Tennessee heads back on the road to the Magnolia State this weekend for a three-game series against Ole Miss at Swayze Field. It’s the Vols’ second top 10 series and their third top 25 series in the first half of SEC play.
Tony Vitello’s eighth Tennessee team is coming off of its first series loss of the season after dropping two out of three against Texas A&M last weekend. They’ll face a red-hot Ole Miss team that’s won three straight SEC series and 11 of its last 13 games.
Here’s how to watch the three game series and other notes and details.
More From RTI: Tennessee Baseball Stars Readying For Return To Ole Miss This Weekend
How to Watch: No. 5 Tennessee baseball (29-4, 9-3 SEC) at No. 6 Ole Miss (26-7, 8-4 SEC)
Game one (Friday):
First pitch time: 7:30 p.m. ET
Announcers: PxP: Richard Cross, CC: Keith Kessinger, Sideline: Loral Winn
Watch: SEC Network+
Game two (Saturday):
First pitch time: 5 p.m. ET
Announcers: PxP: Richard Cross, CC: Keith Kessinger, Sideline: Loral Winn
Watch: SEC Network+
Game three (Sunday)
First pitch: 3 p.m. ET
Announcers: PxP: Richard Cross, CC: Jensen Lewis
Watch: SEC Network
Pitching Matchups
Game One:
Vols LHP Liam Doyle: 8 GS, 5-1, 2.53 ERA, 42.2 IP, 0.89 WHIP, 81 K, 14 BB
vs.
Rebels LHP Hunter Elliott: 8 GS, 5-0, 3.63 ERA, 39.2 IP, 1.16 WHIP, 51 K, 17 BB
Game two:
Vols RHP Marcus Phillips: 8 GS, 2-1, 2.68 ERA, 40.1 IP, 0.97 WHIP, 48 K, 10 BB
vs.
Rebels RHP Riley Maddox: 8 GS, 3-2, 6.10 ERA, 31 IP, 1.55 WHIP, 31 K, 15 BB
Game three:
Vols RHP Tegan Kuhns: 5 GS, 2-1, 2.79 ERA, 19.1 IP, 1.29 WHIP, 20 K, 8 BB
vs.
Rebels RHP Mason Nichols: 8 GS, 2-0, 4.83 ERA, 31.2 IP, 1.26 WHIP, 39 K, 8 BB
What To Know About Ole Miss
The Rebels entered the season with little expectations, but made a statement from the jump when they won two of three top 25 matchups to open the season including wins over Arizona and Clemson. Ole Miss largely took care of business in the rest of its non conference slate, splitting midweek games with a good Southern Miss team and dropping another to a solid South Alabama team.
Ole Miss dropped two out of three at home to Arkansas to open up SEC play but has responded with three straight series wins over Missouri, Florida and Kentucky.
The Rebels boast a lineup that’s consistent top-to-bottom and will make life difficult on a Tennessee pitching staff that’s looking to bounce back from a rough weekend.
Second year transfer infielder Luke Hill is hitting .369 with 12 extra-base hits and 26 RBIs. Judd Utermark enters the weekend hitting .317 with a team-best 11 home runs. Isaac Humphrey, Mitchell Sanford and Ryan Moerman all have hit nine home runs on the season and are hitting .296 or better.
Vols Looking To Bounce Back
Tennessee is coming off its first series loss of the season and is looking to get back in the win column with a challenging road series. The Vols lost two straight games earlier this season with a midweek loss to ETSU and a series opening loss at Alabama. They responded by winning the final two games of the season.
The Vols lost last a series last season when they dropped their season opening slate at Alabama. They bounced back by taking two out of three against Ole Miss and didn’t lose a series again the rest of the season.
Vitello’s Volunteers last lost consecutive series from April 6-16 in 2023 when they dropped two out of three at home against Florida before Arkansas swept Tennessee in Fayetteville.
Doyle And Fischer Return To Oxford
Two of Tennessee’s top players, left-handed pitcher Liam Doyle and left-handed slugger Andrew Fischer, played at Ole Miss last season before transferring in to the Volunteer program.
Doyle was Ole Miss’ Saturday starter last season and Fischer led the Rebels in home runs starting at either third base or designated hitter. Both compete with an abundance of emotion that could lead to this weekend’s series, especially Friday night, being highly entertaining.
And the Ole Miss starting pitcher for the one game that the Rebels won in Knoxville last season? Mr. Liam Doyle.
A Quick Prediction
In my estimation, either this weekend or the Alabama series is Tennessee’s toughest task until its late season road trips to Baton Rouge and Fayetteville. I expect this to be an incredibly challenging series that could go either way.
I’ll take Tennessee to bounce back and get a big series win with its top guys Dean Curley, Hunter Ensley and Andrew Fischer having big weekends at the plate.
Prediction: Tennessee takes two out of three
