches Poll: Tennessee projected to take third in East

UT picked third in Eastern Division in coaches poll.

The University of Tennessee baseball team was selected to finish third in the Southeastern Conference Eastern Division in the SEC Preseason Coaches Poll.

The poll, which was released on Thursday, has the Volunteers slated to finish behind Florida, which is also projected to win the conference championship. The Vols are also projected behind Vanderbilt.

The Gators received 12 first-place votes to win the division, while Vanderbilt received one.

South Carolina is predicted to come in fourth in the division, followed by Georgia, Missouri and Kentucky.

Ole Miss took the top spot in the Western Division. The Rebels garnered seven first-place votes.

Mississippi State is projected to take second in the division and Arkansas, which received three first-place votes, is predicted to take third. The Razorbacks are followed by LSU, which picked up a pair of votes for the top spot in the division, Texas A&M, Auburn and Alabama.

The Gators are the overwhelming favorite to claim the SEC title. They received 12 first-place votes. The Commodores and Mississippi State each received one vote to win the league.

[vertical-gallery id=34826]

Max Ferguson named second-team All-SEC

Tennessee second baseman Max Ferguson named second-team All-SEC.

Tennessee baseball player Max Ferguson has received second-team All-Southeastern Conference preseason honors.

The conference’s coaches selected Ferguson, a second baseman, for second-team honors.

The honor is the second of many bestowed on Ferguson this preseason.

He is a preseason first-team All-America selection by both D1Baseball.com and Baseball America. He garnered second-team honors from Rawlings/Perfect Game.

Last season, Ferguson was second in the SEC in stolen bases with nine. He batted .333 in 13 games of the abbreviated 2020 season, which was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Volunteers were 15-2 when play was suspended prior to the beginning of the conference season.

The junior and Florida native scored 12 runs and clubbed two homers last season.

[vertical-gallery id=34826]

Opening day 2021 starting lineup by position for Gators baseball

Here is a look at who we expect to see at each respective position on opening day, along with their 2020 stats and a short blurb. 

Opening day for the top-ranked Florida Gators baseball team is less than a week away, which means it is time to break out the gloves and the bats and prepare for the joys of springtime.

On Friday, Feb. 19, UF will take the field for the first time in its newly completed Florida Stadium against the No. 21 Miami Hurricanes to kick off the 2021 season with a three-game set against their in-state rivals. The Gators are a consensus No. 1 team, according to D1Baseball, Perfect Game and Collegiate Baseball, returning a nearly untocuhed roster from last year’s top-ranked squad, save for the departure of Austin Langworthy and the addition of the incoming freshman class.

Most notably, Florida returns a stable of starting pitchers that was among the best in 2020 and easily the superlative entering this season, not to mention a bullpen filled with talented arms as well. The Gator Nation has much to look forward to this spring as their beloved school is on the fast-track to the College World Series if all goes well.

Ahead of first pitch, here is a look at who we expect to see at each respective position on opening day, along with a blurb on their past performances as well as their 2020 stat line.

Gators baseball opening day broadcast info announced

ESPN and the Southeastern Conference announced on Friday that the first game of the series will be telecast live via SEC Network.

The top-ranked Gators are set to open their 2021 season on Friday, Feb. 19, when they host the No. 21 Miami Hurricanes for the inaugural series at the brand new Florida Ballpark. With the return of the boys of the baseball diamond just a week away, the team announced the broadcast information for opening day.

ESPN and the Southeastern Conference announced on Friday that the first game of the series will be telecast live via SEC Network, with first pitch slated for 3 p.m. EST. Saturday and Sunday’s games will both begin 1 p.m. EST and can be livestreamed via both SEC Network+ and the ESPN app, and all three games can be heard on ESPN 98.1FM/850AM WRUF.

Florida enters the season a consensus No. 1 team in the nation according to D1Baseball, Perfect Game and Collegiate Baseball, returning a juggernaut roster from last year’s top-ranked squad. UF’s only notable loss from last season was Austin Langworthy who signed with the Detroit Tigers as an undrafted free agent after the 2021 MLB draft.

[lawrence-related id=35383,34525,34249,33517,32607,31306]

[vertical-gallery id=34530]

Guess who got picked as the SEC baseball preseason favorite?

The conference released the results of its coaches poll ranking the best teams and players in the preseason ahead of the 2021 schedule.

The Florida Gators baseball team enters the 2021 season with sky-high expectations, especially after their dominant run last year before the coronavirus cancelation. On Thursday, the Southeastern Conference added a healthy heaping to that pile when it announced that UF will begin the 2021 season at No. 1 in the 30th annual preseason poll as voted by the league’s 14 coaches.

When factoring in the amount of talent returning due to a truncated Major League Baseball draft in 2020, in which the Gators’ only notable loss was Austin Langworthy who signed with the Detroit Tigers as an undrafted free agent, UF’s returning roster is a behemoth to be reckoned with — not just within the conference, but nationally. The Gators are essentially a consensus top team according to D1Baseball, Perfect Game and Collegiate Baseball, all three of whom are reputable publications in the industry.

Additionally, the conference announced that sophomore outfielder Jud Fabian was voted a Preseason All-SEC First Team selection, along with three Gators – junior right-handed pitcher Tommy Mace, freshman infielder Josh Rivera, and sophomore right-handed pitcher Ben Specht – who were picked as Preseason All-SEC Second Team picks.

Fabian’s honor was not the first this preseason for the highly-touted outfielder, who also earned D1Baseball’s SEC Player of the Year honor as well as being a unanimous choice for the Baseball America’s All-America First Team; Mace also made the latter list on the Third Team.

The top-ranked Gators open the 2021 season with a bang, hosting the No. 21 Miami Hurricanes for its inaugural three-game series at the brand new Florida Ballpark scheduled to begin on Friday, Feb. 19.

[lawrence-related id=34525,34406,34249,33517,32607,31306]

[vertical-gallery id=34530]