The road through the SEC baseball schedule isn't getting any easier for Tennessee.
After dropping two of three games to both Kentucky and Mississippi to start conference play, UT (19-6, 2-4 SEC) opens a three-game series at No. 3 Florida today (TV: CSS, 7 p.m.).
"We have to play our game," Tennessee coach Todd Raleigh said of playing a Florida team that's been ranked No. 1 most of the season.
"We can't give them anything . . . If we just keep it there early, we'll get to play our game. I think our running, and our offense can give them trouble. That's what we've got to do."
Tennessee will start Steven Gruver (3-2, 2.79 ERA) tonight against Hudson Randall (4-0, 0.66). Brian Johnson (4-1, 2.86) will start Saturday for Florida (21-5, 4-2) against Rob Catapano (2-0, 3.38).
Raleigh said UT isn't pressing the panic button after losing four of six games to open the SEC season.
"We're trying not to do that," Raleigh said. "(We're) trying to approach it like every other game. I don't sense that yet, but it's certainly something that's looming playing two of the best teams in the country in the next six games.
"The defending national champion (South Carolina) and a team that's been No. 1 most of the year (Florida). That can happen . . . I think we'll be OK. It's marathon, not a sprint."
Tennessee plays host to No. 4 South Carolina, a team that took two of three at Florida last weekend, at home next weekend.
Ramsey Could Start: Raleigh, who hasn't announced Sunday's starter, said UT closer and outfielder/catcher Matt Ramsey will get a look as the third man in the weekend rotation at some point this season, but it likely won't be at Florida.
"(It) could be Ramsey. (We're) getting ready to break him out. It's going to be soon. He hasn't thrown enough pitches yet to get out, but he's going to be in that rotation."
Good (or Bad) Timing: Raleigh said that it was hard to tell if UT was catching Florida at a good or bad time. The Gators have lost three of their last four after starting the season 20-2.
"I've seen it work both ways," Raleigh said. "If I'm Florida, it's got their attention in practice . . . But at the same time, the confidence might not be there. It can go both ways."
Grant Ramey is a freelance contributor.
Rocky Top League opening night
Old school: Archived photos of UT…
Scripps Interactive Newspapers Group
Comments » 32
bigdisbig writes:
If you play your game then I hope you have plenty of balls for Florida to knock out of the stadium.
Dude....if you coached the fishing team your guys would stay hung up in the trees.
rocky_topper writes:
We're all still trying to figure out "what our game" actually is.
chrisw2967 writes:
thats funny , hes probably not even sure what he meant by that statement.It just sounded like the right thing to say at the time.this guy is a joke.
arkyvol writes:
i'm betting the gators sweep. anybody want to cover?
easleychuck writes:
Let's start by winning a series in conference play.
hcjournals#206623 writes:
Hope we sweep 'em. Beat Florida.....
Rich_Is_Re-born writes:
http://hiremikehamilton.com/archives/223
This should tell you all you need to know. I hope we DON'T play his game. His game has barely earned him a .500 career win %. Sullivin at Florida was hired when we hire a## clown CTR. Sullivin was hired on the heels of 2 consecutive losing seasons in Gainesville so it's not as if he took over a program on top. Look at the results.
ALTHOUGH UT is a football school, if we compete in ANYTHING it should be baseball and basketball. We can compete with in-state recruits in BOTH sports. Farragut is currently ranked #3 NATIONALLY by Rivals.com and finished 4th NATIONALLY last yr and the yr before. The Pfiefer kid from Farragut is going to Vandy. They should have fired CTR THE VERY MOMENT THE KID CHOSE VANDY. We could use the Delmonico kid as well, but oh yeah we fired his dad.
http://highschool.rivals.com/viewrank...
DeeBee writes:
You are right, I would hate to see his division I record. He's has played 90% patsies before he starts bombing in the SEC again.
orangepeel writes:
Everyone knew when UT opened the conference season they were going to lose games. Raleigh is another bad hire by Mike Hamilton who will need to be replaced at the end of the year. Somebody at UT stand up and fire Mike Hamilton.
Rich_Is_Re-born writes:
http://www.maxpreps.com/news/_t9221aV...
And I'm not finished. This is for you FutureCoach16 and ArmyVol22. Since you guys are such big CTR fans, maybe you can help me with this. Daniel Norris is the #1 pitching prospect IN THE NATION, #6 prospect NATIONALLY according to Max Preps.com. He's from Science Hill HS in JOHNSON CITY TENNESSEE and is committed to CLEMSON, yes I SAID CLEMSON. What's wrong with this picture? Nicky Delmonico is 8th NATIONALLY, but we all know why we didn't get him. On the other hand, Philip Pfiefer is 28th nationally. That gives you 3 players in the top 28 NATIONALLY. 2 are from the city of Knoxville, 1 is from Johnson City. I lived in JC, it's VERY MUCH Big Orange Country. Even worse, 2 of the 3 I named are left handed pitchers, one throws 96mph. Hamilton and CTR should be shown the door at the same time! No ands, ifs, or buts.
http://www.maxpreps.com/baseball-recr...
VolzsFan writes:
Playing a bunch of Northern teams that are snowed in and had not even practiced outside. Check. Lose every SEC series. Check. Not make it to Hoover. Check. I thought we where playing the traditional UT "game". When you have the best coach in school history and the 4th best coach in SEC history that makes you think your program is better than it is, you are brought back to reality with another Hammy Hire.
Fact is, MTSU would have been a step up for Raleigh AND Dooley. But that is how Hammy rolls. By comparison, Gonzo is a great hire. At least someone else wanted him.
RoadTrip writes:
I agree Rich. When you know these local kids bleed UT orange from birth, yet, they consistently look elsewhere to further their careers - it makes me sick to my stomach. If they ever want baseball to be a money sport - which they should - they have got to hire a proven, big name, baseball man to lead the program. Otherwise it will always be an afterthought. We are in the middle of a baseball hotbed, not just at Farragut. Sadly they do not even recognize it. The talent around here is amazing and UT could be the leader in developing it if they would get their heads out of their a****.
And before some of you attack - I know something about the game having played D-1 under a College HOF coach back in the early 70s. I grew up in a baseball hotbed and know how they can feed college programs and professional baseball if the HS and college coaches will come together and work with the professional clubs (think Cubs, Reds, Braves, etc.).
Please turn your attention to this MH. You are missing an excellent opportunity.
Rich_Is_Re-born writes:
Tennessee has GREAT baseball. I can't understand it myself. But I agree with everything you are saying.
arkyvol writes:
tennessee has great baseball everywhere but at u.t.
GONAVY (Inactive) writes:
The pitcher going to Vanderbilt is going there because of the coaching staff, especially the pitching coach. Not another school in the SEC has sent more pitchers to ML rosters in the past 5 years I was told than VU. He's a pitcher- that is why he chose Vanderbilt. Why would he have chosen UT with the current coaching staff? It's not about the school colors or location- it's about the young man's career. Only UT can change things...
Rookie2 writes:
I don't understand Raliegh. No.., literally I can't understand him. Sounds like he's got a mouth full of marbles when he talks.
us43137415#376444 writes:
You all talk a big baseball line, but at the end of the season, you all yell about how bad the season was, then you fold up your tents and start ranting about UT football..
For the past 2 years right about this time, a bunch of "UT baseball fans" start complaining about CTR, his style of coaching, and how every blue chipper in Tennessee is going somewhere else. At the end of those seasons, everybody went into a cave. No letters to Hammy, no letters to the KNS, no petitions to the UT Athletic Board or the trustees, no calling in to the sports shows....
Nothing.
Silence.
For the record, I did all of the above.. took my own time to contact people, write a couple of letters asking for a reevaluation of the baseball program. And for the record, I did hear back.
Obviously, I was the only one who took the time to make my complaint heard to the right people.
If you're not going to put these fine, fancy words you've printed (and will continue to bore everybody by printing) into action, then go teach a typing class. All you're doing is getting good practice on a keyboard.
"OK.. let's try for 101 words a minute... ready?.. begin.............."
Rich_Is_Re-born writes:
How do you know that we haven't done this? I don't disagree with everything you say, but I do disagree with how you say it. You don'tknow what I've done, or anyone else on this board. The FACT IS, MANY including you, me, and others have made complaints. The problem isn't that we are not complaining. The problem is that "the powers that be" don't give a damn what me, you, and others say at this point and time.
Rich_Is_Re-born writes:
"Why would he have chosen UT with the current coaching staff? It's not about the school colors or location- it's about the young man's career. Only UT can change things..."
That's the point EXACTLY!! We had a damn good pitching coach and CTR ran him off. Did you forget about that somehow? If we still had him, I would like our chances getting these guys. Slice it any way you want, If the #6 overall player/#1 pitcher nationally is from Johnson City Tennessee and he goes to Clemson something is wrong. The #28 player OVERALL NATIONALLY from Knoxville Tennessee going to Vandy is a problem IMO. I can see your point in regard to Vandy's pitching coach. But as I said, CTR ran off a good one who had a #1 draft pick to hang his hat on as well. If we can't keep nationally ranked prospects from East Tennessee home something needs to change. It would be different if we were recruiting nationally and kicking butt. CTR must go.
Southland writes:
Mike Hamilton took his email address off the Vols official site when he was taking so much heat about Fulmer. He doesnt want to hear from the fans. At least we have girls sports at UT. The mens sports are suffering one bad thing after the next. I hold out hope for the football team and just hope that they do not get socked with a bunch of penalties. I dont think Dooley will have us competing for a National Title any time soon but only Fulmer did that in many many years.
jarvol writes:
Todd Raleigh = equals one of the worst hires in SEC history.
Fire Hamilton!
Rich_Is_Re-born writes:
Pfiefer from Farragut is the ALL-TIME wins leader in TSSAA history. He's from Knoxville and is going to Vandy. The boy from Johnson City is a lefty and throws 96mph.
Rookie2 writes:
The reality is.., college baseball has become a joke. Most teams have eight or nine scholarships to split between 20+ guys. The best you can offer most of these kids is a 1/2 a scholarship and you're trying to compete with major league teams who can offer a kid 100's of thousands of dollars to play minor league baseball. After the draft picks them over and then you spread the remaining talent over a gazillion college teams, what's left is mediocre at best.
Intheknow30 writes:
College baseball is not a joke. There are select kids that it can be argued that it makes sense for them to sign that contract and go pro, but in almost all cases, there is no downside to playing baseball at a premier college baseball program vs. going pro. In college, you'll have better facilities, better coaching, better development, better exposure, etc. than you would in the minors. Tim Corbin once told a story of recruiting Kyle Waldrop and David Price. Corbin promised Kyle's parents that not only would David receive a high-level education, but he would also get drafted higher, and make it to the bigs quicker. David Price is where he is today because of his experience and development in the SEC. Theres all kinds of examples of this, but my point is that life is a lot better in college and you really do, in most cases get rewarded for taking a temporary pay cut.
us43137415#376444 writes:
My point exactly.. you, me and everybody are doing one heck of a great job complaining and voicing our opinions. We're just doing it to the wrong people.
Each other.
How many people HAVE actually written letters, made calls, contacted people about their views on CTR and the program.. voiced an opinion outside of these forums?
My guess is NONE, and I dare anybody on these forums to prove me wrong. Think about it. That's why nobody at the top is listening. I wouldn't listen to you, either.
And if you and everybody else is convinced "the powers that be" are not going to listen, then why vent in the first place?
If all the people who post to these forums about CTR, sent one letter to the KNS about UT's baseball situation, don't think for one minute, that would not get the attention of the sports writers. They're not just sitting around waiting for stories to drop into their laps. And I'm not talking about voicing opinions in these stupid forums.. I'm talking about a real, physical letter in a white envelope (remember those?) that is mailed with a U.S. postage stamp (remember those?.. they go up every year).. or, a petition that is delivered with signatures (takes a lot of time and effort if it's something you believe in).. anything that is generated with something other than strokes on a keyboard.
VolBall55 writes:
Well looks like we played "our game" so far this week. Score 14 runs vs a chump and post 4 hits in SEC play. Im so sick too of listening on TV hearing about our great hitting and our numbers.. Why can't Brian Jordan look to see who our numbers came against and start talking about our SEC numbers, which they probably cant find because they are so low or non-existent.
99gator writes:
after watching the game tonight, that is one tiny baseball team out of knoxville.
is it against the rules to sign someone over 5'8"
UTfan363 writes:
UT has scored 25 runs in 7 SEC games but 12 came in one game against Kentucky. That means they are averaging 2 runs a game in their other 6 games.
UT hasn't scored a run in their last 19 innings in SEC play.
Rich_Is_Re-born writes:
Well obviously they are not listening to you either, are they? As I said, you don't know what I have and have not done. But as far as I can see, you are on the same threads that all of us are on. If you are as powerful as you think you are you just keep writing those letters for all of us little guys SO WE KNOW a voice will be heard. OK.
Rich_Is_Re-born writes:
Ellen Renfroe had 20 Ks for the girls tonight.
Rookie2 writes:
LOL... We have a man on second with no outs after Florida's pitcher fields a swinging dribbler and sails the throw into right field. Morgan kills the inning with a horrible AB and strikes out swinging at a ball in the dirt, and when they interview Raleigh in between the next inning.., he says "we're playing good, just can't get any breaks".
VolunteerTribe writes:
Todd Raleigh has to go. Fire him immediately. He's by far Hamilton's worst hire. Send a blank check to Brian O'Connor at UVA. He'll turn our program around in a heart beat.
Share your thoughts
Comments are the sole responsibility of the person posting them. You agree not to post comments that are off topic, defamatory, obscene, abusive, threatening or an invasion of privacy. Violators may be banned. Click here for our full user agreement.