Vols Open SEC Play at No. 20 Mississippi State Friday

March 18, 2004

QUICK FACTS

Tennessee (17-2) vs Mississippi State (12-2)
Dudy Noble Field - Starkville, MIss.

Games 20-22

Mar. 19-21 , 2004

Dudy Noble Field (14,000)

The Series

Overall: MSU leads 37-17
Last Series: April 6-8, 2001 in Knoxville (UT 9-8, MSU 13-5, MSU 7-2)

Probable Pitchers

March 19 - 6:30 p.m.
UT - LHP Derek Tharpe, Sr. (4-0, 1.72 ERA)
MSU - RHP Jamie Gant, So. (2-1, 1.89 ERA)

March 20 - 2 p.m.
UT - RHP Sean Watson, Fr. (2-1, 2.92 ERA)
MSU - RHP Jeff Lacher, Sr. (2-1, 2.84 ERA)

March 21 - 1:30 p.m.
UT - LHP Ben Riley, Sr. (2-0, 2.61 ERA)
MSU - RHP Alan Johnson, Jr. (0-0, 4.15 ERA)

Up Next

March 23 at East Tennessee State
Game time: 7 p.m.
March 26-28 vs. Auburn
Game Times: 7 p.m., 7 p.m. (CSS), 2 p.m. (CSS) | TICKETS

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Rankings
Tennessee: No. 19 Collegiate Baseball
Mississippi State: No. 20 NCBWA, 21 CB, 23t ESPN, 24 BA

THE COACHES:
Tennessee Volunteers
Rod Delmonico (Liberty 1980)
Overall Record: 567-304 (.651), 15th year
Versus Mississippi State: 8-15
2004 Schedule/Results
2004 Statistics

Mississippi State Bulldogs
Ron Polk (Grand Canyon 1965)
Overall Record: 31st season -- 1210-580-2 (.676)
2004 Schedule
2004 Statistics

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Projected Lineup

TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS

Pos - Name		Quick Notes
C	Nick Crowe (5-11, 180, R/R, Jr.)	Thrown out SEC-best 10 base stealers; 4 multi-hit games in last six
1B	Chris Kemp (6-4, 205, L/R, Jr.)	On seven-game hit streak with 12 RBI in that span
2B	Eric King (5-10, 177, R/R, Jr.)	Leads team in hits, runs, doubles and second in RBI
SS	Brian Cleveland (6-1, 183, R/R, Sr.)	Third on team with 20 RBI; On season-high 5-game hit streak
3B	Kyle Norrid (6-0, 205, R/R, So.)	Started 13 games at 3B Hit in 14 of last 16; On career-high 6-game hit streak
or	Chase Headley (6-2, 195, S/R, So.)	Missed 10 games with injury; Started at DH last four; 3-for-3 vs. Lipscomb
LF	Eli Iorg (6-3, 200, R/R, So.)	Started last two in CF; UT leader with 12 steals and second with 28 hits
CF	Josh Alley (5-9, 179, L/L, So.)	Missed last two games with injury; Leads UT in walks, tied for second in runs
RF	Michael Rivera (5-10, 194, R/R, So.)	SEC Player of the Week; Batting .500 on career-best 10-game hit streak
DH	Alex Suarez (6-0, 190, R/R, Jr.)	Hit in eight of last 12, going 13-for-33 (.394) with seven RBI

GAME NOTES

Tennessee vs. Mississippi State

STARTING PITCHER NOTES

Tennessee has won 13 straight games to improve to 17-2. The last 13-game winning streak came in the 1997 season as part of a 15-game streak. The record for consecutive wins is 16 in 1994. The last time UT was 17-2 was in 2001 when it bolted out to an 18-2 start. The Vols finished with an unblemished record on their 13-game home stand and are 16-0 in the friendly confines of Lindsey Nelson Stadium this season. Head coach Rod Delmonico is the sixth-winningest coach in Southeastern Conference history with 567 wins.

RIVERA NAMED SEC PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Right fielder Michael Rivera was named the Southeastern Conference's Player of the Week after hitting .632 (12-for-19) and raising his average from .282 to .397. He is the first Vol since Chris Burke in 2001 to be named player of the week. The sophomore from Miami, Fla., batting from the No. 9 slot in the lineup, tied a career-high with four runs scored against Niagara. He led the Vols with eight runs scored and 12 hits. Rivera collected four multi-hit games during the five-game stretch while posting a .947 slugging average with a .650 on-base percentage.

UP NEXT: Tennessee continues its four-game road swing at East Tennessee State, Tuesday, March 23 at 7 p.m. The Vols then return home for eight straight games starting with Auburn, March 26-28.

NATIONAL RANKINGS: Tennessee is ranked No. 19 by Collegiate Baseball. It was listed at No. 38 in College Baseball's preseason Top 40 and No. 46 in Baseball America's preseason top 50.

OFFENSE NOTES:

After being limited to seven runs on 19 hits a three-game series against Georgia State, the Vol bats have erupted for 89 hits over the last six games for a .394 average. UT has scored 66 runs in that span with 23 doubles, three triples and four home runs. They have raised their overall team batting average from .325 to .348.
Chris Kemp has been on fire, driving in 12 runs over the last six games to push his team-leading total to 22. He has hit .458 during that span raising his average to a team-best .396.
Michael Rivera is batting .565 (13-for-23) over the last six games, while Nick Crowe holds a .500 batting average, going 8-for-16.
The Vols have collected at least a dozen hits in each of the last six games and have had at least 10 hits 14 times.
UT has also managed to score at least 10 runs in a game 11 times, including 12 in each of the last three. It is 10-1 in games decided by five runs or more, 2-0 in two-run games and 2-1 in one-run games.
The hitters have been patient by drawing 97 walks with 21 hit-by-pitches compared to 68 strikeouts leading to an on-base percentage of .435. In 14 of the 19 games, UT batters have been even or plus in walks vs. strikeouts.
Four Vols -- Kyle Norrid (.429), Nick Crowe (.417), Eric King (.414) and Chris Kemp (.464) -- are batting .400 or better with runners in scoring position. On the season, the Vols are batting .346 with RISP and .424 (14-for-33) with the bases loaded. Eric King is 4-for-6 and Kyle Norrid is 3-for-3 with the bases loaded.
The leadoff man has also been getting on base, reaching on 70 of 155 opportunities for a .452 leadoff percentage. Josh Alley has reached base when leading off an inning 13 of 25 times, while King is 10 of 22 and Nick Crowe is 8 of 16.
Tennessee has jumped on opponents early this season scoring in the first inning 10 times while outscoring them 23-8 in the first. The Vols have scored almost as many runs in the first three innings (65) as they have allowed all season (70).

PITCHING NOTES:

Over the last 10 games, UT starting pitchers are 8-0 with a 1.03 ERA covering 61.1 innings with 46 strikeouts, 19 walks and 36 hits allowed. Opponents are batting .176.
Ben Riley has a scoreless inning streak of 15 2/3 innings covering his last three starts and one relief appearance. Riley is tied for seventh on UT's career starts list at 34 and is 10th in with 204.0 innings pitched.
Derek Tharpe has given up just one earned run in his last three starts, posting a 0.36 ERA in his last 24.2 innings with 22 strikeouts.
Right-hander Brandon Crowe made his first appearance on the mound vs. Niagara G1 3/10 since undergoing shoulder surgery in December.
Tennessee has limited its opponents to two or fewer earned runs in eight of the last nine games, slicing over one full run off the ERA (3.67 to 2.57).
After giving up six home runs in the first five games, the Vols have yielded only four over the last 14 and one in the last 10.
The staff is averaging 8.18 strikeouts per nine innings while posting a 2.8 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
The Vols have posted at least 11 strikeouts four times, with a season-high 12 against Morehead State 2/13.
Tennessee has seen eight pitchers start at least one game this season.

CROWE HOPS: Catcher Nick Crowe has thrown out 10 of the 20 runners attempting to steal on him for a 50 percent clip, leading the SEC. He has also been a clutch hitter, collecting eight of his 15 RBI with two out.
He has four two-hit games in the last six.

IORG-INAL ELI: Eli Iorg leads the team with 11 multi-hit games while hitting safely in 15 of the 19 games. He has eight multi-hit games in his last 12. Twice this season he has reeled off four-straight multi-hit games. He leads the team in stolen bases (12) and triples (4) while being second in hits (28).

STREAKIN': Michael Rivera is the current leader in the clubhouse with a career-high tying 10-game streak. Chris Kemp is on a season-long seven-game hitting streak, while Kyle Norrid is on a career-high six-game streak. Brian Cleveland and Josh Alley are next with five-game streaks.

HOME COOKING: Tennessee has won a school-record 22 straight home games dating back to last season. The Vols are 16-0 this season following four three-game sweeps of Morehead State, Eastern Michigan, Georgia State and Siena, a doubleheader sweep of Niagara and a pair wins over Tennessee Tech and Lipscomb. UT has won its last eight home series and is 26-2 in its last 28 contests at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.

PLAYING LONG BALL: Tennessee has hit 16 home runs through 19 games for an average 0.84 HR per game. It's a dramatic power rise after hitting just 37 in 55 games last year. Entering the year, the Vols had hit 75 home runs in their previous 110 games.

BENCH PRODUCTION:

Tennessee has been getting great production off the bench as the reserves are batting .348 (31-for-89) with 29 runs scored, 14 doubles, one triple, one home run and 30 RBI.
Alex Suarez has shown great execution, going 6-for-16 (.375) with four doubles, a home run and six RBI.
Brett Chappell has scored five runs while going 5-for-16 (.313) with three doubles and three RBI.
Rob Fitzgerald has been productive by going 6-for-15 (.400) with a double, a triple, six runs scored and three RBI.
Kelly Edmundson has three doubles while going 4-for-13 (.308) with four RBI.
David Lamar has eight RBI on a 4-for-10 clip.
As a group, UT pinch hitters are 9-for-24 (.375) with five doubles, a triple, a home run and 12 RBI.

DELMONICO IS SIXTH ON SEC WINS CHART: Head coach Rod Delmonico moved into sole possession of sixth-place on the SEC career victories list following the Vols' 13-4 win over Tennessee Tech. He has 567 wins and now sets his sights on former Auburn coach Hal Baird who is fifth with 634 victories. In fact, Delmonico and Mississippi State's Ron Polk are the only active coaches in the league with more than 500 career victories.

RECORDS AND NEAR RECORDS: The Vols tied numerous records and nearly set others in their series against Morehead State. The Vols set the record for most runs in a series with 54, while also setting the single-game victory margin at 28 in the 29-1 series finale win. UT was also hit-by-pitch five times in one game, tying a school mark. It also tied the school record for sac flies with three. Eric King tied the school record for runs in a game with five, while both Brian Cleveland and Nick Crowe matched the school standard for sac flies in a game with two. The eight doubles collected in the series finale was one shy of the school record, while the nine hits in a single inning was also one shy of the UT mark.

STARTING PITCHER NOTES: Here are some notes on this weekend's starting pitchers.

Derek Tharpe, LHP, Sr. (4-0, 1.72) ... Will be making his sixth start of the season and 43rd of his career (21st at UT) ... Owns a 10-6 mark with a 3.39 ERA at UT ... Is making his 37th consecutive start ... Has allowed one earned run in his last three starts covering 24.2 innings with 22 strikeouts and five walks ... Is on a career-high three-game winning streak ... Earned his first career victory in 4.2 innings of relief at Mississippi State on March 1, 2001 ... Allowed one unearned run on five hits with three strikeouts and one walk.
LAST START: Pitched his first nine-inning complete game of his career in UT's 6-2 win over Siena 3/12 ... Struckout a season-high nine with a season-low three hits allowed.

Sean Watson, RHP, Fr. (2-1, 2.92) ... Will be making his fifth straight start ... Is 2-0 in his last three starts with a 2.65 ERA in 17.0 innings, striking out eight with four walks ... Logged a season-high eight shutout innings in his first career win against Georgia State 3/6 ... Struckout a season-high five in his debut against Morehead State 2/14.
LAST START: Took a no-decision against Siena 3/13, giving up five runs (three earned) on four hits.

Ben Riley, LHP, Sr. (2-0, 2.61) ... Will be making the 35th start of his career which ties Rick Honeycutt (1973-76) and Bill Aldrige (1976-78) for fifth on UT's career list ... Ranks 10th in career innings pitched with 204.0 ... Is chasing ninth-place Jeff Glover (1984-86) who has 221.1 innings ... Has a 15.2 scoreless innings pitched streak, with 14.2 coming in his last three starts where he is 2-0 ... Ranks among league leaders with a .188 opponent batting average after leading the SEC last year with a .201 average ... Has 13 strikeouts and nine walks in his last 14.2 innings with seven hits allowed ... Of the 13 hits given up, 10 have been singles.
LAST START: Pitched five shutout innings against Siena 3/14, giving up two hits with season-highs in strikeouts (5) and walks (5).

VOLS IN MAJOR LEAGUES: Eight former Vols are set to play in the Majors this season, and a ninth, Chris Burke, is on Houston's 40-man roster. Tennessee tied with Arizona State for 10th place in the number of big leaguers in 2003.

R.A. Dickey, RHP, Texas (2003 -- 9-8, 5.09 ERA, 1 sv, 116.2 IP, 94 K)
Mike DiFelice, C, Detroit (2003 Royals -- .254, 3 HR, 25 RBI)
Todd Helton, 1B, Colorado (2003 -- .358, 33 HR, 117 RBI)
Luke Hudson, RHP, Cincinnati (2003 -- injured did not play)
Mike Lincoln, RHP, St. Louis (2003 Pirates -- 3-4, 5.20 ERA, 5 sv, 36.1 IP, 28 K)
Augie Ojeda, SS/3B, Minnesota (2003 Cubs -- .120, 0 HR, 0 RBI)
Joe Randa, 3B, Kansas City (2003 -- .291, 16 HR, 72 RBI)
Bubba Trammell, OF, Los Angeles (2003 Yankees -- .200, 0 HR, 5 RBI)

University of Tennessee Athletics

Players Mentioned

Josh Alley

Brandon Crowe

Nick Crowe

Rod Delmonico

Kelly Edmundson

Rob Fitzgerald

Eli Iorg

Chris Kemp

Eric King

Ben Riley

Michael Rivera

Alex Suarez

Sean Watson

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