Southeastern Conference play has arrived as No. 19/19 Tennessee begins its 10-week SEC grind with a trip to Athens this weekend to take on No. 6/8 Georgia (15-3) at Foley Field.
The Vols have won seven of their last eight games entering league play and are coming off their best offensive performance of the year after throttling Tennessee Tech, 20-2, in Tuesday's midweek affair.
The Big Orange blasted five home runs – including a pair of grand slams – and finished with a season-high 17 hits against the Golden Eagles.
UT has relied heavily on its pitching staff so far this season, which ranks 16th nationally in ERA (3.10) and eighth in the country in WHIP (1.05). That staff will be put to the test this weekend against the Bulldogs' high-powered attack that ranks among the top five in the nation in batting average (.353) and runs per game (11.4) while leading all of Division I with 61 home runs.
PROJECTED STARTING PITCHERS
Game 1 – Friday (6 pm): UT: RHP Tegan Kuhns (4 GS, 1-1, 3.09 ERA)UGA: RHP Joey Volchko (4 GS, 4-0, 3.00 ERA)
Game 2 – Saturday (5 pm):UT: RHP Landon Mack (4 GS, 3-1, 2.38 ERA)UGA: RHP Dylan Vigue (4 GS, 3-1, 1.93 ERA)
Game 3 – Sunday (1 pm):UT: LHP Evan Blanco (4 GS, 1-2, 2.75 ERA)UGA: LHP Kenny Ishikawa (1 GS, 1-0, 0.00 ERA)
SERIES HISTORY
Vols vs. Georgia Overall: Vols lead, 129-123in Knoxville: Vols lead, 73-51in Athens: Bulldogs lead, 72-53at Neutral Sites: Vols lead, 3-0Last 10 Meetings: Vols lead, 6-4
The home team has won each of the last three series between the two programs. Tennessee's most recent series win in Athens came in 2021 when it took two of three against the seventh-ranked Bulldogs to open conference play. UT is 4-5 all-time against UGA in SEC openers.
NOTABLE
The Vols will be looking to notch their fourth series win on SEC Opening Weekend since coach Josh Elander joined the staff in 2018 after taking two of three at Georgia in 2021, sweeping South Carolina at home in 2022 and sweeping Florida at home last season.
Tennessee is 13-17 in SEC openers on the road since 1980 and 36-46 overall in SEC openers.Bullpen BrillianceUT's reworked bullpen has proven to be a major strength of the team up to this point in the season, having posted an 8-0 record and 3.51 ERA with 89 strikeouts while holding opposing hitters to a .208 batting average in 74.1 innings of work.
Over the last eight games, Tennessee's relievers have posted a 5-0 record and a 1.88 ERA with 50 strikeouts and just nine walks in 38.1 innings of work.
Henry Ford has lived up to the billing so far this season. Entering this weekend, Ford leads the team in batting average (.380), runs (17), hits (27), homers (6), RBIs (20), total bases (49) and OPS (1.126). His 27 hits are tied for fifth in the SEC.The junior third baseman has a hit in nine straight games entering this weekend and has driven in runs in seven of his last nine games, including a two-run blast in the fifth inning of last Saturday's series-clinching win over Wright State and a three-hit, five-RBI performance in Tuesday's midweek win over Tennessee Tech.