STARKVILLE, Miss — No. 1 Tennessee baseball finished the regular season with another conference sweep.
The Vols defeated Mississippi State Saturday, 10-5 to clinch the series sweep. It is Tennessee's ninth series sweep of the season and fourth on the road.
Tennessee hit nine RBI in Saturday's matchup, including three home runs.
Graduate student Evan Russell homered in the top of the fifth inning to tie the program record for career home runs. It was his 38th career home run.
Freshman right-handed pitcher Drew Beam earned the start in the series finale. Beam went 2.0 innings pitched, giving up two earned runs and striking out none.
Right-hander Ben Joyce continues to make headlines for Tennessee. The standout pitcher threw 1.1 innings of relief, giving up just one hit and no runs.
According to Mississippi State's TrackMan system, Joyce threw 31 pitches over 100 mph. 14 of these were 103 mph or more.
Tennessee finished 25-5 in SEC play during the regular season.
The SEC Tournament begins on Tuesday, however, the Vols clinched a first-round bye. There is a possibility for another bye later in the tournament.
