University of Tennessee Athletics
Tuesday, March 27
Cullowhee, NC
5 P.M. ET
University of Tennessee
at
Western Carolina
Baseball Central: Tennessee at Western Carolina
March 26, 2018 | Baseball
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Fresh off a series sweep over Alabama last weekend, Tennessee hits the road for four games this week, starting with a midweek contest against Western Carolina on Tuesday evening. Â
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The Vols and Catamounts will be facing off for the second time in the last two weeks after the two sides met in Knoxville back on March 14. UT came away with a 5-0 win behind a complete-game shutout from freshman pitcher Sean Hunley.
Projected Starting Pitchers
Tuesday's game will be streamed live on WatchESPN.com and the ESPN app. John Wilkerson will also have the call on Sports Radio WNML (AM 990) and UTSports.com.
Series History vs. Western Carolina
Overall: UT leads, 21-7
In Knoxville: UT leads, 16-3
In Cullowhee: UT leads, 4-2
Neutral Site: UT leads, 1-0
Last Meeting: W, 5-0 (3/14/18)
The Big Orange have won four straight in the series with Western Carolina, including a 5-0 shutout victory over the Catamounts earlier this month. This will be the Vols' first trip to Cullowhee since an 18-8 win back in 2010.
Need to Know
Western Carolina Catamounts Â
Tennessee continues its four-game road trip with a three-game series at South Carolina starting on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. All three games will be televised with Thursday's series opener on ESPNU and Friday and Saturday's games on the SEC Network.
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MORE INFO
Game Times & Broadcast Info
- Opponent: Western Carolina Catamounts
- Venue: Hennon Stadium (Cullowhee, N.C.)
- Date/Time: Tuesday, March 27 – 5 p.m. ET
- Stream: WatchESPN
- Radio: WNML / UTSports.com
- Live Stats: UTSports.com
Tennessee (16-9, 4-2 SEC)
Roster Schedule Stats Game NotesWestern Carolina (3-19, 1-2 SoCon)
Roster Schedule StatsÂ
The Vols and Catamounts will be facing off for the second time in the last two weeks after the two sides met in Knoxville back on March 14. UT came away with a 5-0 win behind a complete-game shutout from freshman pitcher Sean Hunley.
Projected Starting Pitchers
- RHP Sean Hunley (3-0, 1.59 ERA) vs. TBA
Tuesday's game will be streamed live on WatchESPN.com and the ESPN app. John Wilkerson will also have the call on Sports Radio WNML (AM 990) and UTSports.com.
Series History vs. Western Carolina
Overall: UT leads, 21-7
In Knoxville: UT leads, 16-3
In Cullowhee: UT leads, 4-2
Neutral Site: UT leads, 1-0
Last Meeting: W, 5-0 (3/14/18)
The Big Orange have won four straight in the series with Western Carolina, including a 5-0 shutout victory over the Catamounts earlier this month. This will be the Vols' first trip to Cullowhee since an 18-8 win back in 2010.
Need to Know
- Tennessee went 3-1 last week after dropping a midweek game to ETSU before bouncing back to sweep Alabama over the weekend.
- The series sweep over the Crimson Tide was the first for Tennessee in SEC play since May of 2015 when the Vols swept Mississippi State to finish the regular season.
- UT jumped 27 spots to No. 33 in this week's RPI.
- The Vols have now swept two opponents this year – Cincinnati and Alabama – marking the first time they have had a least two three-game series sweeps in a season since 2014.
- At 4-2, the Vols are off to their best start in SEC play since also starting 4-2 back on 2008.
- Freshman Evan Russell drove in the game-winning runs in Friday's series opener and the first game of Sunday's doubleheader, both via bases-loaded walks.
- With two complete games in Sunday's doubleheader, Tennessee's starting pitchers have now thrown five already this year, which is the most in a single season since VFL Zack Godley threw six by himself for the Vols back in 2013.
- Both Garrett Stallings and Will Neely have now thrown two complete games this season. Neither had ever thrown one entering this year.
- UT has now gotten nine straight weekend starts of six innings or more.
- Tennessee had a number of hits and walks in big time situations on Friday night. As a team, the Vols batted .333 with runners on base, had four base knocks with runners in scoring position and drew seven walks. The three through seven hitters in UT's order were especially effective, accounting for 10 of the team's hits and all five RBI.
- Freshman Garrett Crochet had another solid start on Friday night, tying a career high with eight strikeouts in 6.1 innings pitched.
- Stallings scattered six hits and gave up just one unearned run while striking out five in the first game of Sunday's doubleheader to improve to 4-1 on the season.
- Tuesday's projected starter Sean Hunley threw a complete-game shutout, scattering seven hits while striking out three and walking nobody in his start earlier this year vs. Western Carolina.
- Hunley became the first UT true freshman pitcher to throw a complete game since Josh Lindblom went the distance for the Vols against Georgia on April 22, 2006 in a 3-0 loss.
- Hunley's complete-game shutout was also the first by a Vols' pitcher since current Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Zack Godley threw one in 2013.
Western Carolina Catamounts Â
- Record: 3-19 (1-2 SoCon)
- 2017 Postseason: N/A
- Picked to finish tied for fourth in the Southern Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll and fifth in the preseason media poll.
- Return five starting position players and two starting pitchers from last season but also lost 11 letterwinners and added 15 newcomers.
- Took one of three games on the road against The Citadel last weekend to begin conference play.
- Freshman Justice Bigbie leads the Catamounts with a .367 batting average, 29 hits five doubles, 21 RBI and a .420 on-base percentage.
- The Catamounts' pitching staff has struggled with a 7.36 team ERA entering Tuesday's game.
Tennessee continues its four-game road trip with a three-game series at South Carolina starting on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. All three games will be televised with Thursday's series opener on ESPNU and Friday and Saturday's games on the SEC Network.
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Players Mentioned
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RHP
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