Kavares Tears absent from starting lineup for Vols Thursday with injury

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Tennessee redshirt-sophomore outfielder Kavares Tears is not in the starting lineup for the Vols Thursday night for game one against Florida in The Swamp.

Sources tell Volquest Tears is day-to-day as he’s dealing with a lower body injury. Further details could be provided after the game Thursday night but sources have not ruled him out for the series as of now.

The Volunteer State native is having a breakout year for the Big Orange. Teras tallies the third-best batting average on the team at .366 and has belted 14 home runs with 37 runs batted in. He’s also tied for the team-lead with 31 walks while he’s stuck out 37 times.

On Tuesday in a midweek loss to Lipscomb, Tears did not start the game but came on as a pinch hitter and logged an 0-for-2 effort with a pair of strikeouts while playing the outfield for the final few frames.

He logged a 20-game hit-streak earlier in the season and was recently named the No. 64 on the updated MLB Pipeline Draft Prospect rankings.

Left fielder Dylan Dreiling is hitting in the cleanup slot (Tears’ spot) on Thursday while Reese Chapman is drawing the start in right field and batting seventh. Hunter Ensley is playing centerfield and hitting fifth for the Vols in the series opener. Reserve Bradke Lohry got the nod at designated hitter in the eighth position.