OMAHA, NE- In a historic matchup at the Men’s College World Series on Sunday, the No. 1 National Seed Tennessee Volunteers secured a monumental 6-1 victory over the No. 4 National Seed North Carolina Tar Heels, 6-1. The Vols advanced to a pristine 2-0 record in the tournament for the first time in school history, and are just one win away from advancing to the championship final.
Key contributors to Tennessee's commanding performance included Kavares Tears and Reese Chapman, both unleashing pivotal home runs. Pitcher Drew Beam delivered a stellar performance on the mound, limiting North Carolina to just one hit over five shutout innings.
I think it just shows how versatile we are, and it also shows our will to win. We don't ever think we're out of a game until the end of the game. - Kavares Tears on winning first two games of the MCWS.
VolunTEARS
Despite both starting pitchers coming out strong with shutout innings through the third, the Vols turned it on in the bottom of the fourth when Kavares Tears sent a three-run moonshot to right claiming the first run of the night.
Cookin' up a homer 🧑🍳 @kavares_tears23#MCWS x @Vol_Baseball pic.twitter.com/nRqJAGWdak
— NCAA Baseball (@NCAABaseball) June 17, 2024
Beam restrained the Tar Heels from striking back in the top of the fifth. Reese Chapman piled another run on for the Vols in the bottom of the fifth with a rocket to right.
In the sixth, the Tar Heels struck back when Baseball America’s No. 12 Collegiate MLB Draft Prospect OF Vance Honeycutt hit his 27th home run of the year, but this would be UNC’s only run of the night.
After allowing back-to-back singles, Drew Beam was relieved of his duties, finishing with seven strikeouts and allowing just one run in five innings of work.
Tennessee expanded their lead back to four runs in the bottom of the sixth when Colby Backus, who replaced Hunter Ensley after a collision on the basepaths, drew a walk in his first at-bat. Backus then moved to second base on a wild pitch before crossing home plate on a clutch two-out RBI single delivered by Dean Curley.
The Vols led 5-1 until adding one more run in the bottom of the eighth when Kavares Tears doubled to right to put one more insurance run on the board.
Omaha! Omaha!
With one more win standing between them and a coveted spot in the championship final, Tennessee's journey in Omaha continues to captivate, fueled by unwavering determination and a relentless pursuit of collegiate baseball's highest honor. The Volunteers, boasting a season record of 57-12, are eyeing a historic achievement as they aim to become the first No. 1 national seed since 1999 to clinch the championship title in Omaha. Their path to the best-of-three finals hinges on a forthcoming matchup against either Florida State (48-16) or North Carolina (48-15), scheduled for Wednesday.
June 17
June 18
- Game 9: Florida State vs. North Carolina, 2 p.m. | ESPN
- Game 10: TBD vs. TBD, 7 p.m. | ESPN
June 19
- Game 11: Tennessee vs. TBD, 2 p.m. | ESPN
- Game 12: TBD vs. TBD, 7 p.m. | ESPN
June 20
- Game 13 (if necessary): TBD vs. TBD, 2 p.m. | TBD
- Game 14 (if necessary): TBD vs. TBD, 7 p.m. | TBD
June 22
- MCWS Final Game 1: TBD vs. TBD, 7:30 p.m. | ESPN
June 23
- MCWS Final Game 2: TBD vs. TBD, 2 p.m. | ABC
June 24
- MCWS Final Game 3 (if necessary): TBD vs. TBD, 7 p.m. | ESPN
Be sure to check out JerseySportingNews.com for more Tennessee updates!
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