logo
Tennessee baseball practices on grass ahead of 2025 Fayetteville Super Regional

Tennessee baseball practices on grass ahead of 2025 Fayetteville Super Regional

USA Today04-06-2025
Tennessee baseball practices on grass ahead of 2025 Fayetteville Super Regional
No. 14 national seed Tennessee (46-17) won the NCAA Tournament Knoxville Regional on Monday. The Vols will next play in a Fayetteville Super Regional at No. 3 national seed Arkansas (46-13).
The best-of-three series will be contested, Saturday-Monday, at Baum-Walker Stadium in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Baum-Walker Stadium has a real grass playing surface.
Tennessee practiced Wednesday away from Lindsey Nelson Stadium before traveling to Arkansas. The Vols practiced at Covenant Health Park, home of the Cubs' Double-A affiliate Knoxville Smokies. Covenant Health Park opened April 15 and has a real grass playing surface.
"We were happy to host a practice for the reigning national champion Tennessee Vols this morning," the Smokies announced. "We wish them the best of luck in Arkansas! Go Vols, and go Smokies!"
Game 1 between the Vols and Razorbacks in the Fayetteville Super Regional is scheduled for 5 p.m. EDT on Saturday, and will be televised by ESPN. The second game will take place Sunday at 3 p.m. EDT (ESPN), while first pitch for Monday's if necessary series finale is to be determined.
More: Christian Moore returns to Knoxville at Covenant Health Park
More: Former Vol transfer commit Ryan Galanie hits game-winning grand slam at Covenant Health Park
Follow Vols Wire on Facebook and X (formerly Twitter).
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Titans cornerback L'Jarius Sneed passes physical and is removed from PUP list

time2 hours ago

Titans cornerback L'Jarius Sneed passes physical and is removed from PUP list

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Tennessee cornerback L'Jarius Sneed passed his physical, and the Tennessee Titans removed him from the physically unable to perform list Wednesday in time to start practicing. The two-time Super Bowl champion was part of the Titans' big offseason spending spree in March 2024, with Tennessee trading for the cornerback. Sneed played in just five games and wound up on injured reserve with a quadriceps injury. Sneed said during an offseason camp that he was as healthy as he's been. But the Titans put him on the physically unable to perform list to start training camp, with team officials saying Sneed had a cleanup of a knee in May. The Titans open the season Sept. 7 at Denver. Defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson said Sneed will be day to day in his return, with the five-year veteran being eased back into practice. 'It's good to get him back out there, and he's been chomping at the bit," Wilson said before practice. "He's been doing everything in his power in the training room to get to this point,' Wilson said. 'So I'm just excited for the young man, not just the football player but him because I know the work that he's put in.' Sneed has 10 career interceptions, though he's still looking for his first with Tennessee. The Titans are counting on Sneed to start in a secondary featuring second-year cornerback Jarvis Brownlee Jr. and Roger McCreary. Titans starting center Lloyd Cushenberry III passed his physical and returned from the physically unable to perform list on Aug. 11.

Part of wild UCLA-Tennessee QB swap, Joey Aguilar excited to start for No. 24 Vols
Part of wild UCLA-Tennessee QB swap, Joey Aguilar excited to start for No. 24 Vols

San Francisco Chronicle​

time3 hours ago

  • San Francisco Chronicle​

Part of wild UCLA-Tennessee QB swap, Joey Aguilar excited to start for No. 24 Vols

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Joey Aguilar is half of college football's wildest flip-flops. When Nico Iamaleava departed Tennessee in April for UCLA, the quarterback left the Trojans to join the Volunteers. Now Aguilar has Iamaleava's old starting job. 'Coming out here and being the starting quarterback for this program is nothing but excitement, and that's all I can say," Aguilar said Wednesday. "I'm just super excited.' Adapting to changing circumstances is nothing new for the 24-year-old quarterback. When the coronavirus pandemic shut down junior college football in 2020, Aguilar was preparing to start on his goal to be a firefighter. He was lured back to football where he played two seasons at Diablo Valley Community College in California. He then played 25 games at Appalachian State in 2023 and 2024. Aguilar was ready to test himself at UCLA when Iamaleava was not welcome at Tennessee just before the Vols' spring game. Iamaleava transferred to UCLA . So Aguilar, who has the Bible verse Proverbs 3:5-6 tattooed on his ribs, gambled on moving again. Even Aguilar can't quite believe how everything has turned out. 'If you would tell me that in 2021, 2022, I probably would not believe it," Aguilar said. "I was in juco at that time, looking at players at this level, like, 'Dang, that's crazy. I wish I was there.' And here I am. I just got to thank Jesus for giving me the opportunity to be here.' Aguilar arrived on campus in Knoxville in May. He has size at 6-foot-3 and 225 pounds and a resume featuring 6,760 yards passing with 56 touchdowns at Appalachian State. He also ran for 452 yards and five more scores. Aguilar will make his 25th career start Aug. 30 when the 24th-ranked Volunteers open the season in Atlanta against Syracuse. He had to beat out Jake Merklinger, who appeared in two games last season, and freshman George MacIntyre. Aguilar did it by quickly learning coach Josh Heupel's offense that the other quarterbacks already knew. That involved early mornings, late nights, lots of film and talking with coaches to learn both game plans and the concept of what Tennessee does on offense. "It took a while, but I got it down,' Aguilar said. Heupel said Tuesday that Aguilar showed just how comfortable he had become to the point he was able to control the offense as coaches asked. Tennessee announced Aguilar as the starter Sunday night in a social media post. 'His decision-making accuracy with the football, you know, our checks that he controls, you put all that together, and that's ultimately why we made the decision,' Heupel said. Even with his experience, Aguilar has had to adjust to just how fast Heupel wants Tennessee's offense to operate. The Vols ran an average of three plays per minute in his first season and at a rate of 10 seconds per play in his second. They mostly stuck to the ground reaching the College Football Playoff last season. How fast the Vols go this season will depend on Aguilar. He ran an up-tempo offense in 2023 at Appalachian State. 'We were like pretty on the ball, just not as fast,' Aguilar said. "So just getting used to getting in the signal and lining up and going through my progressions was just an adjustment I had to make.' As strange as this journey has been, Aguilar thanked his family, friends and coaches for supporting him all the way as he prepares to make his next start. 'I wouldn't go back and would want to change my journey at all.' Aguilar said. ___

Cam Ward thinks Titans benefitted from his altercation with Jeffery Simmons: 'It was what we needed'
Cam Ward thinks Titans benefitted from his altercation with Jeffery Simmons: 'It was what we needed'

Fox News

time4 hours ago

  • Fox News

Cam Ward thinks Titans benefitted from his altercation with Jeffery Simmons: 'It was what we needed'

Tennessee Titans rookie quarterback Cam Ward sparked a physical altercation with veteran defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons that led to the team needing to break them up. But the first overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft told reporters that's what he felt the team needed. "Jeff is strong as s---," Ward said, via ESPN. "It was fun, and I think it was what we needed. We love competing, just with me and Jeff, and I'm excited to have that man as my teammate." The incident occurred after Ward threw a touchdown to wide receiver Calvin Ridley, and as he went to celebrate, he stopped in front of Simmons to tease him with his trademark "Zombieland" celebration — something Simmons is known for after making big defensive plays. Simmons didn't like it one bit, shoving Ward in the face mask with both hands. That sparked the Titans' offensive line to quickly rush in to protect their quarterback, including left tackle Dan Moore Jr. "Absolutely not," Moore said when asked if anyone is allowed to touch the quarterback, per ESPN. "That goes without saying." But this trash-talking between Ward and Simmons is something that has been prevalent since they got on the same field together. "I get here, and he's damn near the first one I'm ready to talk s--- to," Ward said. "He's the first one that comes at my head every day at practice." Titans head coach Brian Callahan, who made the team run after the practice skirmish, acknowledged that it is wrong to touch the quarterback like Simmons did. However, he doesn't seem to mind the banter between teammates. "If the quarterback enters willingly into the fray like that, then that's on him as well," Callahan said. Simmons added: "It's training camp, and tempers flare. I respect the hell out of our offense for having the quarterback's back. At the end of the day, we're family and moved on from it." Ward is going to experience much more than Simmons trash-talking in his first year in the NFL, and perhaps the three-time Pro Bowl tackle is trying to prepare him for those situations during the regular season. We'll see if Ward will be jawing back at the Denver Broncos on Sept. 7 as he makes his NFL regular-season debut.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store