Bubba Wallace to throw first pitch at Tennessee baseball game vs. Xavier

Tennessee will have a special guest throwing out the first pitch of Wednesday’s baseball game against Xavier: None other than NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace.

Wallace has long been a fan of the Tennessee program, having deep ties to the Volunteers.

His mother, Desiree, ran track for the Tennessee program and grew up in Knoxville. Bubba Wallace also attended several Volunteers football games as a kid with his uncle, who was a season ticket holder.

“It’s really in my blood,” Bubba Wallace said previously in an article on Tennessee’s website.

He has appeared on campus numerous times, including a recent 2023 game between Georgia and Tennessee. He’s often seen chopping it up with the fans and taking pictures, making the day for multiple Volunteers fans on campus when he does so.

He also celebrated Tennessee’s national championship last season on social media.

So what better way to recognize Bubba Wallace than letting him throw out a pitch for the nation’s No. 1 ranked team?

Bubba Wallace showing good form in NASCAR

So far this year Bubba Wallace hasn’t been quite as hot as Tennessee baseball, but he’s still gotten off to a strong start to the young NASCAR season.

Three races in, Wallace sits in sixth place in the points standings.

He’s coming off a particularly good week at Texas, where he finished P20 at the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix at COTA but wrapped up a front row starting position and had a Stage 1 win.

Wallace also notched a top-10 finish at Atlanta after a 29th-place finish in the Daytona 500, but he’s run well just about every week this season and has had one of the fastest cars in the field.

Perhaps taking in a Tennessee baseball game and witnessing the champs play will help take Bubba Wallace’s racing to the next level.