It was a night of firsts for many Tennessee baseball players Wednesday night against Oakland.
Career debuts for some, season debuts for others.
For Ariel Antigua, it was a first-career home run.
The junior infielder hammered a three-run shot to the first deck of the left-field porches in the seventh inning to extend Tennessee’s lead over the Golden Grizzlies.
The 366-foot homer was 99 mph off the bat. Watch the blast below.
First career JACK for Ariel!
💻 https://t.co/wKtxSgBROv#GBO // #OTH pic.twitter.com/giRZctnE15
— Tennessee Baseball (@Vol_Baseball) March 4, 2026
Antigua was fired up after touching home plate, spiking his helmet before being greeted by his jubilant teammates in the dugout.
Antigua’s homer scored the final three runs for Tennessee, as the Vols easily defeated Oakland 11-2.
“It’s almost like I was rooting for him as a fan,” Tennessee head coach Josh Elander said after the game. “I mean, he’s working his tail off behind the scenes. And again, Ariel had a tremendous fall. He’s one of our best players offensively, objectively, if you look at the numbers, and I understand the fall is different from the spring, but his first at-bat here, I remember he hit a ball foul like two miles. I don’t know if anybody ever remembers that.
“He’s always hit. So we just want to go out and play. I think he’s again, playing the game of maybe trying to do a little bit too much, or the competition — we got to figure out what we got there in the middle of the field. So that was a step in the right direction for him, but just handling the right way of coming to the field and making sure he’s getting his work in. And I tell him, be patient but stay ready because, the ebbs and flows of the season and how guys do. We’re going to continue to mix and match with those guys.”
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The win marked Tennessee’s fourth in a row after the Vols had lost three in a four-game stretch. Tennessee will look to carry its momentum into this weekend’s home series against Wright State.
First pitch for Friday’s series opener is at 6:30 p.m. ET on SEC Network +.
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