University of Tennessee Athletics
Vol Baseball Countdown: 12 Days
February 01, 2015 | Baseball
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Baseball Time in Tennessee is just 12 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.
Practice has officially begun on Rocky Top. The Diamond Vols are in action throughout the week. All outdoor practices at Lindsey Nelson Stadium are free and open to the public. For more information, visit UTSports.com.
Just 23 Vols have worn the Orange and White No. 12, and no Vol will wear the jersey in 2015, with Head Coach Dave Serrano having switched to No. 18 this season. Eleven years ago the number belonged to former Vol and Miami native Michael Rivera, who went on set the program record for games played and at-bats.
THE PAST...#12 Michael Rivera
2003-06 | INF/OF | R/R | 6-0 | 185 lbs. | Miami, Fla. (Miami Senior HS)
A middle infielder at Miami Senior High School in Miami, Fla., Michael Rivera came to Tennessee for his freshman season in 2003. Rivera immediately found himself in the lineup, starting all 43 games he played. He was forced to miss the final 12 games after injuring his right thumb. Rivera hit .283 as a rookie with two home runs and 26 RBIs. A versatile player, Rivera started 33 games in right field, five at third base, four at first and one at shortstop as a freshman, while hitting anywhere from second to seventh in the lineup.
He posted a .301 batting average as a sophomore in 2004 with two homers and 18 RBIs. He earned SEC Player of the Week honors midway early in the season after hitting .632 (12-for-19) over the course of a week. Rivera played in 54 games, making 42 starts (29 in right field, two at third base and one at second base). He registered 14 multi-hit and four multi-RBI games and recorded a 10-game hitting streak.
Rivera started all 67 games at second base during Tennessee's 2005 College World Series run. He hit a career-best .331 with 81 hits, one home run and 42 RBIs. He posted 25 multi-hit games and 10 multi-RBI games. On the base paths, Rivers was 13-for-14 on stolen-base attempts. His only home run of the season was a timely three-run blast during Tennessee's series-clinching win over Georgia Tech in the NCAA Atlanta Super Regional. He had two hits during the season-ending loss to Arizona State in the College World Series.
Rivera served as the team co-captain and started every game of his senior season in 2006, hitting .316 with 67 hits, 36 RBIs and a career-high four home runs. He put together a career-best 12-game hit streak that came to an end May 18 against No. 8 Alabama. Rivera broke the school record for games played when he took the field for the 219th time May 18 against Alabama. The season-finale vs. Alabama May 20 marked his 219th career game, and he doubled to tie Stevie Daniel (1999-2001) for fourth place on the school's all-time hits list with 246 career hits.
Upon Rivera's departure from UT, the only Vols to ever record more hits than him were SEC Players of the Year Chris Burke (2001), Todd Helton (1995) and Jeff Pickler (1998). He left as the school's all-time leader in games played (219) and at-bats (793) and was also second in singles (197).
Rivera was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 17th round of the 2006 MLB Draft. He went on to play two seasons in the organization, rising to the top of the Minor Leagues at the Triple-A level. He played in 92 total games in the minors, including 15 in Las Vegas.
NOTES ON RIVERA
- Full name is Michael Antonio Rivera
- Born in Managua, Nicaragua
- Majored in sociology at Tennessee
