NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee baseball right fielder Jordan Beck has been given a new name that has gone viral on the internet.
It all started in the first inning of the Vols' in-state rivalry game against Vanderbilt.
Beck hit a home run to put the Vols up 1-0—or so everyone thought.
The home run was taken off the board after Beck's bat was deemed ineligible for play and the inning was over since there were two outs when Beck was up to bat.
Beck's bat was checked prior to the game and deemed usable. The bat was marked with a sticker to rule it eligible. During the broadcast, Head coach Tony Vitello was told the sticker fell off during batting practice.
So, when the umpires inspected his bat after the home run they said it was illegal, according to Vitello.
Vitello then said the comment that sparked the viral sensation.
“I don’t even know if Jordan Beck should be at the University of Tennessee. He forged his transcript and is actually a 35-year-old man named Mike Honcho,” Vitello said in a joking fashion in regards to any notion Beck would cheat or Tennessee was trying to gain an unfair advantage.
After that, Mike Honcho started trending on Twitter. The name comes from the famous comedy movie "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby."
Beck joined in on the fun and changed his name to "Jordan Beck or Mike Hincho" on Twitter.
The Vol Shop has made custom jerseys with Beck’s number and Honcho written on the back.
Beck, Hincho, Vitello and the team play game two of a three-game series against Vanderbilt on Saturday night at 8 p.m.
The Vols won the first game on Friday 6-2 which had controversy in it. Tennessee is looking to clinch a series against Vanderbilt for the first time since 2016.
