BSB PREVIEW: #1 Vols Hit the Road for Midstate Battle at #25 Commodores

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – No. 1/1 Tennessee will look to continue its push for an SEC regular-season title this weekend when it makes the short trip west to take on in-state and conference rival No. 25/NR Vanderbilt at Hawkins Field in Nashville.

 
The Volunteers enter the weekend having won seven consecutive SEC series, which is the longest current streak in the league, and are one game out of first place in the overall league and SEC Eastern division standings behind Kentucky.

UT will also look to keep its success against in-state opponents going, as it boasts a 15-3 record against fellow Volunteer State foes since the start of the 2022 season.

BROADCAST INFO

Kevin Ingram (PxP) and Andrew Harris (analyst) will have the call for Friday’s series opener on SEC Network+ at 7 p.m. ET before Tom Hart (PxP) and VFL Chris Burke (analyst) call the action for a pair of national TV broadcasts on Saturday (3 p.m. ET on SEC Network) and Sunday (3 p.m. ET on ESPN2).

Fans can also listen to the Voice of Tennessee Baseball John Wilkerson call the action all series long on the Vol Network (FM 99.1/AM 990) and its participating affiliates throughout the state. A free audio stream will also be available on UTSports.com, the Tennessee Athletics App and the Varsity App.  

PROBABLE STARTING PITCHERS

GAME 1: LHP Chris Stamos (4 GS, 3-0, 3.32 ERA) vs. RHP Bryce Cunningham (12 GS, 6-3, 4.36 ERA)
GAME 2: RHP Drew Beam (12 GS, 6-2, 3.39 ERA) vs. LHP Carter Holton (11 GS, 6-3, 4.88 ERA)
GAME 3: LHP Zander Sechrist (12 GS, 1-0, 4.14 ERA) vs. TBA

SERIES HISTORY

Overall: Vols lead, 185-163-2
in Knoxville: Vols lead, 100-60-1
in Nashville: Commodores lead, 100-79-1
at Neutral Sites: Vols lead, 6-3
Last 10 Meetings: Vols lead, 8-2
Last Meeting: W, 10-5 – April 23, 2023 in Knoxville

After a prolonged period of success by Vandy, the Big Orange have dominated the series as of late, winning seven consecutive games against their in-state rival with back-to-back series sweeps in 2022 and 2023, as well as a victory in Hoover during their 2022 SEC Tournament title run. UT’s seven-game win streak is its longest in the series since recording eight straight victories from May 8, 1993 through May 19, 1994.

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