While Tennessee can't match Vanderbilt's two national championships in college baseball, the Volunteers have certainly regained the upper hand in the in-state rivalry.
Tennessee will begin a three-game series in Nashville on Friday having defeated the Commodores seven straight times, including six by three or more runs. The Vols earned a sweep at Hawkins Field in 2022 and rolled to a 10-1 win over Vandy on their way to that season's Southeastern Conference tournament title, and they pulled another sweep last spring at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.
So if Tennessee can break out the brooms for a third consecutive year, touted Vols juniors such as pitcher Drew Beam, first baseman Blake Burke and second baseman Christian Moore could move on to the professional ranks with a 10-0 career mark against the Commodores.
"If I do it, I do it, and if I don't, I don't," Moore said in a news conference following Tuesday night's 6-3 topping of Queens. "It's all good. Hopefully we can just take two. Obviously it's the in-state rival, and they've been a good program for years on years now.
"It's also like every other SEC series in that we've got to go in there and get a win and play our game."
Friday's opener between the top-ranked Vols (40-9, 17-7 SEC) and the Commodores (33-16, 11-13) has a 7 p.m. Eastern start and is available through the SEC Network+ streaming option. The games Saturday and Sunday will begin at 3 and will be televised by the SEC Network and ESPN2, respectively.
The Commodores were clobbered last weekend at Georgia, getting run-ruled in two of their three losses, but they rebounded somewhat with a 4-2 victory over visiting Louisville on Tuesday night.
When asked Tuesday night if he was looking forward to the weekend showdown, Commodores coach Tim Corbin said, "I look forward to every weekend. I look forward to SEC play. I look forward to getting ready for Friday night."
Tennessee holds a 185-163-2 advantage in a series that began on May 10, 1897. The Vols actually beat the Commodores 21 consecutive times during the 1965-70 seasons, but Vanderbilt posted a 14-7 series edge in the seven springs leading up to Tony Vitello's hiring in Knoxville following the 2017 season.
The Commodores had some early success against Vitello's Vols, but Tennessee is 10-6 in the rivalry under his direction.
"Sometimes we beat Kentucky in basketball," Vitello said, "and sometimes they beat us. I could go on up and down the other sports, but you just better be ready to take lumps in this league no matter who you are.
"The cool thing about it is if you can keep navigating through it or keep pushing forward, when you do win, they're the best wins in the world."
Vanderbilt's roster contains left-handed relief pitcher Levi Huesman, a 6-foot, 192-pound sophomore from Hanover, Virginia. Huesman is the son of former University of Tennessee at Chattanooga football coach Russ Huesman and the younger brother of former Baylor School and UTC quarterback Jacob Huesman.
Huesman has made nine appearances for the Commodores this season, compiling a 1-0 record and a 6.17 earned run average.
"They can always run, and they're not afraid to involve different things with their offense," Vitello said of the Commodores. "You're always going to see fancy arms, and I say that in a good way. They are big, prospecting arms, and they are some of the guys who we recruited.
"They've kind of always had these big arms on the mound and athletes who are versatile out on the field, and they've played very well at home."
Milicic signs
Tennessee on Thursday announced the signing of Igor Milicic Jr., a 6-foot-10, 225-pound forward from Croatia who averaged 12.8 points and 8.5 rebounds this past season for the Charlotte 49ers.
"Igor has an impressive, unique and polished skill set that we think will translate well to the SEC," Vols basketball coach Rick Barnes said through a release. "He is a quality 3-point shooter and superb defensive rebounder with big-time upside. Igor possesses invaluable experience on the international level with the Polish national team, and he has improved every year as a collegian.
"We feel he will fit in well at Tennessee, both on and off the court."
Milicic will have one season of eligibility with the Vols.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com.