Tennessee head coach Tony Vitello recorded his 300th career victory as the No. 2/4 Volunteers opened their series against Samford with a 5-1 win on Friday afternoon at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.
Vitello is the fastest head coach in UT history to reach the 300-win mark, doing so in just 412 games, which is 89 games quicker than the legendary Rod Delmonico reached that total (501 games).
The pitching of Liam Doyle and Tanner Franklin carried the day as the duo combined to strike out 20 Bulldogs, which was one shy of tying the single-game program record.
Doyle set a career high in punchouts for the second consecutive start, sitting down 14 batters via strikeout over 5.1 innings of work. The Derry, New Hampshire native improved to 2-0 on the year after allowing just one run on two hits and one walk.
Franklin picked up right where Doyle left off, striking out six while allowing just two hits and holding Samford scoreless over the final 3.2 innings to pick up his first save of the season.
The Vols (5-0) hit two more home runs on the day as
Reese Chapman opened the scoring with a solo shot over the batter's eye in the second inning before
Cannon Peebles hit his first of the year with a two-run blast to extend the lead to 3-0 in the next inning.
Andrew Fischer also had a solid day at the plate with a pair of hits, including a double, and an RBI.Tennessee will look to secure another series win on Saturday when they square off with the Bulldogs in game two of the series. First pitch is slated for 2 p.m. on SEC Network+ and the ESPN app.