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This hasn’t been the season that the Tennessee baseball team expected, or hoped. That doesn’t mean the Vols can’t put together another strong playoff run.
Yes, there have been struggles. But the 38-20 record (15-15 in conference) is comparable to the 2023 squad that went 44-22 and reached the College World Series. Or last year’s 46-19 team that finished barely above .500 in the Southeastern Conference, and made an NCAA Super Regional.
You also could make the argument that a quick two-game stint in the SEC tournament actually gives Tennessee a better chance to advance beyond the regional round. Tegan Kuhns, the Vols’ top starting pitcher, didn’t throw at all in the SEC tournament to avoid going on short rest. Now he’ll be extremely well rested by the time regional play begins Friday against East Carolina, and in the double elimination format, you want your ace pitcher to, hopefully, take command and get you into the winner’s bracket final. If Landon Mack, who hasn’t pitched since May 3 at Kentucky due to arm soreness, also can get himself ready to roll, the Vols will be as prepared as possible on the mound.
And, in the NCAAs, where scoring runs often comes at a premium, it takes good pitching to get down the road.
Knoxville Goes Bananas
The Savannah Bananas brought their traveling circus in the form of a baseball game to Neyland Stadium on Saturday, and drew a staggering crowd of 101,000 to the event.
I didn’t go, but asked a few acquaintances their take on the experience…
“Show was amazing!” Skylar Moore said. “High quality entertainment even for a stadium as big as Neyland.”
As expected, there were tons of shenanigans: a pregame marriage proposal, dancing heavyset men, dancing grannys, and a crawling babies race.
Scott Felts, one of the contributors at I-81, also attended the game. His biggest gripe (and it was a common one, from the feedback I got) was the sound system used on the field:
“The Neyland sound system for on field mics is garbage. It is every pregame, was for Dolly Parton, and was for the Bananas. Could not understand much of what was being said and I could have thrown a bottle (of mustard) and hit the speakers.”
Pickens Power
Karlyn Pickens, the ace pitcher for the Tennessee softball team, threw out the ceremonial first pitch prior to the Bananas game. Pickens fired a high fastball with rise to it, that drew a comical sell from the home plate umpire, who staggered back as the pitch came plateward.
Pickens and the Lady Vols now look ahead to the Women’s College World Series, which begins Thursday in Oklahoma City. Tennessee starts its run in the double-elimination event at 2:30 Eastern time, with ESPJ. televising.
This is the 10th time the Lady Vols have reached the WCWS, but they’ve never won it. The only other teams with more appearances without a championship are Oklahoma State (16), which went last in 2024; Northern Colorado (11), which made all 11 trips in succession between 1969 and 1979; and Nebraska, which is also in this year’s WCWS field and making its 10th appearance.
Five of the eight teams in the WCWS represent the SEC: the Lady Vols, Alabama, Arkansas, Texas, and Mississippi State.
Tipton Transfers
Staying in the softball world, Kingsport native and Dobyns-Bennett alum Julianne Tipton announced on May 22 that she was going into the transfer portal. Tipton is arguably the top pitcher ever to throw for D-B, amassing more than 600 career strikeouts and firing 10 shutouts and four no-hitters as a senior as the Lady Indians claimed the only state championship in program history.
Tipton spent the 2026 season at Louisiana, where she compiled a 5-5 record with a 3.78 ERA and 1.55 WHIP, with 28 walks and 29 strikeouts in 59 1-3 innings of work. She played at Arizona State as a freshman.
We’ll have a wrap on local athletes at the Division I level in baseball and softball on Wednesday as part of our Next Level Locals series.
Summer Schedule
We dropped this on social media earlier this week, but we’ve got a full coverage plan all summer long.
We’ll also have more sports betting content from our own J.T. Chadwell, including Play of the Day picks, both here and on social media… plus whatever interviews and event coverage that fall our way.
If you’re interested in promoting your business, brand, or product by sponsoring one of these features, email john@i81sports.com for more information.