Diamond Notes : First SEC Roadtrip Sends Alabama to Knoxville for Three Games

Diamond Tide

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The Crimson Tide and Volunteers will meet for the 112th time in the history of the two programs on Friday evening

3/22/2018

TUSCALOOSA, AL –
Alabama baseball continues its current roadtrip with a three-game series in Knoxville against the Tennessee Volunteers. Game one of the weekend is scheduled for a 5:30 p.m. CT first pitch of SEC Network+ with Mike Keith and Rusty Ensor on the call. Saturday and Sunday will air nationally on SEC Network with Saturday's contest set to start at 5 p.m. CT and Sunday's series finale slated for a 2 p.m. CT first pitch. The final two games of the weekend will feature Mike Morgan and Mike Rooney on the call.

FOLLOW THE TIDE
Fans can follow this weekend's matchups via the below outlets:


Watch: SEC Network+ (Friday) || SEC Network (Saturday and Sunday)
Listen: 102.9 FM / CTSN / TuneIn App
Twitter: @AlabamaBSB
Live Stats: UTSports.com

LEADING OFF

• Alabama and Tennessee will meet for the 112th time in series history when the teams match up for game one of the weekend on Friday evening. This weekend's trip to Knoxville will be the Crimson Tide's first since the 2014 season. In that pairing from April 18-20, UA came away with wins in the first two games of the weekend to claim the series win, 2-1.
• The Crimson Tide holds the all-time series advantage at 75-36, including a 25-19 mark in Knoxville. The series began in 1897 with Alabama sweeping Tennessee across three games in the inaugural meetings. The sweep began a streak of 13 straight series wins or ties in two- or three-game series before UT earned its first series victory over the Tide from March 12-13, 1988, in Knoxville. That three-game set saw the Volunteers claim the bookend contests for the 2-1 weekend win.
• UA maintains a slight 6-4 advantage across the last 10 games between the cross-division rivals and has registered a series victory in seven of the last 10 three-game pairings overall, including three consecutive series victories dating back to the 2013 campaign.
• The two teams last met in from March 25-26, 2016, in Tuscaloosa. Alabama opened the series with a 7-3 win to open the weekend before an 11-3 victory in game one of Saturday's doubleheader clinched the series victory in the first SEC matchup ever at The "New" Joe. The Volunteers avoided the sweep in game two of the doubleheader with a 6-3 win to close out the weekend.
• Tennessee welcomes Alabama to Knoxville with a 13-9 overall record, a 9-7 mark at home and a 1-2 tally in Southeastern Conference play. The Volunteers spent last weekend in Oxford against No. 8 Ole Miss, securing a game-one win by a score of 8-6 before falling in the weekend's final two games to the Rebels. Most recently, the Vols suffered a 9-6 loss to East Tennessee State on Tuesday.
• Alabama will return to its rotation from a weekend ago. Friday's start will feature junior right-hander Sam Finnerty, with senior righty Jake Walters following on Saturday. Redshirt freshman Garret Rukes will get the call on Sunday. The left-hander will be making his second career SEC start and his fifth start of the season for the Crimson Tide.
• Tennessee will call on freshman left-hander Garrett Crochet in the weekend opener. Saturday's matchup will feature sophomore righty Garrett Stallings while junior right-hander Will Neely will get the call on Sunday in the series finale.

PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUPS

FRIDAY: UA – Sam Finnerty (Jr., RHP) vs. TENN – Garrett Crochet (Fr., LHP)
SATURDAY: UA – Jake Walters (Sr., RHP) vs. TENN – Garrett Stallings (So., RHP)
SUNDAY: UA – Garret Rukes (R-Fr., LHP) vs. TENN – Will Neely (Jr., RHP)

ABOUT TENNESSEE

• Tennessee returned 17 letterwinners, including seven positional starters and 10 pitchers, from a 2017 squad that finished 27-25 overall and 7-21 in SEC play. The 2018 roster is without 13 letterwinners from a season ago, a number that includes six positional starters and seven pitchers, while the Vols welcome 15 newcomers.
• The Volunteers were selected to finish seventh in the East and 13th overall in the Southeastern Conference in the league's preseason poll, as voted on by the league's head coaches.
• Tony Vitello is in his first year at the helm of the Tennessee program after spending the previous 14 seasons as one of the top assistants in college baseball. A 2002 graduate of Missouri, Vitello is assisted by Frank Anderson and Josh Elander along with volunteer assistant Ross Kivett. The Volunteers' student assistant coach is former Major League catcher J.P. Arencibia.
• Tennessee baseball was founded in 1897 with the program holding a 2,003-1,576-14 record entering the 2018 campaign. The Volunteers have claimed three SEC Championships and have advanced to the NCAA postseason on nine occasions, reaching the College World Series four times in program history.
• The University of Tennessee is a public university located in Knoxville, Tenn., and boasts an enrollment of 28,321 students. Founded on Sept. 10, 1794, two years before Tennessee became a state, the University was originally founded at Blount College.

ON DECK

Next up for the Crimson Tide is a trip to Montgomery for the annual MAX Capital City Classic matchup with Auburn. The two in-state rivals are set for a 6:35 p.m. CT first pitch in the non-conference matchup at Riverwalk Stadium, home of the Double-A Montgomery Biscuits.


-UA-



RTR,

Diamond Tide
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