The Vols (15-3, 0-0 SEC) begin their conference campaign and defense of the 2022 SEC regular-season championship after posting a 25-5 record and rolling their way through the league a season ago.
With temperatures forecasted in the 30s and 40s throughout the weekend, the Vols will look to keep the bats hot, having homered multiple times in nine of their last 11 games. Tennessee also will look to maintain its strong defense as the Big Orange has only committed eight errors in 2023 on 608 chances.
WEEKEND SCHEDULE/PROJECTED STARTING PITCHERS
Game 1 – Friday, March 17 (4 p.m. ET | 3 p.m. CT)
RHP Chase Dollander (3-1, 2.45 ERA) vs. RHP Chandler Murphy (2-1, 3.48 ERA)
Game 2 – Saturday, March 18 (3 p.m. ET | 2 p.m. CT)
RHP Chase Burns (2-0, 1.88 ERA) vs. RHP Rorik Maltrud (1-0, 3.07 ERA)
Game 3 – Sunday, March 19 (2 p.m. ET | 1 p.m. CT)
RHP Drew Beam (3-0, 2.57 ERA) vs. TBD
BROADCAST INFO
All three games of the weekend series will stream on SEC Network+ and the ESPN app with Noah Reed (PxP) and Spencer Jurgens (Analyst) on the call. The online broadcast can be accessed on any mobile device through WatchESPN. WatchESPN can be accessed through the ESPN App, or online at espn.com/watch.
Fans can also listen to the Voice of Tennessee Baseball, John Wilkerson, call the action on the Vol Network (FM 99.1/AM 990) or via a free audio stream on UTSports.com and the Tennessee Athletics Gameday App.
SERIES HISTORY
Overall: Missouri leads, 14-13
in Knoxville: 7-8
in Columbia: 6-6
at Neutral Sites: 0-0
Last 10 Meetings: 7-3
Last Meeting: W, 4-3 (April 10, 2022, in Knoxville)
NOTABLE
SEC OPENING WEEKEND
After another successful start to the year, the Vols enter SEC play with a 15-3 record. In each of the past five seasons, Tennessee has entered league play with at least 15 wins: (17-1 in 2019, 15-2 in 2020, 15-3 in 2021, 16-1 in 2022, 15-3 in 2023).
The Big Orange will be looking to notch their third straight series win on SEC Opening Weekend after taking two of three at Georgia in 2021 and sweeping South Carolina at home last season.
Tennessee is 12-16 in SEC openers on the road since 1980 and 33-45 overall in SEC openers.
LOVING THE LONG BALL
The Vols have been on…
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