Business is picking up for the Vols.
Tennessee baseball will take on the Kent State Golden Flashes at Lindsey Nelson Stadium for a weekend series starting on Friday night. The No. 13 Vols (4-0) enter the slate unbeaten, while the Golden Flashes (3-1) pushed No. 2 LSU hard in Baton Rouge, dropping their Monday matchup 10-7.
The upcoming slate will be the first games the two teams have played in their histories. Kent State continues its season-opening eight-game road trip that will conclude on Wednesday against Wright State.
The Golden Flashes are led by head coach Jeff Duncan, who has been at the helm since the summer of 2013. Last season, they went 38-18 and finished tied atop the MAC at 23-7 before their season ended after the conference tournament.
How to watch Tennessee baseball
Each of the three games over the weekend will be streamed on SEC Network+.
John Wilkerson will have the play-by-play duties for the Vol Radio Network, which can be found on UTsports.com.
Starting solid
The first turn through the weekend rotation was a successful one for Tennessee.
The trio of Tegan Kuhns, Landon Mack and Evan Blanco gave up just one run in their 17.2 innings of combined work. Kuhns looked particularly sharp, striking out eight and allowing just a pair of hits.
As a group, they handed out just four walks while striking out 26 batters, combining good command with quality swing-and-miss stuff against Nicholls State.
After a strong opening show, they will now go head-to-head with a Kent State team firing on all cylinders offensively. The battle between the Vols’ rotation and the Golden Flashes’ lineup will be worth watching as the series goes on.
Brilliant Flashes
Kent State’s offense has been hot to start the season, averaging exactly 10 runs a game across its first four games.
The Flashes’ most eye-opening offensive performance was against No. 2 LSU, when they plated seven runs on six hits and six walks. Having already had a taste of SEC pitching, the Vols’ pitching staff will need to be at the top of their game to quiet a lineup that is clicking.
Perhaps the biggest threat Tennessee will face over the weekend will be utility player Sawyer Solitaria. The sophomore comes off a year in which he was named MAC Freshman of the Year, hitting .308 and recording 62 RBIs.
Solitaria has clubbed four home runs on the season, including one against LSU, and his early-season outburst led to him being named MAC Player of the Week. His offensive impact will be something to keep an eye on throughout the weekend.
Pitching probables:
Friday: 4:30 p.m. — Kuhns (1-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. Ciaran Caughey (1-0, 0.00 ERA)
Saturday: 4:00 p.m. — Mack (1-0, 1.50 ERA) or Blanco (1-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. Easton Tumis (1-0, 3.38 ERA)
Sunday: 1:00 p.m. — Blanco (1-0, 0.00 ERA) or Mack (1-0, 1.50 ERA) vs. Ben Rabatin (0-0, 4.91 ERA)
