Tag: xavier

PHOTOS: Former Vols’ commit Matt McCormick plays at Tennessee

PHOTOS: Former Vols’ commit Matt McCormick plays at Tennessee

Matt McCormick committed to Tennessee baseball in July 2021.

He committed to the Vols after playing catcher and infield at West Virginia from 2020-21. McCormick did not transfer to Tennessee.

He did not play baseball in 2022 and transferred to Xavier ahead of the 2023 campaign.

Xavier and McCormick played against the Vols at Lindsey Nelson Stadium on Tuesday.

Tennessee defeated the Musketeers, 10-2. McCormick started at first base and went 0-for-3. He recorded one walk in the contest.

READ: Tony Vitello recaps Tennessee’s win against Xavier at Lindsey Nelson Stadium

Below are photos of McCormick playing at Tennessee on Tuesday.

Tony Vitello recaps win against Xavier

Tennessee head coach Tony Vitello recaps win against Xavier.

No. 7 Tennessee (19-3, 1-2 SEC) defeated Xavier (9-12, 0-0 Big East), 10-2, on Tuesday at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.

Rankings reflect the USA TODAY Sports baseball coaches poll.

Zander Sechrist started for Tennessee and pitched three innings and recorded three strikeouts. He allowed one walk and zero hits.

Blake Burke went 1-for-4 and recorded two RBIs, two runs and one walk for the Vols.

Tennessee will next play Ole Miss. The Vols and Rebels will play a three-game series, Friday-Sunday, at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.

READ: 2024 Tennessee Vols baseball schedule

READ: 2024 Tennessee Vols baseball roster

Following the Vols’ win against Xavier on Tuesday, seventh-year head coach Tony Vitello met with media. Vitello’s postgame press conference can be watched below.

Blake Burke hits 38th career home run against Xavier

Blake Burke hits 38th career home run against Xavier.

No. 7 Tennessee (19-3, 1-2 SEC) defeated Xavier (9-12, 0-0 Big East), 10-2, on Tuesday at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.

Rankings reflect the USA TODAY Sports baseball coaches poll. 4,558 were in attendance on Tuesday at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.

Zander Sechrist started for Tennessee and pitched three innings and recorded three strikeouts. He allowed one walk and zero hits. Sechrist totaled 40 pitches, including 25 strikes, against 10 batters.

Kirby Connell (2-0) earned a win after pitching 2.1 innings in relief and recorded two strikeouts.

Tennessee totaled eight hits in the contest, including a home run by Blake Burke.

Burke went 1-for-4 and recorded two RBIs, two runs and one walk. Tuesday’s home run is his 38th at Tennessee. Luc Lipcius holds the Tennessee career record for home runs (40).

Cannon Peebles led the Vols in RBIs with three.

Blake Burke. Photo by Dan Harralson, Vols Wire

How to watch, projected starting pitchers for Tennessee-Xavier baseball

How to watch and projected starting pitchers for the Tennessee-Xavier baseball game on Tuesday.

No. 7 Tennessee (18-3, 1-2 SEC) will host Xavier (9-11, 0-0 Big East) on Tuesday at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.

Rankings reflect the USA TODAY Sports baseball coaches poll.

First pitch between the Vols and Musketeers is slated for 6 p.m. EDT and can be watched on SEC Network+. Zack Nelson (play-by-play) and Caylan Arnold (analyst) will be on the call.

The non-conference matchup can also be listened to on Vol Network (FM 99.1/AM 990) and UTSports.com.

The Vols lead the all time series against Xavier, 6-1. Tennessee won the last meeting, 10-1, on April 26, 2022 at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.

Tennessee-Xavier projected starting pitchers:

LHP Zander Sechrist (0-0, 4.05 ERA) versus RHP Jonathan Kelly (0-0, 3.65 ERA)

Zander Sechrist. Photo by Dan Harralson, Vols Wire

Notre Dame’s Julian Roper II cleared for all basketball activities

That’s definitely a relief.

Notre Dame’s 2023-24 roster was brought together practically on the fly. As soon as he was hired, [autotag]Micah Shrewsberry[/autotag] had to string together a group of transfers and his 2023 Penn State recruiting class.

One transfer, [autotag]Julian Roper II[/autotag] from Northwestern, was coming off an ankle injury. Fortunately, Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports is reporting that that’s no longer a concern:

Roper’s injury kept him from participating in the final month and a half of the Wildcats’ surprising run to the NCAA Tournament, only the second berth in that program’s history. He undoubtedly is looking for a new start after last season ended in disappointment. Most importantly, he’ll be available to start the new season.

The Irish will get their first look at opposing competition when they participate in a secret scrimmage Sunday at Xavier. They’ll play an exhibition Nov. 1 against Hanover, and the season starts when they welcome Niagara to Purcell Pavilion on Nov. 6.

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Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

Lady Vols defeat Xavier in NCAA Tournament

Lady Vols defeat Xavier in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

Tennessee (9-6-4, 3-4-3 SEC) defeated No. 17 Xavier (14-4-4, 6-0-4 Big East), 1-0 in overtime, during the first round of the NCAA Tournament Saturday at Corcoran Field in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Saturday’s victory avenged last year’s, 4-1, NCAA Tournament overtime loss to the Musketeers.

The Lady Vols and Xavier played in a scoreless tie through 90 minutes.

Tennessee led, 1-0, after Sizzy Lawton scored an unassisted goal in the 102nd minute.

Lady Vols’ goalkeeper Ally Zazzara made 15 saves en route to recording a shutout victory.

Xavier outshot Tennessee, 41-11, in the match. The Musketeers had 11 scoring chances land on goal, while the Lady Vols had two shots on goal.

Tennessee will next play on Nov. 17 when at Nebraska.

The Cornhuskers (15-3-3, 7-1-2 Big Ten) defeated South Dakota State, 5-2, in a first round match at Hibner Stadium in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Lady Vols to play Xavier in NCAA Tournament

Tennessee soccer to play Xavier in NCAA Tournament.

Tennessee (8-6-4, 3-4-3 SEC) will play No. 4 seed Xavier (14-3-4, 6-0-4 Big East) on Saturday in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

Kickoff is slated for 4 p.m. EST at Corcoran Field in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Saturday’s contest will be a rematch of last year’s first-round game, won by the Musketeers, 4-1, in overtime. Jaida Thomas scored the Lady Vols’ lone goal.

Saturday’s match will be the eighth all time meeting between Xavier and the Lady Vols. Tennessee leads the series, 4-3, dating back to 1996.

Tennessee will be making its 15th overall NCAA Tournament appearance since 2001. Danielle Marcano is Tennessee’s all time points leader in the NCAA Tournament (14).

Notre Dame offers four-star 2025 North Carolina recruit

Hope he picks the Irish.

As of this moment, Notre Dame does not have any commits for its 2025 class. While that seems like a long way off, that doesn’t mean [autotag]Micah Shrewsberry[/autotag] and his staff aren’t looking that far ahead.

To that end, Jackson Keith, a four-star small forward recruit and the third-ranked 2025 recruit from North Carolina according to 247Sports, has received an offer from the Irish. Keith himself announced the news on social media:

As one can see by this tweet, Shrewsberry had some assistance in recruiting Keith from associate head coach [autotag]Kyle Getter[/autotag]. Keith has gotten numerous offers from Division I programs over the past 15 months. Among them are Wake Forest, NC State, Virginia, Florida State, Virginia Tech, Xavier, Villanova, Georgetown, Illinois, Texas A&M and Tennessee.

Keith most definitely is going to be playing college basketball for a very prominent program. Hopefully, he eventually decides that the Irish are the way to go.

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Notre Dame makes top four for 2024 four-star power forward recruit

Hope the Irish get him.

So far, only shooting guard [autotag]Cole Certa[/autotag] has committed to Notre Dame’s 2024 recruiting class. That might soon change with four-star power forward and Minneapolis native Jackson McAndrew. Joe Tipton of On3 has learned from McAndrew that he has picked the Irish as one of four finalists for his services along with Wisconsin, Xavier and Creighton. He also had an offer from Illinois, but that option now appears to be off the table.

Previously, when asked to comment about the Irish, McAndrew, widely considered the top 2024 recruit in Minnesota, had this to say:

“I really like what Coach (Micah) Shrewsberry and the rest of the coaching staff are doing with the program. I think they are taking it in a really good direction. The school is also very good and cool. I think that I can be utilized very well with my versatility in the system they play offensively and defensively.”

Scouts mainly like McAndrew’s shooting, and the Irish will need plenty of that once the tide begins to turn for them. Whether or not McAndrew picks the Irish, Shrewsberry will have to find two, preferably three, pure shooters over the next couple of recruiting classes. You simply need those in today’s college basketball, and Shrewsberry surely recognizes that. Why else would the Irish trust him with a new direction?

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Notre Dame will face Xavier in secret scrimmage before season

Here’s something for the Irish to look forward to.

Secret scrimmages in college basketball always are interesting affairs. Two Division I schools play each other before the season begins, but no fans or media are allowed. We now know Notre Dame will be taking part in at least one of these ahead of the 2023-24 season. Rick Broering of 247Sports is reporting that multiple sources have confirmed a secret scrimmage between the Irish and Xavier.

Even if the scrimmage doesn’t officially count for anything, it will be a good test for the Irish to see how far they have to go. At the same time, while the Musketeers made the Sweet 16 in last year’s NCAA Tournament, their roster also is facing some turnover, albeit not as much as the Irish’s. The scrimmage likely will take place at the end of October.

Although this figures not to be a season to remember except for the debut of [autotag]Micah Shrewsberry[/autotag]’s Irish tenure, one at least has to be excited about college basketball making its return before we know it. We just have to wait a little bit.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89