University of Tennessee Athletics
Diamond Vols visit Arkansas this Weekend
April 17, 2008 | Baseball
Game Notes
The 30th-ranked Tennessee baseball team departed Thursday morning for Fayetteville, Ark., where it faces the Arkansas Razorbacks for a three-game Southeastern Conference series this weekend at Baum Stadium. Game times are set for 6:35 p.m. CT Friday, 2:05 p.m. CT Saturday and 1:05 p.m. CT Sunday.Friday???s game will be televised regionally on Cox Sports. All three games will be broadcast on the radio in the Knoxville area on WNML AM 990, FM 99.1 & 99.3. And the radio broadcasts also can be accessed for free online at UTsports.com.
Tennessee (22-14, 9-6 SEC) is tied for second place in the SEC Eastern Division standings and is one of four teams in a tie for second place in the overall league race. Arkansas (20-16, 5-9 SEC) sits in fifth place in the SEC Western Division but is coming off a series win over a ranked Florida club last weekend.
The Volunteers leads the all-time series with Arkansas 22-21, dating to 1992. The Razorbacks hold a 12-9 edge in Fayetteville and have won seven of the last 10 meetings. Tennessee???s last series win in Fayetteville came during the 2001 season.
Tennessee???s offense has come on strong during the month of April. In UT???s 11 games this month, the Vols are batting .337 as a team while averaging 11.9 hits and 8.9 runs per game. And of Tennessee???s 36 home runs this season, exactly half (18) have been hit in April. Senior outfielder Shawn Griffin has six homers by himself this month.
Freshman centerfielder Kentrail Davis???a top candidate for SEC Freshman of the Year honors???has belted four home runs this month and continues to be the team???s top offensive producer. The Theodore, Ala., native paces the club in batting average (.356), hits (47), RBI (34) and on-base percentage (.456) while sharing the team home runs lead with Griffin with eight.
Among SEC freshmen, Davis ranks sixth in batting average and tied for first in home runs. He has three multi-homer games this season, a team-best 11 multi-RBI games and has twice been named the SEC Freshman of the Week.
Arkansas is batting .290 as a team and has fashioned a 4.77 staff ERA this season. The Razorbacks lineup features four players hitting .320 or better. Senior designated hitter Aaron Murphree has 13 homers on the year and has driven in 34 runs on 33?hits.
This weekend???s pitching matchups feature UT sophomore left-hander Nick Hernandez (1-2, 5.05 ERA) taking the mound Friday against Arkansas left-hander Dallas Keuchel (3-1, 2.98 ERA). Redshirt freshman lefty Bryan Morgado (4-2, 3.04 ERA) will start for the Vols on Saturday opposite Razorbacks right-hander Justin Wells (3-0, 4.81 ERA). Tennessee has not announced a starting pitcher for Sunday???s series-finale, while Arkansas is expected to send lefty Cliff Springston (4-2, 3.65 ERA) to the hill.
UT freshman catcher Blake Forsythe is the younger brother of Arkansas third baseman Logan Forsythe. Blake Forsythe has started 12 games for the Vols this season and has thrown out nine opposing baserunners to rank fourth in the SEC.
