BSB PREVIEW: Major Opportunity Awaits as Vols Hit the Road to Face #8/9 Bulldogs

April 09, 2026 | Baseball

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STARKVILLE, Miss. – A major opportunity awaits Tennessee this weekend as it travels to Starkville for another important conference series against No. 8/9 Mississippi State at Dudy Noble Field.

MORE INFO

Game & Broadcast Info

Opponent: Mississippi State Bulldogs
Dates: April 10-12
Location: Starkville, Miss.
Venue: Dudy Noble Field (15,000+)
Watch: SEC Network+
Listen: Vol Network/UT Athletics App
Live Stats: UTStats.com
Game 1: Friday, April 10 – 7 p.m. ET (SECN+)
Game 2: Saturday, April 11 – 7 p.m. ET (SECN+)
Game 3: Sunday, April 12 – 2 p.m. ET (SECN+)

Tennessee (21-12 | 4-8 SEC)

Roster Schedule Stats

Mississippi State (26-7 | 7-5 SEC)

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The Vols will look to turn things around after dropping back-to-back SEC series, while the Bulldogs will also be aiming to rebound after being swept at home last weekend against Georgia.

GAMEDAY INFO

For all your gameday information regarding this weekend's series, click HERE.

BROADCAST INFO

Bart Gregory (PxP) and Charlie Winfield (analyst) will have the call for all three games this weekend on SEC Network+ and the ESPN app.

Fans can also listen to the Voice of Tennessee Baseball John Wilkerson call the action for the Vol Network (FM 99.1/AM 990). A free audio stream will also be available on UTSports.com, the Tennessee Athletics App and the Varsity App.

PROJECTED STARTING PITCHERS

Game 1 – Friday (7 pm ET) on SECN+:
UT: RHP Landon Mack (8 GS, 3-2, 3.48 ERA)
MSU: LHP Tomas Valincius (8 GS, 6-1, 1.15 ERA)

Game 2 – Saturday (7 pm ET) on SECN+:
UT: RHP Tegan Kuhns (7 GS, 1-3, 3.89 ERA)
MSU: RHP Duke Stone (7 GS, 5-0, 3.75 ERA)

Game 3 – Sunday (2 pm ET) on SECN+:
UT: LHP Evan Blanco (8 GS, 2-2, 3.83 ERA)
MSU: LHP Charlie Foster (5 GS, 0-1, 5.21 ERA)

SERIES HISTORY

Vols vs. Bulldogs
Overall: Bulldogs lead, 60-38
in Knoxville: Bulldogs lead, 20-19
in Starkville: Bulldogs lead, 37-15
at Neutral Sites: Vols lead, 4-3
Last 10 Meetings: Vols lead, 9-1

Tennessee has won eight straight games in the series, including a series sweep of the Bulldogs to wrap up the 2022 regular season the last time to two teams played in Starkville.

NOTABLE

Appenzeller's SEC Dominance
Freshman Cam Appenzeller continued his string of dominant performances in last Saturday's 4-1 victory over LSU. The talented left-hander pitched five scoreless innings of relief, allowing a softly-hit single to the first batter he faced before retiring 15 straight Tigers to end the game. Appenzeller has yet to allow a run in 18.1 innings pitched during conference play, surrendering just nine hits and one walk while striking out 19 in four SEC appearances.

Grimmer in a Groove
Redshirt sophomore utility man Blake Grimmer is coming off his best week of the season, leading the Vols with a .385 batting average, six runs, two homers, four RBIs and 12 total bases in four games last week. The sweet swinging lefty continued his torrid stretch with four RBIs and his first-career multi-homer game in Tuesday's win over Northern Kentucky. Grimmer has four long balls in his last four games and ranks third on the team with seven this season.

Wright Doing the Dirty Work
Garrett Wright provided a major boost to Tennessee's lineup after missing the first three weeks of the season due to injury. The Bowling Green transfer has been a fixture in the starting lineup since his return (21 straight starts), slashing .321/.442/.538 with 19 runs, eight doubles, three home runs and 10 RBIs.

Wright also leads the team with 12 hit by pitches to bring his career total to 61, which is tied for fifth most among active Division I players. The junior catcher/outfielder has reached base in 20 of his 21 starts and has recorded at least one hit in 17 of the 21 games in which he's had a plate appearance this year. In Tuesday's midweek win over Northern Kentucky, Wright went 2-for-3 with two runs and a pair of RBIs.

Lots of Close Games
Tennessee has played 14 games this season that have been decided by two or fewer runs, including seven of their 12 SEC contests. The Vols are 7-7 in those games entering this weekend.

OPPONENT SCOUT

Mississippi State Bulldogs (26-7, 7-5 SEC)

2025 Record: 36-23 (15-15 SEC)
2025 Postseason: NCAA Tallahassee Regional (2-2)
2026 SEC Preseason Poll: 3^rd
Head Coach: Brian O'Connor
- Overall Record: 943-395-2 (23^rd year)
- Record at MSU: 26-7 (1^st year)
Preseason All-Conference Selections (2):
- 3B Ace Reese (1^st Team), DH/UTL Noah Sullivan (1^st Team)

Mississippi State enters this weekend as one of the most balanced teams in the country this season, ranking in the top 15 nationally in batting average, scoring, hits, ERA and WHIP.

ON DECK

The Vols return to Knoxville for nine consecutive home games over the next two weeks, starting with a midweek matchup against UNC Asheville on Tuesday night at 6 p.m. before hosting Ole Miss next weekend at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.