KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – No. 3/14 Tennessee capped an impressive opening weekend with a doubleheader sweep of Nicholls on Saturday afternoon at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.
The Volunteers (3-0) finished off a series sweep with a 5-1 victory in Game 1 and a 12-2 run-rule win in Game 2.
UT has now recorded five consecutive series sweeps when playing at home on opening weekend (2019, 2020, 2022, 2024, 2025).
Sophomore outfielder Blaine Brown was the standout of the day, going a combined 6-for-11 with six runs scored, a double, three home runs and five RBIs over the two games, including a multi-homer, four-RBI performance in Game 1 of the doubleheader.
Individual recaps of each game can be found below.
GAME 1: Tennessee 5, Nicholls 1
Blaine Brown was the star of the show in the opening game of Saturday’s twin bill, going 3-for-5 at the plate with a pair of long balls and three runs scored while driving in four of Tennessee’s five runs in the 5-1 victory over the Colonels.
The Houston native left the yard for the first time as a Vol in the fourth inning, blasting a 1-1 pitch through the wind over the right-center field wall for a three-run homer that broke a 1-1 tie.
Brown added another insurance run with another rocket to right-center in the bottom of the sixth to account for the final run of the game.
That run support was plenty for sophomore right-hander Landon Mack, who struck out nine and allowed just one run on four hits and one walk over six innings of work to pick up the win in his UT debut.
True freshman Trent Grindlinger also had a pair of hits in his first collegiate game, finishing 2-for-4 with a double.
Fellow highly-touted freshman Cam Appenzeller was dominant in his debut, as well, tossing two shutout innings of relief without allowing a hit while racking up four strikeouts.
Bo Rhudy finished the game off with a 1-2-3 ninth inning that including a pair of strikeouts in his first appearance with the Big Orange.
GAME 2: Tennessee 12, Nicholls 2 (7 Inn.)
The Vols wasted no time getting the bats going in the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader, jumping on Nicholls starter Haden Luke for four runs on three hits in the first inning before adding three more runs in the second to take an early 7-0 lead.
Blaine Brown and Levi Clark hit back-to-back solo homers to start the scoring before Tyler Myatt drove in another run with a double off the wall two batters later. Myatt came around to score on a wild pitch a few moments later to give UT a 4-0 lead after one inning.
A two-run single by Clark and an RBI groundout from Myatt plated three more runs in the second inning as the Big Orange continued their early offensive surge.
Meanwhile, on the mound, senior left-hander Evan Blanco cruised through five innings of shutout baseball in his Tennessee debut, scattering five hits while striking out nine to earn his first win in the orange and white.
The top three batters in Tennessee’s order combined to go 7-for-11 with eight runs and four RBIs in the win while Myatt led the team with four RBIs.
Finley Bates made the most of his opportunities, as well, homering on the first pitch he saw as a pinch hitter in the fifth inning before adding a single in the sixth inning to finish the game 2-for-2 off the bench.
UP NEXT: The Vols host UNC Asheville on Tuesday at 4 p.m. in their first midweek contest of the year before welcoming Kent State to Lindsey Nelson Stadium for a three-game series next weekend.
