Despite the less-than-ideal weather in Knoxville, Tennessee, nothing slowed down the Volunteers on opening weekend against Hofstra. The Vols dominated the series from start to finish, winning all three games by run rule and outscoring Hofstra 46-2 over the three-game series.
The highly anticipated weekend started with unveiling two new celebratory 2024 National Championship decals on the field to a nearly packed house in Lindsey Nelson Stadium. The decals are behind home plate and out on the left field wall, yet another change to the stadium fans will notice this season.
Another significant difference coming to Lindsey Nelson is the brand-new student section in right field overflowing with energetic students on Friday, eager to be back to watch their team take laps around the diamond.
Tennessee gave the fans a full show with highlights coming from nearly everyone en route to a 15-0 shutout win to kick off the year.
Starting pitcher Liam Doyle was the star of the show on Friday as he sent batter after batter back to the Hofstra dugout with their heads down. Doyle pitched five innings, compiling 11 strikeouts, and preventing every Hofstra player he faced from getting on base. At the top of the sixth inning, right-handed pitcher Tanner Franklin entered the game in Doyle’s place and finished out a dominant pitching performance from the Vols, striking out four more Hofstra batters in the final two innings.
“It was fun just to be back out there as a team. Opening day is always pretty fun, and this was my first time starting a college game on opening day, so it was fun to be out there in front of the fans again,” Doyle said after his impressive performance.
Pitching continued to be a strength for the team in the following two games, with ten pitchers getting on the mound over the next two games and allowing just two total runs on six hits. Not even the wind or the rain could do much to put out the fire in the Tennessee bullpen.
The Vols’ arms were not the only thing to shine over the weekend, as nothing Hofstra tried seemed to slow down the offense. The Vols’ best performance came on Saturday in the rain when they boasted 18 runs in just six innings with contributions from well beyond just the starting lineup.
Every member of the Vols’ lineup was incredibly effective at getting on base all weekend. This, plus their ability to capitalize on the errors from the Hofstra infielders, put freshman Chris Newstrom in a situation with the bases loaded late in the third inning on Saturday. With two strikes and two outs, Newstrom made good contact and sent the ball deep into right-center field for a double that sent all three runners to home plate, pushing the lead to 6-0.
This game continued to be about the freshmen as Levi Clark hammered home the Vols’ first home run of the day in the very next inning. The last laugh of the day for the freshmen came from Blake Grimmer on his first and only chance of the day. He hit the ball straight into the right-field scoreboard, helping two other on-base freshmen, Brayden Sharp and Jay Abernathy, to score in the process.
“Every single guy on this roster could be in that starting lineup, so you’re competing every day, and every day you’re showing something new. That’s why this team is special,” Clark said after the game.
The veteran Volunteers were not quiet either, as Hunter Ensley and Reese Chapman had highlight reel-worthy grand slams over the weekend, along with plenty of other impressive scores from the rest of the team.
The Vols play their next series at home against Samford starting on Friday, with the first pitch set for 4:30 p.m. ET.
