Wednesday, February 16, 2022 - Spring Sports Preview

Volume 141, Issue 4 Wednesday, February 16, 2022

utdailybeacon.com @utkdailybeacon

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2022 SPRING SPORTS PREVIEW 8

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A Look Inside...

3 | Swim and dive 6 | Softball and baseball stats 12 | March Madness predictions 6

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SPRING SPORTS PREVIEW

The Daily Beacon • Wednesday, February 16, 2022

DAILY BEACON STAFF AND POLICY INFORMATION EDITORIAL EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Sarah Rainey MANAGING EDITOR: Caleigh Rozmenoski COPY CHIEF: Kyra Bogdan CAMPUS NEWS EDITOR: Daniel Dassow CITY NEWS EDITOR: Madelyn Muschek SPORTS EDITOR: Josh Lane ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR: Ethan Stone DIGITAL PRODUCER: Kailee Harris OPINIONS EDITOR: Erin Gwydir PHOTO EDITOR: Alexandra Ashmore DESIGN EDITOR: Bella Hughes SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER: Kimberly Lalas PAGE DESIGNER: Nevaeh Casteel

On the cover...

1. Rae Burrell, (12) shoots a free throw against Missouri on Feb. 11: Sydney Goodsell / The Daily Beacon 2. Evan Russell (6) running towards third base on March 10, 2020: Sydney Goodsell / The Daily Beacon 3. Amanda Ayala (13) after missing the ball on May 19, 2019 : File / The Daily Beacon 4. Pat Harper celebrates after scoring Jan. 18, 2020: Nathan Lick / The Daily Beacon 5. Kirby Connell (35) pitching to ETSU on March 10, 2020: Sydney Goodsell / The Daily Beacon 6. Nolan Briggs swims in the 500 meter freestyle race on Nov. 8, 2019: File / The Daily Beacon 7. Josiah-Jordan James (30) shoots for three on Jan. 25, 2022: Sydney Goodsell / The Daily Beacon

8. Kylie Duckworth during match against North Alabama on Jan. 14, 2019: File / Daily Beacon

Letter from the Sports Editor: College baseball has perfect timing

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The start of the college baseball season has arrived at the perfect time.

Anyone that knows me knows of my love for the game of baseball, specifically Major League Baseball. I think it’s the greatest game in the world, and it’s not a close competition.

There’s little on the planet that makes me happier than watching the New York Mets every summer night, win or lose. After a busy offseason, this finally might be the Mets’ year, so my excitement

was double what it normally is.

You can imagine the heartbreak I felt when MLB’s commissioner Rob Manfred locked out the sport because of disagreements between the owners and the players on their collective bargaining agreement. A lockout was all but inevitable, so I had fully prepared myself for that tragedy when it happened back in December.

What I was not prepared for was both parties’ unwillingness to negotiate and find common ground. As of the time I’m writing this, there is no chance Spring Training starts on time and it is a very real possibility that the regular season is delayed.

I hate to admit it, but baseball is probably the least popular of the professional sports league in the United States. Everybody knows sports icons like LeBron James or Tom Brady, but you’d be hard pressed to find someone who could name a single baseball player off the top of their head.

The last thing baseball needs when it’s fallen so far behind its competitors is a shortened season because its owners and players couldn’t reach an agreement. It’s a terrible look for the sport — not to mention what it does for my sanity.

That’s where college baseball comes in.

I got the opportunity to cover Tennessee’s magi-

cal season a year ago. It was the biggest beat I had ever covered at the time, and I made large strides with my skills as a journalist over the grind of the long season. Those were some of the first stories I wrote that I actually feel comfortable going back now and reading.

In my opinion, there was nothing more relaxing than spending an evening at the ballpark watching college baseball. Forget about homework, that would still be there later. When I was watching a game at Lindsey Nelson Stadium, there was nothing else I’d rather be doing.

College baseball has an atmosphere that’s different from anything I’ve ever experienced before.

I’ll never forget the crowd’s — and frankly my own — reaction to Drew Gilbert’s walk-off grand slam in the bottom of the ninth inning in the Vols’ Regional win over Wright State. Talk about an electric atmosphere.

My point to all this is that I feel fortunate to have baseball back in my life in any capacity. Football and basketball have their moments, but for me, it’s not the same.

STORY CONTINUED ONLINE Read more at utdailybeacon.com

Letter from the Assistant Sports Editor: We’ve all got some learning to do

ETHAN STONE Assistant Sports Editor

I’ve come full circle in my time at the Beacon.

Graduation is in just a little over three months, a reality that still hasn’t quite registered in my mind yet. I entered college originally not knowing where my life would be heading in the years to follow, but eventually settled on pursuing my passion of telling stories and talking about sports.

The goal was always simple for me. When I

first started at The Daily Beacon in the spring of 2020 I envisioned covering a game inside Neyland Stadium or asking a basketball icon, such as Rick Barnes, a question.

But for the time being, I was to cover the tennis team.

Despite knowing nothing about tennis, I was ready to get started. In March of 2020, I wrote my first piece — which was not great — and awaited my next assignment.

And as we all know, nothing else interesting happened after that.

I did little to help myself in journalism during the pandemic. I didn’t write more, I didn’t hone my skills on anything. Like a lot of other people, I just kind of sat around for a bit with nothing to do.

Sports were — and are — my life. Take them away, and that’s what I’ve got to offer.

I don’t think I realized that until halfway through my next beat: volleyball. Head coach Eve Rackham-Watt and the rest of the team were embarking on a spring season that had never before happened — volleyball is normally a fall sport.

Never in my life had I watched volleyball, but

it was that spring when I started really taking what I was doing seriously. That translated into the readability of my articles.

And believe me, I’m not bragging. I still had, and have, a long way to go. What really happened in spring of 2021 was a step towards where I am today — as a person, as a writer, the list goes on and on.

When volleyball concluded and the Lady Vols missed the 48-team NCAA tournament by a couple places, I was assigned to the softball beat.

By that point, I knew I wanted to be an editor. When the softball season was over and the Lady Vols were eliminated in the first round of the tournament, I applied, got the position and finally got to ask that question to Barnes a few weeks back. I’ll remember it for a while: “How has Josiah-Jordan James’ 3-point shooting as of late rejuvenated this Tennessee offense?”

I’ve been going on for a while now, so I’ll get to the point. I’ve taken some big steps in learning about myself during my time at the Beacon, and most of them have come in the spring semester.

STORY CONTINUED ONLINE Read more at utdailybeacon.com

SPRING SPORTS PREVIEW

Wednesday, February 16, 2022 • The Daily Beacon

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Vol swim and dive to host 2022 SEC Championships KATIE YATOOMA Contributor

The Tennessee swim and dive team will compete in its last home meet of the season at the Allan Jones Aquatic Center from Feb. 15-19 in the 2022 SEC Championships.

The College Swimming Coaches Association of America released its updated rankings prior to the meet, and the Vols are ranked No. 17 in the nation behind fellow SEC schools Florida, Georgia and Missouri. The Lady Vols are ranked No. 3 in the country and are at the top of the SEC. In 2021, the Florida Gators took home the title for the men’s division, marking their ninthconsecutive win in the championships, while the Kentucky Wildcats took the title for the women’s. Tennessee looks to make some noise in the tournament.

One Lady Vol to look out for this upcoming week is Mona McSharry, who currently holds the top time in the women’s 50 breast and 100 breast. For the 50 fly, 100 fly and 200 fly, Lady Vol Ellen Walshe holds the top SEC times.

Walshe also holds the top time in the 200 IM. Another athlete to watch for is Jordan Crooks on the men’s team. Crooks has top-10 times in the 50 free, 100 free, 50 back and the 50 fly.

The freshman has received the Freshman of the Week award by the SEC twice this season and holds three top-10 times in Tennessee’s history — two individuals in the 50 free and 100 free, as well as one in the 400 free relay.

Senior Michael Houlie currently sits at fifth in the SEC for both the 50 breaststroke and the 100 breaststroke. Houlie has accrued five AllAmerican honors in his time at Tennessee, and he represented South Africa in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Houlie holds top-10 UT records in two individual races and four relays.

Each day of the competition is broken up by preliminaries in the morning and finals at 5:30 p.m. EST each day.

Day one brings the women’s 1-meter and the men’s 3-meter events in the morning, followed by the finals for those events, with the addition

of the 200 medley relay and the 800 free relay.

On the first day of competition, the finals will begin at 4:20 p.m. EST. Looking at day two, the athletes will swim the 500 free, 200 individual medley (IM), 50 free and the men’s 1-meter in prelims. The finals for those events will take place later in the day, plus the 200 free relay.

On the third day of the competition the 400 IM, 100 fly and the 200 free will happen in the morning. The women’s 3-meter platforms will compete in the afternoon, followed by the finals for all the events later on in the day.

The events for the fourth day of the Swim and Dive Championships are the 200 fly, 100 back, 100 breaststroke and men’s platform, with the finals in those events later on, as well as the finals for the 400 medley relay.

The final day of the SEC Championships will have prelims for the 200 back, 100 free, 200 breaststroke, women’s platform and the 1650 free. The finals for those events with the addition of the 400 free relay will be the last events of the 2022 SEC Swim and Dive Championships.

Tennessee’s Alex Gebel before the women’s 200 meter breaststroke race at the Tennessee swimming and diving invitational on Sunday, Nov. 24, 2019 at the Allan Jones Intercollegiate Aquatic Center. File / The Daily Beacon

Tennessee’s Luke Massey turns at the wall during the men’s 200 meter breaststroke race during the Tennessee swimming and diving invitational on Sunday, Nov. 24, 2019 at the Allan Jones Intercollegiate Aquatic Center. File / The Daily Beacon

PA R K S A N D R E C R E AT I O N

For an interview, leave a message for Phil Hatcher

865-522-3353 phatcher@knoxvilletn.gov

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SPRING SPORTS PREVIEW

The Daily Beacon • Wednesday, February 16, 2022

Tennessee basketball still pushin’ P ETHAN STONE Assistant Sports Editor

Rick Barnes turned to sports information director Tom Satkowiak after Tennessee’s 73-64 win over Vanderbilt for clarification on what to say when someone asked him a certain question.

Satkowiak gave him his answer.

“If you’ve got to ask, you’re not pushin’ P,” Barnes said.

If you don’t know what pushin’ P means, then you ain’t pushin’ P. ZAKAI ZEIGLER UT Men’s guard

Tennessee’s use of “pushin’ P” — a saying originally derived from a Gunna and Future song of the same title — stemmed from Barnes’ original introduction to the phrase a few days ago, when he and Lady Vols head coach Kellie Harper filmed a promotional video with the intent of selling more student tickets.

Barnes was told to say, “keep pushin’ P” at the end of the video.

“Really and truly, the person that was more dumbfounded than me was Kellie Harper,” Barnes said. “When they asked me about it, I said ‘the P,’ they said, ‘no, it’s pushin’ P.’” Freshman guard Zakai Zeigler was there to fill the seventh-year Tennessee coach in.

“I got six different answers on it and finally somebody said it is keeping pressure and keep playing. I think that was Zakai. I don’t even think Tom knew what it was. Yeah, I guess keep pushin’ P.” Now, the phrase is used as a mantra for a Tennessee team playing the best basketball it has all season. The Vols, after travelling to Starkville and walking away with a win over Mississippi State, bested Vanderbilt Saturday night at Thompson-Boling Arena to solidify a seven-game SEC win streak.

Tennessee was led by a 19-year-old and a 24-year-old to the win Saturday night. Zeigler and super senior forward John Fulkerson combined for some of their best games this season, scoring 16 and 12 points, respectively.

Fulkerson was as confused as Barnes was when he first heard about pushin’ P, although it had become something of a call to arms for a Tennessee team that had just lost one of its best players in Olivier Nkamhoua.

“I don’t know what it means, I don’t know if he knows what it means, I don’t know if anybody knows what it means,” Fulkerson said. “I

like it, I’m here for it. It’s kept us rolling.”

Zeigler has an idea why a phrase used in a rap song that dropped over a month ago has been able to set Tennessee’s mentality straight with just under a month to go until conference tournament season begins.

“I feel like we’ve translated that to the court in some type of way,” Zeigler said. “Now we just keep going into this flow, and we keep winning more games. We’re on a streak, a seven-game streak.”

So, what does pushin’ P really mean?

“Just keep it true, keep it 100,” Zeigler said.

“If you don’t know what pushin’ P means, then you ain’t pushin’ P.” And Barnes uses the phrase more than one would think. After Tennessee’s win over Mississippi State last Wednesday, Barnes walked in on junior center Uros Plavsic and other players Facetiming with Nkamhoua, who was celebrating from home.

“I’ve just got one thing to say,” Barnes said to Nkamhoua.

You can guess what came next.

Tennessee’s Zakai Zeigler, No.5, dribbles down the court during the Vols’ game against Vanderbilt in Thompson-Boling Arena on Feb. 12, 2022.

Sydney Goodsell / The Daily Beacon

SPRING SPORTS PREVIEW

The Daily Beacon • Wednesday, February 16, 2022

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The Daily Beacon • Wednesday, February 16, 2022

IMPACT PLAYER PROFILES Spring sports are back, and The Daily Beacon sports editors have selctBECK JORDAN ed the athletes that are projected to make the greatest impact in their Junior, Right fielder respective sport this year. (Headshots courtesy of UT Athletics)

BECK JORDAN Junior, Right fielder

Beck is one of the Vols’ key returners and their primary power threat. He hit 15 home runs with 64 RBIs last year.

ASHLEY ROGERS Senior, Pitcher

Rogers returned for her senior season after a dominant year in 2021.

She is a 2022 Preseason All-SEC player and will lead the Lady Vols from the circle.

MONA MCSHARRY Sophomore, Free / breast stroke

McSharry is the Lady Vols’ most decorated swimmer. She was named the 2021 Female Freshman Swimmer of the Year and appeared at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

SHUNSUKE MITSUI Freshman, Doubles

The freshman sensation is off to a fast start in 2022.

He has a combined 35-7 career record and has been ranked as high as No. 114 in singles.

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RTS PREVIEW

Ashley Rogers (softball), Camden Sewell

baseball), Adam Walton (men’s tennis) and

Kylie Duckworth (women’s tennis)

Wednesday, February 16, 2022 • The Daily Beacon

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WATCH THEM IN ACTION SOFTBALL Oklahoma, UCLA — Feb 25-26 Florida — March 25-27

SWIM SEC Championships — Feb. 15-19 Last Chance Meet — Feb. 26-27

MEN’S TENNIS Florida — March 13 Georgia — March 20

WOMEN’S TENNIS Georgia — March 19 Texas A&M — March 25

BASEBALL Vanderbilt — April 1-3 Mississippi State — May 19-21

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SPRING SPORTS PREVIEW

The Daily Beacon • Wednesday, February 16, 2022

Vols tennis trusts the process in the midst of high expectations ERIC WOODS Contributor

The current No. 2 Tennessee men’s tennis team stood at the No. 1 spot in the nation for three consecutive weeks before a loss to Ohio State pushed them down a spot. Despite the loss, the Vols still face a variety of expectations as the ITA indoor season winds down and the NCAA season dawns.

Head coach Chris Woodruff, however, is teaching his team to not focus on rankings and instead focus on the product. Throughout the course of the young season, Woodruff has preached about trusting the process.

“It’s really just one day at a time, nothing’s really changed,” Woodruff said. “We approach the day to day grind the same, we just try to get a little bit better each day. We’ve been fortunate, as of late especially, to win a couple of 4-3 matches, but it’s not much — just hard work. There is no secret success. We have some good players, but mainly, we just try hard.”

Woodruff has built this team from the ground up, and his players have bought into his process.

The Vols were 13-14 the season before Woodruff was promoted to head coach, and they were 21-9 in his first season, steadily improving since.

After winning the SEC Championship last spring, the expectations surrounding Tennessee tennis have only increased. Woodruff trusts in the leadership from the No. 21 graduate student Adam Walton to push his process forward.

“It’s only early in the season, and there is a long way to go,” Walton said. “It’s how we finish, not really how we start, but it is still cool to see that we were No. 1 in the country.”

Walton has been a Vol since Woodruff took over, and he will leave Knoxville after this season as one of the most accomplished Vol tennis

Pat Harper returns a serve during the Men’s Tennis opening game against New Mexico, in the Goodfriend Tennis Center on Jan. 18, 2020. File / The Daily Beacon players of all time. In the fall season, Walton became the 11th Vol to reach 100 singles wins and is currently 15 wins away from being the sixth Vol to have 100 wins in singles and doubles.

Walton also won the National Championship in doubles last year with his partner Pat Harper.

The duo provides leadership and experience for the younger players.

“Pat has a lot of fire and is more vocal and outward with his emotions, and Adam is more introspective within his thoughts,” Woodruff said of the pair. “It’s that yin and yang of uptight and laid back.”

The presence of leadership has proved effective for players like sophomore Johannus Monday and freshman Shunsuke Mitsui.

Monday, No. 10, is the Vols highest ranked

Senior Preston Touliatos, prepares to hit the ball during a tennis match against on Friday, March 1, 2019 at the Goodfriend Tennis Center versus Georgia. File / The Daily Beacon

singles player and is 3-0 against top-10 opponents.

“He has a lot of things that you like in an athlete,” Woodruff said. “He’s tall, left handed, and the thing that really helps is he moves well. He’s learning to be a good competitor, and he listens.

I couldn’t be more proud of him.”

Monday is the reigning SEC Freshman of the Year as well as an ITA Singles All-American. He has built on that success this season with a 13-3 record in the fall and spring.

Woodruff said that Monday did not receive many offers heading into college, but the Vols decided to give him a shot.

“I really do appreciate it, he took a big chance on me,” Monday said. “Not many of the big schools wanted me at the time, so to get an offer to go here considering what he’s achieved in the game was a big pleasure for me and there was no debate, it was an easy choice.”

Another budding star is No. 114 Mitsui. Despite his young age, he plays like a seasoned vet.

Mitsui holds a 6-0 singles record in the dual season and is 4-2 in doubles. In total, he is 15-4 in singles and 20-3 in doubles during his freshman campaign. His combination of speed and recognition makes him a force in any match he plays.

Though the Vols boast an extremely talented roster, Woodruff leaves expectations to those outside of the program.

“We don’t have any expectations on trying to win it all and doing this and that,” Woodruff said. “I have been doing this a long time and from my playing background you are what you are and all you can do is just get better day by day.

That’s a really hard message to push, but I think everyone is on board with it.”

Tennessee is looking to keep its composure heading into the weekend of Feb. 18-21. The Vols will travel to Seattle, Washington, for the ITA Indoor National Championships to take an important step in Woodruff’s process.

SPRING SPORTS PREVIEW

Wednesday, February 16, 2022 • The Daily Beacon

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Karen Weekly carving own path as Tennessee softball’s sole head coach JOSH JOHNSON Contributor

The Tennessee softball program is one of the most prestigious college softball programs in America, and for the past 20 years, it has been led by two of the sport’s most respected coaches.

Karen and Ralph Weekly took over a young Tennessee program in 2002 following a fiveyear stint as the co-head coaches of Chattanooga. The pair quickly brought the Lady Vols to the pinnacle of the sport and turned Tennessee into the definition of consistency.

In 20 seasons with the Vols, the Weekly’s recorded 949 wins with seven trips to the Women’s College World Series.

Seventeen consecutive trips to the NCAA tournament and 18 straight 40-win complete seasons show the incredible, sustained excellence of Tennessee’s two head coaches and

why they were so well regarded across the country.

The 2022 season will bring a lot of change for the Lady Vols, as Ralph Weekly announced his retirement following last season’s finish.

This leaves Karen Weekly on her own for the first time as the sole leader of the program.

“The biggest change for me is just moving into that role where everything I do is managing and taking an overall perspective of the team and establishing the vision for our program and where we want to go and the road to take to get there,” now sole head coach Karen Weekly said. “I was, for many years, in the role of doing a lot of the one-on-one coaching and the teaching, and while I still do that to a fair amount, it’s just adopting a little bit different kind of broader perspective of things.”

While Ralph Weekly may not be named as a co-head coach anymore, he still plays an important role for the team. It will be important for R. Weekly to strike the balance of being a helpful hand while also letting K. Weekly build

Lady Vols’ tennis off to strong start SETH HARPER Contributor

When the Tennessee women’s tennis team started out its season ranked No. 22 in the nation in the first preseason poll, the atmosphere around the practice courts was infused with excitement.

Our goal is for Tennessee to be at the top.

ALISON OJEDA LADY VOLS’ TENNIS HEAD COACH

“Being in the preseason top-25 is certainly a place that every team in the country wants to see themselves at,” head coach Alison Ojeda said. “I am excited that, in a short few years, we have been able to open up in this poll … I am eager to get on court with our team to start competing. After today, the next time we need to look at rankings is in late May. By the time those May rankings come out, our goal is for Tennessee to be at the top.”

Since the season has started, the Lady Vols have not let up. They started out hot with decisive victories against Charlotte, Wake Forest and LSU. The outing against Charlotte was highlighted by strong doubles outings by Rebeka Mertena and Elza Tomase, winning their match 6-1, along with Esther Adeshina and Eleonora Mo-

linaro winning their match 6-2.

Although doubles were the key to victory in the first couple of games, the most prominent aspect of the Lady Vols’ success as of late has been their strong singles outings.

In their games against Wake Forest and LSU, the Lady Vols showed promise with wins by large margins. During the LSU game, five players won their first set, and Tomase defeated No. 92 Ena Babic 6-2, 6-0 on court three.

Tomase was previously named the SEC Player of the Week after winning her 20th singles match of the season, more than any other Lady Vol. That match was capped by a powerful serve against 58th ranked Casie Wooten, 6-2, 6-4, for her second dual match victory of the day versus Wake Forest.

Although the Lady Vols were shut out by the No. 11 Ohio State, they showed promise in the match against the No. 6 NC State. Both Tomase and Molinaro had strong singles outings against the top-10 team, winning their matches 6-3, 2-6, 6-3 and 6-3, 6-1, respectively.

Ojeda has not been surprised by Molinaro and Tomase’s performances in singles play.

She knows how hard both players have worked to get where they are.

“Ele (Molinaro) was outstanding, with how hard we have worked her, and how accepting she has been of it, no surprise she came out start-to-finish and had a stellar performance,” Ojeda said. “Elza won a battle against herself and ultimately defeated her opponent, too, we are proud of that.”

Although the competition has been tough in the past two games against highly-ranked programs, the Lady Vols are showing promise and potential. Their goal is to perform to the best of their abilities each match and aim for a top-10 spot by the season’s end.

her own identity and team.

“When Ralph decided to retire, Ralph didn’t completely step away from the program,” K. Weekly said. “As long as we’re married, and that’s not going to change, he’s going to be a big part of what we do and what I do everyday.

It’s nice for me to be able to go home everyday and talk to him about what went on in practice and bounce ideas off of him and ask him questions.”

Twenty years of great success and consistency at Tennessee shows K. Weekly’s commitment to the school and should put to rest any doubts about her future successes. She will continue to evolve along with the game and recruit at a high level to lead the Lady Vols to new heights. While changes like these are always hard, Ralph and Karen have found a good balance between keeping the things that work and changing some things for the better.

“Ralph has done an incredible job of really keeping his distance and letting me and our new staff find our own way and establish our-

selves as the leaders of this program, but he’s always there to talk to so it’s a win-win,” K. Weekly said.

Lady Vols head coach, Karen Weekly, talking to the team during their practice on Feb. 8, 2022 at Sherri Parker Lee Stadium.

Kailee Harris / The Daily Beacon

THE DAILY BEACON

WORSHIP GUIDE 2022

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JOIN US FOR DINNER AND WORSHIP EACH WEDNESDAY AT 7PM

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SPRING SPORTS PREVIEW

The Daily Beacon • Wednesday, February 16, 2022

Tennessee softball goes undefeated at Felsberg Invitational NATE TOSADO Staff Writer

The No. 16 Tennessee softball team began the season with a weekend trip to Miami, Florida, to compete in the Felsberg Invitational. The Lady Vols, now under the sole leadership of head coach Karen Weekly, dominated throughout the tournament and went a perfect four-for-four to begin their regular season campaign.

Tennessee (4-0) came into the tournament on a mission and was excited to face off against teams other than their own practice squads.

The Lady Vols’ ability to put the ball in play combined with their strong bullpen allowed them to effectively shut down their opponents and complete a flawless tournament run.

On the first day of the invitational, the Lady Vols notched wins against both UNC Greensboro (4-3) and Maryland (2-1). The Big Orange’s pitching talent was on full display, as senior Ashley Rogers and graduate student Erin Edmoundson combined for 17 strikeouts while allowing 3 hits.

Building up Tennessee’s pitching talent was a main focal point for the coaching staff in the offseason and the stellar outing from the two

Lady Vols showed that those efforts are paying off.

“In fast pitch softball, you can have one great pitcher in the circle and eight average players around that pitcher and you’re going to win a lot of ball games and have a chance to win championships,” Weekly said. “You can have eight great players and an average pitcher and you’re not going to go very far.”

Tennessee rode a wave of momentum going into the second day of the invitational as the No. 1 seed in the tournament. The Lady Vols took down the host team FIU Panthers in back-to-back games, 4-3 in game one and 7-1 in game two.

The Panthers scored 3 runs in the bottom of the first and took an early lead in the first game.

Graduate student Ivy Davis responded the next inning with an RBI single that sparked the Lady Vols offense as they put up 4 unanswered runs to win the ballgame.

In game two, Tennessee’s record six hits in its 7-0 victory over FIU. In the circle, graduate student Erin Edmoundson struck out 10 batters in six innings. Junior Kiki Milloy was influential in the team’s win as she led the team with 4 hits on the day.

“We’re in a place where our offenses, one through nine and the other players coming off the bench, are in a place where they can pro-

The Lady Vols softball team hosted a media day during their practice on Feb. 8, 2022 at Sherri Parker Lee Stadium. Kailee Harris / The Daily Beacon duce,” graduate student Amanda Ayala said.

“I’m a fifth-year player now, and I think out of all the teams I’ve been having the strongest lineup that I’ve been a part of.”

The final day of the invitational was cut short due to inclement weather. The Lady Vols were originally scheduled to have a rematch against Maryland in the tournament championship game but after being pushed back a few

hours pwas ultimately canceled due to heavy rain.

The win caps off a flawless tournament run for the Lady Vols and makes them undefeated in the early 2022 season. Tennessee will return to the Sunshine State next week to compete in the St. Pete/Clearwater Elite Invitational.

Tennessee baseball to see reigning champs, runner ups, Big 12 ANDREW PETERS Staff Writer

Tennessee baseball is coming off a historic 50-18 season that consisted of an SEC East title and a run to the College World Series.

This season, the Vols are looking to have similar success in a season where they will see the reigning College World Series champions, runner ups and slew of other challenging opponents.

Of Tennessee’s 56 regular-season games, 37 will be played at home, 15 on the road and four at neutral sites.

The Vols will start off their season with a home series against Georgia Southern Feb. 1820 and stay at home through the end of February.

Tennessee will take on a few in-state opponents to start the season, including Tennessee Tech on Feb. 22 and ETSU on March 1.

The Vols will leave Lindsey Nelson for the first time on March 4 as they head to Houston, Texas, for the Shriners Hospitals for Children College Classic at Minute Maid Park. Tennessee will see Texas, Baylor and Oklahoma in its three days in Texas.

This will be the Vols’ first matchup against

Tennessee outfielder Jordan Beck (27) in the College World Series game against Virginia on June 21,2021.

Courtesy of NCAA the Longhorns since the teams’ meeting in the College World Series in June, when Texas defeated Tennessee 8-4.

The matchup against Texas will also be the Vols first big test, as the Longhorns head into the season ranked No. 1.

Upon returning home from Texas, the Vols will see home series against James Madison and Rhode Island before commencing SEC play with a home series against South Carolina on March 18-20.

Tennessee’s first true road test will come March 25-27, when the Vols travel to Oxford, Mississippi, for a series against Ole Miss.

The Vols stay on the road the following weekend as they head to Nashville, Tennessee, to take on in-state rival Vanderbilt.

The two weekends will serve as an early SEC test, as the Rebels are ranked No. 5 to start the season and Vanderbilt is ranked No. 3.

Following the road trip, Tennessee will return home for a two-week homestand where it will host Lipscomb, a series with Missouri and a series with Alabama.

In between the Missouri and Alabama series on April 12, Tennessee and Tennessee Tech will play a neutral-site game at Smokies Stadium in Kodak, Tennessee, about 20 minutes away from Knoxville.

The Vols will get a five-day break after Alabama and then will travel to Gainesville, Florida, to take on the Gators. Florida comes into the season with a No. 9 ranking after a 38-22 season last year.

Tennessee will close out April and enter May at home with a series against Auburn and travel to Kentucky the following weekend for a series against the Wildcats.

The Vols will close out the regular season with two tough series, first against Georgia at home. The Bulldogs are ranked No. 16 in preseason polls.

Tennessee’s final series of the regular season will be against the reigning champion Mississippi State Bulldogs in Starkville, Mississippi, from May 19-21.

The Bulldogs sit at No. 4 in preseason rankings, and the matchup will be the first time the two teams have met since last season’s SEC Tournament, a game the Vols took 12-2.

Follow @UTKBeaconSports for season coverage from start to finish.

SPRING SPORTS PREVIEW

Wednesday, February 16, 2022 • The Daily Beacon

11 11

Vols looking for answers in injury-riddled rotation JOSH LANE Sports Editor

The Vols’ strength in their first College World Series run since 2005 was a consistent and effective starting rotation.

Chad Dallas, Will Heflin and Blade Tidwell combined to start 51 of the Vols’ 68 games in 2021, consistently lining up Friday through Sunday and giving the Vols five to six quality innings each time. There’s not much more you could ask out of a rotation.

Dallas was selected in the fourth round of the MLB Draft by the Toronto Blue Jays and Heflin left the program after his fifth season of eligibility. The responsibility fell on the sophomore right-hander Tidwell to lead the Vols’ rotation after a productive freshman campaign in which he put up a 3.74 earned run average (ERA) in 98.2 innings while striking out 90.

A Tidwell-led rotation was supposed to be a strength for the Vols in 2022, but now they are looking for answers.

The Vols received some of the worst possible news two weeks ago when it was officially announced that the preseason All-American Tidwell would be out indefinitely with shoulder soreness.

Tidwell is still waiting to be cleared by the

doctors before he can began activities like throwing again. And even once he is cleared, it’s not as simple as inserting him back into the rotation immediately.

Vitello has certain benchmarks Tidwell will need to meet before seeing game action.

“There will be no rush,” Vitello said. “But obviously his teammates, and more than anyone, Blade himself, would like to get out there as soon as possible. I think right now, patience will be key.”

Vitello did not have a clear timetable for Tidwell’s return, but he does expect him to pitch at some point this season.

To make matters worse, the Vols’ redshirt junior transfer from Missouri, Seth Halvorsen, fractured his right arm — his throwing arm — in mid-January, and he is not expected back until the middle of the season.

Vitello mentioned a plethora of arms that he expects to start in the interim, with senior right-hander Camden Sewell at the top of the list.

Sewell put up a 2.89 ERA and a 0.96 WHIP in 51 innings as a junior a year ago. Sewell made 23 appearances with only three starts in 2021 but was most effective on the biggest stages.

Sewell started the Vols’ SEC Tournament semifinal win over Florida, tying his careerhigh with six innings pitched and setting a new career-high with 6 strikeouts while allowing 2.

He earned a spot on the 2021 SEC All-Tourna-

ment Team for his efforts.

Sewell went on to pitch 4.2 shutout innings across the Vols’ run in the NCAA Tournament and the College World Series.

“I think Camden Sewell kind of solidified himself as a Swiss Army knife for us that we can use in a lot of different ways, due to his experience,” Vitello said.

Vitello also mentioned freshman Chase Burns, sophomore Georgia Southern transfer Chase Dollander, freshman Drew Beam and redshirt freshman Hollis Fanning as potential options for the third starting slot.

Someone has to start every game, but Vitello might not be looking for the same long-inning starts that he got last year.

The “opener,” a pitcher who starts and works the first several innings of the game before handing it over to the bullpen, has become more and more common across professional baseball.

It’s a strategy Vitello is considering, given the experience of Tennessee’s bullpen and the fact that the Vols are down several starters.

“I’m not a great analytical guy or a guy who used the word ‘opener’ a lot,” Vitello said. “But a guy who may be starting the game, we might be looking for 9 outs more than we’re looking for nine innings, especially at the beginning of the year.”

Recently acquired Vanderbilt transfer Ethan Smith could factor in the mix at some point,

though his status is still in the air as the Vols wait for the “paperwork” to be completed, which could happen after the season starts.

Smith had a 2.78 ERA in 64.2 innings across three seasons for the Commodores.

“I would assume before we’re too deep into the year, or even before the start of the season, we would know what the exact situation is,” Vitello said of Smith. “But until then, it’s kind of like the weather — it’s out of our control. So we’ll sit back and wait and see what happens.”

The Tennessee Baseball Team huddling up before their game against ETSU at Lindsey Nelson Stadium on Tuesday, March 10, 2020.

Sydney Goodsell / The Daily Beacon

Vols’ infield not short on options ahead of 2022 season JOSH LANE Sports Editor

Of all Tennessee’s position groups that had departures after the 2021 season, the Vols’ infield was hit the hardest.

The Vols lost four of their five starters to the MLB Draft — Jake Rucker, Liam Spence, Max Ferguson and Connor Pavolony — meaning they have four major-league-prospect sized holes in their lineup to fill.

For Tennessee’s head baseball coach Tony Vitello, it’s not going to be as simple as it was a year ago — plug one player into the same spot night in and night out. It is going to take some time to find the right combination of infielders.

“You know, our game is a game of repetitions, so I guess it’s like a basketball game you might see a game of runs,” Vitello said. “You’re watching for two minutes and you think one team’s dominating, and if you click the channel, you know, the other team’s winning now.”

With as fluid as the infield situation will be this season, it is important to have at least one consistent stalwart in the lineup, and the Vols have that in first baseman Luc Lipcius.

Lipcius is returning for a sixth year at Rocky

Top after starting 64 games at first base and setting career-highs in at-bats (225), runs (48), hits (54), doubles (9), home runs (15), RBIs (42), total bases (108) and walks (36). His 15 homers were tied for most on the team.

The Vols’ other infield lock at this point is super senior Evan Russell, who moved from left field to catcher this fall to fill the hole from Pavolony’s departure. Russell put up an .842 OPS with 14 home runs in 63 games a year ago, including a pair of 3 home run games against LSU and Vanderbilt.

Redshirt freshman catcher Charlie Taylor has made strides of his own since the holiday break and that competition at catcher is pushing Russell even farther.

Expect to see both Russell and Taylor competing for playing time throughout the Vols’ non-conference schedule.

That leaves three spots up for grabs in the Vols’ starting infield — second base, third base and shortstop — with a host of players to fill them.

The Vols have a number of upperclassmen infielders competing for those three spots. Senior Trey Lipscomb is the leading candidate to play either third base or shortstop. Lipscomb’s role was mostly off the bench the previous three years, and he hit .310 with 7 runs scored,

3 doubles, a home run and 9 RBIs in limited action a year ago.

Lipscomb’s defense is what makes the decision difficult for Vitello. Lipscomb will be the Vols’ best defensive option whether he plays third base or shortstop.

“Trey Lipscomb has the ability to play shortstop I think as good as or as well as anyone that we’ve had here,” Vitello said. “But he’s also a dynamic third baseman, so it’s kind of going to end up being, ‘What’s the best combination?’”

Tennessee has a group of juniors that saw time off the bench last year — Logan Steenstra, Courtland Lawson, Jorel Ortega and Ethan Payne.

Of those four, Steenstra is the most likely to see the field in a starting capacity. He filled in for an injured Spence at shortstop, starting 15 games while hitting .292 with 13 runs scored, 8 doubles and 6 RBIs. His defense at shortstop was a liability at times, as his 6-foot-5 frame was not the best suited to play shortstop. Steenstra committed 7 errors in limited playing time, the fourth most on the Vols.

Tennessee has options with its incomers too. Seth Stephenson is a junior college transfer from Temple College in Texas, where he was the 2021 NTJCAC Hitter of the Year and a First

Team All-Conference selection.

Christian Moore, a freshman infielder from Brooklyn, New York, was the No. 2 rated shortstop in the state of New York by Perfect Game.

He could factor in the mix in non-conference play as well.

With that many viable options, Vitello won’t be able to pick five players and pencil them in each night while ignoring the rest. All of Tennessee’s infielders could benefit the team each time they step onto the field.

Overcrowded positions tend to sort themselves out as the season goes along. Vitello needs his infielders to come ready to play each night, and he will take care of the rest.

“It’s also going to be a deal where guys are going to have to understand that there might be a day they come to the yard and their name’s not in the lineup, but they need to be ready to go,” Vitello said. “... But on any given day, they might not be starting, because we want to give other guys chances. Non-conference, in my opinion, is always going to be a time we need to experiment a little bit and do whatever we’ve got to do to have as many questions answered as possible going into SEC play.”

12

SPRING SPORTS PREVIEW

The Daily Beacon • Wednesday, February 16, 2022

Early March Madness Projections: Vols and Lady Vols basketball ZACH BALL Staff Writer

The NCAA tournament is approximately one month away from beginning. Every week this season has been a battle for Tennessee’s men’s and women’s basketball teams, but both squads sit in respectable positions towards the top of the SEC as the regular season draws to a close. With difficult opponent’s remaining on the schedule, both teams have an opportunity to step up or stumble in the standings.

This is where the Vols and Lady Vols sit in the current March Madness projections.

Lady Vols humbled, still dangerous The aura surrounding Kellie Harper’s Lady Vols is bringing a familiar feeling to fans this season. The team held a consistent ranking inside the top-10 of the NCAA before taking brutal losses in back-to-back games against Florida and UConn.

To Harper, it became apparent that her team lost their sense, their rhythm, their confidence and their focus.

“We had too many breakdowns defensively with our focus, and offensively we just missed too many shots,” Harper said following the loss to UConn. “They did a great job. But I think that’s where we have to be a little more focused, a little more precise. We gave up too many easy opportunities for them.”

Some woes stem from the recent loss of senior forward Keyen Green. On Jan. 23, Green went down with an ACL tear that ended her 2022 season. At the time, Green was contribut-

ing in a vital, energetic role off the bench.

Green averaged 7 points and 3.2 rebounds per game on 55.3% shooting from the field.

The Lady Vols have lost three of their last five games since the “gut punch” that was Green’s injury.

“We have to go back to our Georgia game when we lost Keyen Green, and we have just not recovered from that yet,” Harper said. “I think right now the team is still searching, and we’re not getting her back, so we have to be able to step up and be mature.”

“We’ve got to be able to find confidence in what we’re doing ... That right now is the biggest drop-off for us in the last two weeks.

We were playing with great confidence, great belief, great energy and great focus, and now we’re not.”

Following the losses, the Lady Vols were pushed from a No. 2 to a projected No. 3 seed according to ESPN’s Bracketology — updated Feb. 15.

Dropping out of the top-10 in the NCAA rankings, the team bounced back with a crushing 76-62 victory over a tough Missouri squad on Thursday night. Tennessee kept the ball rolling with a 66-52 win over Vanderbilt the following Sunday.

These wins put Harper’s group in a good position to close the regular season. With upcoming opponent Alabama (3-8), the Lady Vols can continue to get back on stride before closing the season with No. 1 ranked South Carolina (10-1), Mississippi St. (5-5) and No. 14 LSU (83).

If the Lady Vols can take care of business and grab some tough wins along the way in the SEC tournament, the team could potentially jump back into a No. 2 or even No. 1 seed. If the team were to fall against Alabama or a first-round

Kennedy Chandler, No. 1, makes a shot during the game against Vanderbilt on Feb. 12, 2022 at Thompson-Boiling Arena. Sydney Goodsell / The Daily Beacon opponent in the conference tournament, then expect a greater fall in the standings.

Against the field If the tournament were to begin today, the SEC is projected to field nine teams on the women’s bracket.

Currently projected, the Lady Vols would open play in the Spokane region along with conference foe Georgia. The Lady Vols would face potential run-ins with No. 1 seeds Stanford (No. 2 overall) and Louisville (No. 3 overall) on this side of the bracket.

Men in good position after facing adversity

Vol fans may express simultaneous signs of weariness and optimism as the season enters its crunch time. With heavy reliance on their young guards Kennedy Chandler and Zakai Zeigler, Rick Barnes’ squad has shown expected inconsistency. When the team is winning, it looks good, and vice-versa.

Following a 52-51 loss at Texas on Jan. 29, Tennessee has picked up the pace and is averaging 79 points over its last four games. However, with Olivier Nkamhoua’s season-ending angle injury, Barnes will have to rely on more of his youth to step up and provide a physical presence in the post.

“Between Brandon Huntley-Hatfield, Jonas Aidoo and Jahmai Mashack, we’ll decide who will give us the best chance to win basketball games and it will come down to who is the better defensive player,” Barnes said. “All three of them are freshmen, we think they all can score, but we need consistency on the defensive end.”

Jordan Walker, No.4, shoots free throws during warm up in Thompson-Boling Arena on Feb. 13, To close the season, Tennessee has a re2022. Alana Adams / The Daily Beacon venge opportunity as it takes on rival Kentucky

at home on Tuesday, Feb. 15. The Vols also have a major battle against the current No. 1 Auburn and two games against an Arkansas team that recently rattled off a nine-game win streak.

These three teams make up the top-four of the SEC, with Tennessee sitting at the No. 3 spot in the conference after its win over Vanderbilt.

The guard trio of Chandler, Santiago Vescovi and Zeigler has been poised as of late. They continue to pester opponents on the defensive end, while providing most of the input offensively as well. The group combines for 35.5 points, 10.4 assist and 6 steals a game.

Junior Josiah-Jordan James has also blossomed into a versatile scoring role for the Vols as of late. The forward is shooting 43% from the field while averaging 16.5 points over his last four games. James will need to maintain this confident level for the Vols to be successful down the road.

Against the field According to Joe Lunardi’s Bracketology, the Vols’ five-game win streak has pushed them back into a 4-seed projection. The latest update has the Vols in the Pittsburg region, on the same side of the bracket as No. 1 seeded Arizona, which the Vols bested in late December.

As it stands, the SEC is expected to have six teams in the NCAA Tournament. Florida would provide the conference another contender, but currently sits right on the outside of the bubble.

Both Arkansas (No. 6 seed) and Alabama (No. 5 seed) have moved up since the last update on Feb. 8.

Auburn and Kentucky lead the way as No. 1 and No. 2 seeds in the projections, respectively.