2C » Friday, February 19, 2016 » THE COMMERCIAL APPEAL «« In the news UOFMBASEBALL Panthers DE Jared Allen retires Carolina Panthers defensive end Jared Allen is hanging Tigers open season vs. Vols up his cleats and putting on his cowboy boots. The 12-year veteran posted a video through his Twit- ter account announcing his retirement from football. ■ Memphis-UT series set for Chattanooga “Hello, everyone, I just want to say thank you for an MEMPHIS BASEBALL amazing 12-year career,” Allen says while on horseback. VS. TENNESSEE “This was the part where I was going to ride ofinto the From Our Press Services as voted on by the league’s head sunset, but seeing how there’s no sunset, I’m just going coaches. What: Season-opening series for to ride of.” The University of Memphis Also on the All-AAC preseason both teams Allen, 33, finishes his career in a tie for ninth in career baseball team leads ofthe season team is Tigers junior closer Nolan When, where: 4p.m.CSTtoday, sackswith136.HeplayedsixyearsinKansasCity,fourin with a trip to Chattanooga to take Blackwood, who is a Louisville noon Saturday, noon Sunday, all at Minnesota and one in Chicago, splitting his final season on the Tennessee Volunteers in a Slugger Preseason second-team AT&T Field in Chattanooga, Tenn. between the Bears and Panthers. three-game series at AT&T Field, All-American after he had a school- Pitchers: Friday, Memphis RH The four-time All-Pro had two sacks for the Panthers home of the Minnesota Twins record 14 saves in 2015. Colton Hathcock (2-4, 3.98 ERA last in the 2015 and started Super Bowl 50, which Carolina Double-A afliate, the Chattanooga Memphis was picked to finish season) vs. UT LH Andy Cox (3-3, lost 27-10 to the Denver Broncos. Lookouts. seventh in the conference by the 3.36); Saturday, Memphis RH Connor Tigers sophomore right-hander league’s head coaches. UT was pre- Alexander (4-3, 4.03) vs. UT RH Kyle SmyczekadvancesatDelrayBeach Colton Hathcock will start today’s dicted to finish seventh in the SEC Serrano (5-4, 4.47); Sunday, Memphis 4p.m.openeragainstVolssenior East. RH Matt Ferguson (2-0, 5.21) vs. UT Tim Smyczek was entered in the qualifying tourna- left-hander Andy Cox (St. Benedict). Memphis returns five position LH Zach Warren (2-0, 5.09) ment for the Delray Beach (Florida) Open when he The Tigers are coming a 37-21 starters from last season, and all Radio: WUMR 91.7 FM (Sunday’s learned American teenager Taylor Fritz had earned a record, their program-record fifth nine projected starters have Divi- game joined in progress) special exemption into the main draw by reaching the consecutive season with 30 or more sion 1 experience. semifinals last week at the Memphis Open. victories. Under head coach Daron Schoen- Smyczek was given the wild card instead and he beat Memphis and Tennessee are rock, Memphis is 5-6 on Opening Vols are led by preseason All-Amer- Fritz in the first round. He followed that up with a win meeting in baseball diamond for the Day and 1-2 when opening on the ica infielder Nick Senzel, and Ten- over seventh-seeded Donald Young,lastyear’srunner- first time since 2012 and this is the road. The Tigers are 73-37-1 in the nessee returns three other positional up, 1-6, 7-6 (2), 6-2 on Wednesday to reach the second first three-game series between the first weekend of the season since starters and four pitchers who made tour-level quarterfinal of his career. teams since 1981. 1974.TenoftheTigers’first14games at least five starts each. The 28-year-old Tampa resident has never reached The Tigers are led by junior cen- are away from home. After the Vols, Memphis will play asemifinal. ter fielder and leadofbatter Darien Tennessee finished sixth in the at Mississippi State at 3 p.m. on Mon- Young led Smyczek 6-1, 3-1 before giving back the Tubbs, the American Athletic Con- SEC East last year with a 24-26 re- day. The Tigers’ home opener is at 4 break with two costly double faults in the sixth game. ference Preseason Player of the Year cord and an 11-18 league mark. The p.m. Tuesday against Belmont. Down 4-1 in the third set, Young called a trainer for treatment of a left wrist injury, then broke in the sev- enth game. Smyczek ended the match when Young hit a backhand crosscourt passing shot wide. GOLF “I was feeling good mentally even though I was getting Vols my butt kicked,” said Smyczek, who had played Young 11 previous times in futures and challenger events but only once before at the tour level. “I was just trying to player figure out a way to disrupt his rhythm. I knew I needed Villegas’ to change my game plan and stop being so ofensive.” Fifth-seeded Frenchman Jeremy Chardy fought through swirling wind to beat 19-year-old American denies wild-card Noah Rubin 6-4, 6-2 to reach the quarterfinals. Chardy joined fourth-seeded Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov 63 leads of Bulgaria as the only seeded players left in the draw. charges BIRD DOG FIELD TRIALS ■ In Thursday morning’s brace 17 at the National Bird ■ DT suspended, Dog Championship on Ames Plantation near Grand at Riviera Junction, Tennessee, Caladen’s Supremacy,handled released on bond by Ross Callaway,hadacoveyfindbuthadabreachof Associated Press manners at 0:24 and was picked up. Hendrix’s Outlier, By Dustin Dopirak with Tommy Davis,hadthreefindsandfinishedthethree LOS ANGELES — Jordan Spieth was ev- Knoxville News Sentinel hours. In the afternoon brace 18, True Confidence, with erywhere he wasn’t supposed to be at LukeEisenhart,hadtwofindsandwaspickedupat1:32. Riviera and wound up with a 79 in the KNOXVILLE — Tennessee Lester’s Knockout,withGary Lester,hadabackandafind Northern Trust Open. defensive tackle Alexis before he was picked up at 1:26. Spieth called it a day to forget. It was Johnson’s attorney said his worst score since an 80 in the 2014 Thursday that Johnson COLLEGES Tour Championship. plans to plead not guilty ■ Union University’s women’s soccer team signed For Camilo Villegas, it was a day to charg- Hannah Daniel (Arlington), Alli Herring (Hutchison to savor. The Colombian ran offour es of ag- School/Olive Branch), Anna Venckus (Bartlett) and straight birdies late in his round and JOHN MCCOY / TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE gravated Brooke Watson (DeSoto Central/Southaven). challenged the course record until a Camilo Villegas pumps his fist on the assault ■ Tennessee junior third baseman Nick Senzel was bogey on his final hole for a 8-under- eighth green after making his fourth and false named first-team Preseason All-SEC, as chosen by the par 63. birdie in a row on Thursday at Riviera imprison- conference’s 14 head coaches. Also on the first team was “You don’t really shoot 8 under Country Club. Villegas fredafrst-round ment. Arkansas junior right-hander Zach Jackson.Onthesec- around this place not playing good,” 63 and leads the Northern Trust Open by John- ond team were Arkansas junior designated hitter/util- Villegas said. “Obviously, the rain yes- three shots. son, a ity player Clark Eagan and senior second baseman Rick terday madethegolfcoursealotmore first-year UT defensive Nomura;OleMissjuniorshortstopErrol Robinson;and accessible.” champion at Riviera, was in the group junior lineman Alexis Vanderbilt sophomore third baseman Will Toffey and Villegas led by three shots over Bub- at 67. Charl Schwartzel, coming ofa college Johnson junior outfielder Bryan Reynolds.Theleaguealsoan- ba Watson, Chez Reavie and Luke List. victory last week in South Africa, had transfer nounced its preseason poll, with Florida expected to win “It’s all about hitting the right tra- a68. who joined the program the East, followed by Vanderbilt, with Tennessee picked jectories, hitting the right line and in January, was arrested seventh. In the West, Texas A&M is the favorite, fol- hopefully on certain pins, hitting the ANOTHER EVENT Wednesday night. He was lowed by LSU, Arkansas, Mississippi State and Ole Miss. fairway so you can produce a little bit Women’s Australian Open at Ad- immediately suspended ■ Vanderbilt has scheduled home-and-home football of spin,” Watson said. “It’s just a tradi- elaide: Canadian-based South Kore- from all team activities, ac- series with Purdue and Georgia State. The Commodores tional, old-school golf course that’s got an SooBin Kim shot a course-record cording to a text message will play at Purdue on Sept. 7, 2019, and will host the alotofhistory.” 9-under 63 to leave defending cham- from Tennessee athletic Boilermakers on Sept. 8, 2029. Vanderbilt will play Geor- Spieth ended his round with a three- pion and top-ranked Lydia Ko seven department spokesman gia State in Atlanta on Sept. 28, 2024, and will host the putt from 8 feet for a double bogey. strokes behind. Ryan Robinson. Panthers on Sept. 20, 2025. “It’s just a day to forget,” Spieth said. Kim’s bogey-free opening round “Alexis Johnson has co- “It’s one in, hopefully, every couple came after starting on the 10th hole operated with every aspect FOOTBALL years.” of The Grange’s West course. She had of the investigation,” John- ■ The Cowboys are set to hire Michigan secondary The world’s No. 1 player beat only athree-strokeleadoverAmerican son’s attorney, Greg Isaacs, coach Greg Jackson and put him in charge of safeties one other guy in the 144-man field. Casey Grice and Germany’s Caroline said in a statement.