Baseball preview: UT vs. Oregon State

Oregon State (0-0, 0-0 PAC-10) at Tennessee (0-0, 0-0 SEC)

Game times: 4 p.m. today; 2 p.m. Saturday; Noon Sunday

Probable pitchers (with 2008 statistics): UT-Nick Hernandez (2-5, 5.16 ERA, Jr., LHP) vs. OSU-Tanner Robles (3-2, 6.31 ERA, So., LHP); UT-Bryan Morgado (5-5, 4.59 ERA So., LHP) vs. OSU-Tyler Waldron (3-7, 5.20 ERA at Pacific, So., RHP); UT-Stephen McCray (10-2, 3.31 ERA at Young Harris College, Jr., RHP) vs. OSU-Greg Peavey (2-3, 4.96 ERA, So., RHP)

Tennessee: Coach Todd Raleigh begins his second season with the Vols, who were picked to finish fifth in the SEC Eastern Division in a preseason poll of the league’s coaches. Sophomore center fielder Kentrail Davis is among 50 collegiate players selected to the 2009 preseason Golden Spikes Award watch list. Davis was a semifinalist last year for the award, which is presented to the nation’s top amateur baseball player. Probable starters: catcher Blake Forsythe, first baseman Cody Hawn, second baseman Cody Brown, third baseman Tyler Horne, shortstop Zach Osborne, left fielder Jarred Frazier, center fielder Davis, right fielder Josh Liles, DH Jeff Lockwood. P.J. Polk, projected starter in left field, likely will miss the series with an ankle injury.

Oregon State: Coach Pat Casey begins his 16th season (468-295-4). The Beavers were picked to finish fourth in the PAC-10 in a preseason poll. The Beavers return three starting position players from the 2008 team: Joey Wong, Ryan Ortiz, and John Wallace, and 11 pitchers who appeared in at least one game in 2008. It’s the fourth consecutive year the Beavers have played at least one SEC team; they played Vanderbilt and Georgia last season and are 6-2 against the SEC in the last four years. Oregon State was 17-10 against non-conference opponents last year and was 9-14 on the road.

Series history: First meeting.