Vols smash UNC Asheville, 12-1

Vols smash UNC Asheville, 12-1.

KNOXVILLE — A perfect record remained intact for the University of Tennessee baseball team Wednesday as the Volunteers battled the rain to rout UNC Asheville, 12-1, at Lindsey Nelson stadium.

The 19th-ranked Vols (9-0) pounded 15 hits, including  three home runs and two doubles against the Bulldogs (2-6).

Alerick Soularie, UT’s preseason All-American, homered to open the scoring in the bottom of the second inning and appears to becoming out of a slump that saw him go 0-for-13 in his first three games of the 2020 campaign.

Evan Russell and Connor Pavolony also went deep for the Big Orange, which extended its advantage to 12-0 with two runs in the third. The Vols would blow things open with five in the sixth and four more in the seventh.

Liam Spence, hitting in the leadoff spot for the Vols, went 3-for-5 with an RBI, a run and a stolen base to lead Tennessee’s offensive attack.

Pavolony, Jake Rucker and Pete Derkay each had two hits.

Mark McLaughlin went five innings of scoreless relief to pick up the win on the mound. He surrendered a hit and a walk, while recording five strikeouts.

Time change for Tennessee-UNC Asheville game

2020 Tennessee baseball.

KNOXVILLE — Tennessee (8-0) remained unbeaten on the 2020 season after defeating Northern Kentucky, 15-1, Tuesday at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.

The Vols have a quick turnaround for its second midweek contest Wednesday. Tennessee was scheduled to play host to UNC Asheville at 4:30 p.m. ET at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.

The contest has been moved to 4 p.m. ET and can be streamed on SEC Network+.

The Vols will continue its 10-game homestand with a weekend series against George Washington Feb. 28-March 1. All games will be streamed on SEC Network+. Friday and Saturday’s contests will begin at 4 p.m. ET and first pitch is slated for 1 p.m. ET on Sunday.

Vols’ series history versus Northern Kentucky, UNC Asheville

2020 Tennessee baseball.

KNOXVILLE — Tennessee (7-0) is set to host two midweek games.

The Vols will play Northern Kentucky Tuesday (4:30 p.m. ET, WatchESPN) and UNC Asheville (4:30 p.m. ET, SEC Network+) on Wednesday at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.

Tennessee enters the midweek contests after winning three games in the inaugural Round Rock Classic. UT defeated No. 1 Texas Tech, Houston and No. 25 Stanford in Round Rock, Texas.

Below is Tennessee’s history against Northern Kentucky and UNC Asheville.

vs. Northern Kentucky
Overall: UT leads, 1-0
In Knoxville: UT leads, 1-0
In Highland Heights: N/A
Neutral Sites: N/A
Last Meeting: W, 18-0 (Feb. 19, 2019)

vs. UNC Asheville
Overall: UT leads, 28-7
In Knoxville: UT leads, 24-7
In Asheville: UT leads, 4-0
Neutral Sites: N/A
Last Meeting: W, 7-2 (March 13, 2019)