Tennessee was without one of its key players on Friday night as it beat Alabama State 10-0 in its opening game of the NCAA Tournament.

It was announced an hour and a half before first pitch that starting catcher Evan Russell would not be available for the game and that Tony Vitello would address the fifth-year player's status after the game.

"We'll give it some time to figure out what's going on because I have to get with (Dr. Chris Klenck), but obviously Evan Russell was not here," Vitello said. "He was sick this morning. I got a message from him.

"It opened up an opportunity for (redshirt freshman catcher) Charlie (Taylor) and also our guys to kind of rally around one another because clearly that's a big piece there."

Vitello added that he doesn't know whether or not Russell would be available for Tennessee's next game on Saturday night against Campbell.

"I don't know. I would say he wasn't able to be here today — I wouldn't think quick turnaround," Vitello said of Russell's availability the rest of the weekend. "In the fall, if you're out one day you have to come to me first before we'll see if we're going to push the envelope. ... Health first and then we'll push the envelope later."

Taylor started in Russell's place and although he went 0-for-3, he drove in a run on a sacrifice bunt, and also was a couple feet away from hitting a two-run home run in his second at-bat.

The fans gave Taylor a standing ovation each time he stepped to the plate, acknowledging the circumstances.

"If you come to practice, I think Charlie has everyone on our roster beat in terms of how he shows up and plays ball," Vitello added. "It's why he's a fan favorite in the locker room."

Taylor started 10 games before starting against Alabama State. The Dunwoody, Georgia native was 2-for-31 throughout the regular season with nearly all of his action coming in midweek games. Taylor had driven in two runs and scored six times.

"That was pretty awesome," Taylor said. "I was honestly a little bit nervous, but the way that Blade threw the ball and the way Vol Nation kind of rallied around me, I'll probably never forget that. It was a pretty cool moment for me."

Tennessee will be back in action on Saturday night against Campbell. First pitch is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET. The winner will advance to the regional finals and await the team that comes out of the loser's bracket.