University of Tennessee Athletics
Vol Baseball Countdown: 29 Days
January 15, 2015 | Baseball
2015 Schedule
Baseball Time in Tennessee is just 29 days away!
Throughout January and February, UTSports.com will count down the days leading up to the start of the Vols' 2015 campaign (Feb. 13) with a look back at the many players who donned each jersey No. 30 through No. 1.
After opening last season at home, the Vols will travel to Miami, Fla., this year to face Florida International for a three-game series (Feb. 13-15). The team will return home to take on Tennessee Tech on Wednesday, Feb. 18 and Rutgers for four games (Feb. 20-22) during Tennessee's home opener weekend at Lindsey Nelson Stadium, including a doubleheader against the Scarlet Knights on Saturday, Feb. 21. The Orange & White will later host long-time SEC foe Georgia (March 20-22) for the program's first home conference opponent series in March. Additionally, Missouri (April 9-11), South Carolina (April 24-26), Texas A&M (May 1-3) and Mississippi State (May 15-17) will make trips to Rocky Top this year.
On the season, the Volunteers, led by Head Coach Dave Serrano and his staff, are scheduled to play 27 of their 55 regular season games against nine 2014 NCAA postseason participants, including College World Series squads Vanderbilt, UC Irvine and Ole Miss.
In total, 21 Vols have worn No. 29 in Tennessee history, including current righthander Bret Marks and one of the best to ever play in Rocky Top, Sam Ewing (1968-70).
Looking Back...#29 SAM EWING
1968-70 | OF | 6-3 | 205 lbs. | Nashville, Tenn.
After wearing No. 12 and No. 17 in 1968 and 1969, Sam Ewing settled on No. 29 for his final campaign in 1970. The rest is history. Ewing's 1970 season saw him post an incredible .464 batting average, which still ranks second all-time in the SEC single-season record books and is the top mark in the Tennessee annuals. The outfielder drove in 25 runs on 45 hits that season, while adding eight home runs and 33 runs scores. He was a first-team All-America selection by both The Sporting News and the ABCA.
In addition to the single-season record, Ewing still holds the Tennessee career batting average record of .411. On the single-season charts, the two-time All-SEC honoree ranks second in triples (7) in 1969 and second in slugging percentage (.824) in 1970. He also led the SEC in batting average in back to back seasons.
Following the 1970 season, three Vols wound up being selected in the first round of the 1971 January regular and secondary phases of the major league draft. Pitcher Steve Raines, outfielder Sam Ewing and infielder Phil Garner all signed professional contracts. Also, outfielder Sam Ewing earned a spot on the Coaches All-America squad after batting .464, a school record. Ewing was selected by the Chicago White Sox with the fifth overall pick. Ewing also played professionally for the Toronto Blue Jays. He played four total seasons in the pros, hitting .255 and racking up 92 hits, four home runs and 47 RBI over 167 games.
Ewing was inducted into the Tennessee Baseball Hall of Fame in 1998 and was named to the Volunteers' 26-man All-Century Team in 2009.
MORE NOTES ON EWING
- Played professionally in Japan for the Nippon Ham Fighters
- Former Player-Manager of the Iowa Oaks (Class Triple-A)
- Attended John Overton High School in Nashville
Looking Ahead...#29 Bret Marks
2014-Present | RHP | 6-3 | R/R | Roswell, Ga.
Senior pitcher Bret Marks is the 21st player to ever wear the No. 29 on the Tennessee baseball diamond and primed for an excellent second season with the Volunteers in 2015. In his debut year on Rocky Top, he made 10 appearances, including four starts, compiling a 3-1 record over 14.0 total innings pitched.
Marks enters the 2015 season following a dominant summer with the Anchorage Bucs, where he led the entire Alaska Baseball League with 49 strikeouts in 42.2 innings, maintaining a 1.89 ERA through 12 games (five starts). Drafted by the Yankees in the 22nd round of the June 2012 Draft, Marks also pitched two seasons at Wallace State Community College in Hanceville, Ala., where he was listed as a Perfect Game Top 100 Junior College Prospect and ACCC North Player of the Year in 2013.
NOTES FROM HIS BIO
- Bret is the son of Terry, who played baseball at Southern Cal, and Cecile Marks, who ran track at USC. He also has two sisters: Courtney, who played soccer at Boston College, and Ashley, who played soccer at Auburn.
- Holds school record for career strikeouts at Blessed Trinity Catholic High School in Roswell, Ga.
