Tennessee baseball is just 10 days away from opening up its 2026 season against Nicholls. As the snow continues melting in Knoxville, the Vols made their way out to Lindsey Nelson Stadium Tuesday for a practice and short situational scrimmage.
Couple quick notes. Blake Grimmer did not hit during practice but did field grounders at third base as he deals with a minor injury ahead of the start of the season. He worked at third base along with Tyler Myatt and Henry Ford.
During drill work, Tennessee infielders all did pushups anytime someone committed an error. Not some massive deal but felt notable.
The actual scrimmage portion of practice was just two innings and different situations. Five to six batters hit each half inning and there was not necessarily three outs recorded. Each at-bat, the runners on base situation changed. Sometimes the infield was in. One time, there were five infielders. Josh Elander and his staff were just putting their team in different circumstances.
The most notable play of the scrimmage came when Levi Clark fouled out to right field and Cash Williams rocketed a throw home to turn a 9-2 double play. Blaine Brown, Ariel Antigua, Jay Abernathy, Finley Bates, Trent Grindlinger, Nathan Eisfelder, Taylor Tracey and Hunter High each recorded hits.
Here’s a look at what all happened in the short scrimmage.
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First Inning
Top
RHP Ari Bethea on the mound.
Runners on first and second:
- Jay Abernathy bunt single.
- Henry Ford strikes out.
Runners at third:
- Levi Clark ropes a line out to right field. Runner out at home. Absolutely bullet from Cash Williams.
Runners on second and third:
- Finley Bates gets back picked at third base by Stone Lawless.
- Runner steals third.
- Reese Chapman strikes out.
Runner on second:
- Nathen Eisfelder RBI double to left field.
Bottom
RHP Brayden Krenzel on the mound
Bases loaded:
- Blaine Brown singles to centerfield. Two runners score.
Runner on third:
- Henry Ford walks.
Runner on third:
- Stone Lawless hit-by pitch.
Runner on second:
- Trent Grindlinger singles to right field. Myatt safe at home.
Runner on first:
- Hutson Chance steals second.
- Manny Marin soft line out to first base.
Second Inning
Top
RHP Ari Bethea on the mound
Runner on third:
- Chris Newstrom pops out to second base.
Runner on third. Fifth infielder:
- Ariel Antigua singles to left field. Error on Blaine Brown allows him to reach second.
Bases loaded:
- Taylor Tracey singles to center field. Two runners score.
Runner on second:
- Evan Hankins strikes out swinging.
Runner on first:
- Finley Bates sac bunt.
Runner on third. Infield in:
- Finley Bates singles to center field. Runner scores.
Bottom
RHP Brayden Krenzel on the mound
No one on:
- Ethan Moore pops out to third base.
Runners on second and third. Infield in:
- Hunter High doubles to right field. Both runners score.
Runner on second:
- Hutson Chance walks.
Runner on first. Runner steals second:
- Tyler Myatt flies out to left field.
Runner on third:
- Levi Clark sac fly to right field. Runner scores.
