University of Tennessee Athletics
BASEBALL VOLS BATTLE ALABAMA WITH SEC TOURNAMENT BERTH AT STAKE
May 17, 2006 | Baseball
May 17, 2006
Game Notes in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
The Tennessee baseball team hosts Alabama this weekend for a three-game series at Lindsey Nelson Stadium, and there will be a lot at stake for the Volunteers, who have won four of their last five Southeastern Conference series. The Vols need a strong showing against the SEC West-leading Crimson Tide in order to earn a berth in next week's SEC Tournament.
This weekend's series has been moved up one day and runs Thursday through Saturday. Game time is set for 7 p.m. ET each day. Kelly Edmundson, Chris Kemp and Michael Rivera will each be honored during a Senior Day ceremony prior to Friday's contest. Any unused 2006 Tennessee baseball ticket can be redeemed for a free general admission ticket to Saturday's regular-season finale.
At 31-21 (11-15 SEC), Tennessee currently sits tied for ninth with Mississippi State in the overall league standings. Only the top eight clubs earn a spot in the SEC Tournament field. LSU owns a half-game lead over UT for eighth place. Mississippi State (which holds the tiebreaker over UT) hosts Ole Miss this weekend, while LSU travels to Florida.
Edmundson is closing out his Big Orange career in fine form. The Germantown, Tenn., native has five home runs in the last six games, including two homers in the eighth inning of Tuesday's 16-4 victory over Belmont. His two-homer inning made him just the second Vol to accomplish that feat (Sonny Cortez; 1998) and the first to do so at Lindsey Nelson Stadium. Edmundson is batting .391 over the last six contests with 13 RBIs and a 1.087 slugging percentage.
Alabama (36-17, 17-10 SEC) is vying for a shot to win the Western Division and/or overall league title. The Crimson Tide currently sits in first place in the West and is second in the overall league standings. Tennessee has not played Alabama since the 2003 season. In fact, Rivera is the only player on UT's roster with previous game experience against the Tide.
Tennessee trails the all-time series with Alabama 25-56, dating to 1897. In games played in Knoxville since 1990, the teams have split at 9-9. The Vols have won each of the past two series versus the Tide in Knoxville (2001 and 2003).
Weekend Promotions
Thursday, May 18 (7 p.m. ET)
- Free admission for all children 12 and under
Friday, May 19 (7 p.m. ET)
- Senior Night: Kelly Edmundson, Chris Kemp and Michael Rivera will be honored during a pregame ceremony
- Free Tennessee baseball trading cards to the first 500 fans
- Jr. Vols Night
- Postgame fireworks show
Saturday, May 20 (7 p.m. ET)
- Any unused ticket from the 2006 UT baseball season can be traded in for a free general admission ticket
- Free admission for all children 12 and under
- Movie Night: "The Rookie" will be shown on the videoboard after the game - fans can bring a blanket and watch from the outfield
- Boy Scout Night: All uniformed scouts receive free admission; Free patches to the first 500 scouts
- Family Fun Night: 4 tickets, one large pizza from Papa John's and an autographed baseball from a Tennessee player for only $20. Must call (865) 656-1200 by 5 p.m. Friday.
