Opening day for Tennessee is slated for Feb. 17.
The Vols will play in the 2023 MLB Desert Invitational in Arizona Feb. 17-19. The MLB Desert Invitational field will consist of Tennessee, Arizona, Fresno State, Grand Canyon, Michigan State and San Diego.
Tennessee will play Arizona on opening day. The contest will take place at Salt Rivers Field at Talking Stick in Scottsdale, Arizona. First pitch is slated for 8 p.m. EST and will be televised by MLB Network.
The contest between the Vols and Wildcats, as well as other Tennessee and Arizona games in the MLB Desert Invitational, could feature umpire Jeffrey Macias. He has a history of officiating Tennessee and Arizona games and did so last season.
Macias ejected Tennessee head coach Tony Vitello and Arizona head coach Chip Hale in back-to-back weeks last season.
During game No. 2 of the Tennessee-Alabama series on April 16, 2022, Macias served as a third base umpire and ejected Vitello and Vols’ pitching coach Frank Anderson.
Macias served as home plate umpire during game No. 1 and as second base umpire for the series finale between the Vols and Crimson Tide.
Vitello was suspended for the series finale and missed the Vols’ next three contests. Anderson was suspended for the series finale.
Macias served on the officiating crew for the Arizona-Arizona State series April 22-24, 2022 in Tucson, Arizona. He was the second base umpire for game No. 1, the first base umpire in game No. 2 and home plate umpire in the series finale.
During the series finale, Wildcats’ head coach Chip Hale was ejected by Macias due to Chase Davis being deemed to not make an attempt in avoiding a pitch from the Sun Devils’ Jacob Walker.
Hale served as the Arizona Diamondbacks manager from 2015-16.
2023 MLB Desert Invitational: Times, TV information for Vols’ season-opening games
