Previewing The Volunteers

After knocking off top-ranked Florida with a series win at home last weekend, Gary Henderson and his No. 12 Kentucky Baseball team (18-7, 4-2) hit the road for Knoxville, TN and a three-game set against the Tennessee Volunteers (16-9, 2-4). With the calendar turning to April, and the big upset of the Gators propelling the team forward in the SEC standings, this weekend series could prove to be crucial if the Batcats want to build up some staying power heading further into conference play and inching closer to the postseason. Oh, and win their third straight SEC series to open league play since 2012. That’s big too. Let’s get to some notes from the weekend at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.

 

 Schedule (Eastern Time):

Friday (6:00 p.m.) – Zack Brown (1-4, 5.97 ERA) vs. Zach Warren (4-1, 2.83 ERA)

Saturday (4:00 p.m.) – Dustin Beggs (6-0, 2.40 ERA) vs. Aaron Soto (2-0, 3.86 ERA)

Sunday (2:00 p.m.) – Kyle Cody (2-1, 6.43 ERA) vs. Andy Cox (2-2, 7.31 ERA)

All games will be broadcast live on SEC Network +, as well as on the UK Sports Radio Network (WLAP 630 AM for central Kentucky and WKJK 1080-AM for Louisville listeners). 

 

 Weather:

 

 Tennessee’s 2016 (24-26, 11-18 in 2015):

 

 Tennessee Offense: 

Player to Watch: Nick Senzel (JR, 3B)

The All-American has been crushing the ball so far in 2016, with four home runs, nine doubles, 35 RBI, ten stolen bases and a .360 average. Kentucky pitching will have to be careful in their approach to and around Senzel in the Volunteer lineup. On the flip side, it’ll be interesting to see how the junior battles against Beggs and Cody – two of the best on the mound in the SEC.

 

 Tennessee Pitching:

Player to Watch: Zach Warren (SO, LHP)

It’s been no big surprise that Friday has given the Wildcats the most trouble during SEC play. Facing Warren tomorrow won’t have things getting any easier for Gary Henderson and the gang. The sophomore lefty has racked up 36 strikeouts through 35 innings of work so far this year, allowing only 30 hits. As far as momentum swings go, I can think of nothing better than Zack Brown coming through with a quality start to combat Warren, the offense getting behind him early and often with run support, and the team capturing the series opener.

 

That’ll do it for today. Follow myself and @TreyHuntsmanKSR for all the updates on Twitter throughout the weekend, and stay tuned to KSR for complete recaps on all the baseball action.

@brooksHoltonKSR