The Highs and Lows of Baseball: Vols Make Statement Before Vanderbilt Blowout in the SEC Tournament by: Tristan THornhill
HOOVER, Ala – After two impressive wins to start the newly-formatted single single-elimination SEC Tournament, Tennessee dropped a dud against the rivaled Vanderbilt Commodores. Tennessee fell 10-0 in seven innings with the run rule in effect all week long at the tournament. It was a sluggish performance all around, especially after the game was moved up two hours due to severe weather expected later in the area.
Coach Tony Vitello said it was a “poor-planned itinerary” on his part along with the fact that the time was moved, and some of the guys were “still getting eye-boogers out of their eyes.”
Even after the loss, Tennessee has a lot to be proud of, especially after taking down the top seed, Texas, and battling all game long against Alabama.
Game 1
Marcus Phillips gave the Vols four innings of quality baseball. He gave up four runs, only one of them being earned due to errors in the field, but the Volunteers battled all day long, even after Alabama rallied for five runs in the fifth, giving them a 6-5 lead. The Vols responded in the bottom half of the sixth with a five-spot of their own.
AJ Russell was a massive part of the victory and bounced back nicely after giving up four runs to Alabama in the fifth inning. After settling down, he ate 3.2 innings for the Vols, and returned to form, showcasing his starting ability and length. No doubt, Russell proved he is capable of being Tennessee’s third-day starter moving forward if Vitello chooses to move on from freshman Tegan Kuhns.
Tennessee took their foot off the gas just a bit in the ninth, calling on Brayden Krenzel to come in and close it out. Although the Crimson Tide scratched four runs in the top half of the ninth, the Tennessee lead was already too much to overcome, and the Volunteers won their first game of the tournament 15-10.
Game 2
It was a thrilling 12-inning affair that showcased Gavin Kilen playing hero ball not once, but twice.
Tennessee had been down almost the entire game, and after tying it up late and going to extras, Kilen launched his 15th home run of the season into the Texas bullpen in right field for a go-ahead homerun.
However, Tennessee gave the run right back with more unforced, sloppy defense. After a leadoff walk, Brandon Arvidson threw the ball away on a failed pickoff attempt to first base, allowing the runner to advance to third. He would come around to score on the very next pitch thanks to a sacrifice fly.
Other than the error in the 10th, Arvidson was fantastic. He held Texas scoreless for 5.1 innings, not to mention, saving what little trustworthy arms Tennessee had left for their tournament run. He allowed only four hits while striking out nine on 85 pitches. He credited the success to “getting ahead” against hitters.
“The curveball was really working [Wednesday], I felt like I could throw it anywhere.” – Arvidson on his outing against Texas on Wednesday.
Kilen came up big for the Vols against arguably the best bullpen in the SEC. He credited his success to “reading the reports and Coach [Josh] Elander… Just did my job and helped us win.”
Game 3
Well to put it simply, Tennessee ran out of steam, even after a day off. Vanderbilt is well-equipped to take advantage of Tennessee’s run defense, and while they didn’t quite run all over the Volunteers as they did a couple of weeks ago at Lindsey Nelson Stadium, they beat them to death with a small ball and contact.
Vanderbilt tallied 13 hits on Saturday, each one of them singles. For Tennessee to win this ball game, with no true starter going, they would need to jump on Vanderbilt early.
It appeared they would do it when Kilen and Andrew Fischer started the ball game with back-to-back walks. However, Hunter Ensley, Dalton Bargo, and Dean Curley all went down swinging, and the Vols left two on to begin the game.
Vandy took an early 1-0 lead in the bottom half, in a similar fashion to how they did it at Lindsey Nelson. Rustan Rigdon singled up the middle and promptly stole second base. Riley Nelson singled back up the middle and from there, the Commodores never looked back.
Vandy beat Tennessee to death with contact and speed. Vanderbilt scored four more in the bottom of the second, giving them a 5-0 lead.
In the third, two more scored thanks to wild pitches from Dylan Loy and Tanner Franklin. From then on, the sense was no longer, “Who do the Vols go to keep them in the game,” it was “Who do they go to to get through seven innings.”
Franklin ate most of the innings up before he gave the ball to Brayden Krenzel. RJ Austin and Nelson both singled to give Vandy the 10-0 lead and after that, they only needed three outs to defeat a spent Tennessee team.
It seemed as if the magic had simply run out for the Big Orange, complied with an early start, and a long game just two days prior against Texas.
Recap
However, even after the loss, Tennessee shouldn’t be completely demoralized. In my opinion, they accomplished exactly what they needed to do with their time in Hoover; get back to hosting a regional.
With their victory against Texas, they catapulted themselves into the 13th national seed as of Saturday, May 24th.
On top of that, they have identified a trustworthy day three starter as well in Russell. After Arvidson’s outing, he’s also made a fantastic bid for that spot, but he is much more valuable in the pen, being able to eat innings and strike batters out.
This gives Tennessee ample time to address several areas that need improvement. Vanderbilt has once again tested what could be an Achilles’ heel for Tennessee, holding and throwing out runners. While they were able to keep Vanderbilt at bay today, who’s to say that someone down the road won’t run faster and more often?
As for the offense, it’s time for the middle and bottom of the order to step up with runners on down the stretch. Freshman Levi Clark and Manny Marin are tasked with flipping the lineup over, and it is a key to success for Tennessee to get Kilen and Fischer to the dish by whatever means necessary.
Marin was an unsung hero in the Vols second game against Texas. Before Kilen’s double that decided the game, he dropped a clutch sacrifice bunt, advancing the runners into scoring position.
This Tennessee team is full of talent, but it’s now a matter of being able to click at the same time and pile some runs early and often. As for what’s ahead, the Vols await their placement in the field of 64 which will come Monday, May 26 at noon EST. Tennessee has made a compelling argument to be a host in regionals, but it will be interesting to see if the committee agrees that their beatdown of Alabama and clutch victory over Texas is enough.