Tennessee travels to Tuscaloosa to begin its league schedule.

Southeastern Conference play has arrived as No. 5/5 Tennessee opens its league slate with a trip to Tuscaloosa to take on No. 12/14 Alabama this weekend at Sewell-Thomas Stadium.

The Volunteers finished their homestand with a perfect 15-0 record, and they head into SEC play on a 16-game winning run.
BROADCAST INFO
Saturday and Sunday’s games will be broadcast on the SEC Network, with Dave Neal (PxP) and VFL Chris Burke (analyst) calling the action. Friday’s game will be streamed on SEC Network+ and the ESPN app, with Roger Hoover (PxP) and Lance Cormier (analyst) on the call.

Supporters can also tune in to Vol Network’s John Wilkerson radio call (FM 99.1/AM 990). Additionally, UTSports.com, the Tennessee Athletics App, and the Varsity App will all offer a complimentary audio stream.

ESTIMATED DEPARTMENT PITCHERS
GAME 1 pits RHP Ben Hess (3-0, 2.65 ERA) against RHP AJ Causey (3-0, 1.31 ERA).
GAME 2 pits LHP Greg Farone (2-0, 1.72 ERA) against RHP Drew Beam (3-0, 2.08 ERA).
GAME 3: TBD (0-0-0, 0.00 ERA) versus RHP Hagan Banks
HISTORY OF SERIES
As a whole: Tennessee leads Alabama 78-44 in Knoxville, 26-24 in Tuscaloosa, 46-18 at Neutral Sites, 6-2 in Tennessee
Last meeting: W, 15-4, at Knoxville on April 17, 2022

Under head coach Tony Vitello, the Vols are 8-3 versus the Crimson Tide and have won all three series between the two clubs. In 2021, the Vols even defeated Alabama in Tuscaloosa, claiming two of the three games.

REMARKABLE
Observing the Win Pattern
With 16 games remaining in the season, Tennessee’s victory streak is the second longest in Division I, only surpassed by Texas A&M (17). It is also tied with the 1994 squad’s 16-game winning streak from February 25 to March 26 for the second-longest victory streak in program history. The Vols have won at least 15 games before opening SEC play in six of the previous seasons, including 2024. Moreover, they have won 12 or more games before opening conference play in every season since the Vitello era began in 2018.

SEC Kickoff Weekend
The Vols have another strong start to the season and are 16-1 going into SEC play. On SEC Opening Weekend under Vitello, the Big Orange will be aiming to win their third series after sweeping South Carolina at home in 2022 and capturing two of three at Georgia in 2021.

During Vitello’s tenure, UT has opened SEC play away from home five times. In addition, the Vols began conference play away from home against Ole Miss in 2018, Auburn in 2019, Georgia in 2021, and Missouri in 2023. Since 1980, Tennessee has a 33-46 record overall in SEC openers and a 12-17 record while playing on the road.

Participation of 10 Vols in MLB Spring Breakout Games
The 2024 Spring Breakout rosters of ten former Vols, now highly anticipated MLB prospects, were announced last week by their respective clubs. This is the second-highest number of any NCAA team. MLB Spring Breakout, a four-day event that is brand-new to the 2024 Spring Training schedule, features Minor League Baseball’s current stars as the game’s future. During Spring Training, the first-ever event will take place at Grapefruit and Cactus League stadiums from March 14–17. Top prospects from each MLB organization will field teams in a series of 16 exhibition games.

The following ten former Vols are scheduled to play: Trey Lipscomb (Nationals), Will Mabrey (Diamondbacks), Connor Pavolony (Orioles), Seth Stephenson (Tigers), Drew Gilbert (Mets), Maui Ahuna (Giants), Jordan Beck (Rockies), Chase Dollander (Rockies), and Blade Tidwell (Mets).

Cause(y) and Impact
So far this season, the Vols’ formula has been straightforward: Tennessee wins when AJ Causey pitches. In his four outings this season, the junior righthander has recorded three wins and a save. He has also started the last two Friday night games for the Vols, so he has experience winning back-to-back games. In Friday’s triumph over Illinois, the Alabama native and transfer to Jacksonville State tied a career high with 12 strikeouts while giving up just one run in six innings pitched.

Two weeks ago against Bowling Green, Causey pitched seven innings and gave up only one hit and one walk while striking out nine batters. Coming into this weekend’s matchup, he is tied for third in the SEC in strikeouts (30) and sixth in ERA (1.31). Additionally tied for third in the league and 21st in the nation is his strikeout-to-walk ratio of 10.00.

Kavares Tears, KT’s Streaks Redshirt sophomore, is having a breakout season thus far and comes into this week on a 16-game hitting streak that spans his career. In each of the 17 games he has played this season, he has also reached base.

Along with five home runs and 16 RBIs, Tears leads the team in runs scored (26), batting average (.426), and RBIs. His batting average of.426 is tied for third highest in the conference, while his 26 runs scored tie for fourth in the SEC and 14th in the nation. The product of Lewisburg, Tennessee, went 2-for-2 with two runs, a home run, and two RBIs in Tuesday’s midweek victory over Eastern Kentucky. He also knocked in the game-winning run with a two-out double in the seventh inning of last Sunday’s 8-3 victory over Illinois.