University of Tennessee Athletics
Baseball Vols to Play Seven Games in Eight Days
April 14, 2003 | Baseball
April 14, 2003
Knoxville, Tenn. -- The Tennessee baseball team begins an ambitious stretch by playing seven games in eight days starting with a single game against the East Tennessee State Buccaneers in Johnson City, Tenn., Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET. The Volunteers then play host to the UNC Asheville Bulldogs at Lindsey Nelson Stadium, Wednesday at 7 p.m., before embarking to Lexington, Ky., to face the Kentucky Wildcats in a key Southeastern Conference series, Apr. 18-20.
This is the second meeting with the Bucs this season as the Vols (21-14) used a seven-run third inning en route to an 11-3 win in Knoxville on Apr. 2. Four UT pitchers combined on the two-hitter as Walter Sevilla hit a three-run home run to lead the Vols.
Right hander Rob Fitzgerald (1-0, 1.35 ERA) will make his second consecutive start against ETSU as Tennessee looks to extend its winning streak over the Bucs to nine straight. This will be Tennessee's first mid-week road game since playing at Middle Tennessee State in Murfreesboro, Tenn., on May 9, 2001, a span of 705 days. UT is 13-6 in non-conference play this year having won its last three.
Right hander Tim Turner (1-5, 6.70 ERA) will take the hill for ETSU (10-21), which was swept at home this past weekend by the College of Charleston.
UNC Asheville brings a 15-16 record into Wednesday night's game and will throw senior right hander Brad Beck (1-2, 5.67 ERA), a Knoxville native. The Bulldogs, who won a Big South Conference series over Radford last weekend, are led by catcher Nick Jaksa at the plate. Jaksa is batting .373 with one home run and 11 RBI.
The Volunteers will counter with left hander Dusty Johnson (3-1, 3.13 ERA), who is coming off the worst start of his career, a one inning outing against Georgia on Sunday. Tennessee swept three games from UNC Asheville last year after the Bulldogs had won two straight.
