June 2nd, 2025, by 90.3 WUTK
By Jay King
Knoxville, Tenn. – The Tennessee Volunteers win the Knoxville Regional after wins over the Miami of Ohio Redhawks, Cincinnati Bearcats, and the Wake Forest Demon Deacons.
This is now the fifth straight regional win for the Vols, going back to 2021.
Andrew Fischer headlined the tournament at the plate, as he batted .375 and slugged .875 with two home runs.
Gavin Kilen was a tough out as well, as he had a .471 batting average at the leadoff spot.
Liam Doyle was the pitcher of the weekend, as he had a 1.35 ERA with 6.2 innings pitched, including an appearance in relief as he got the save in the clinching game.
Another noteworthy performance from the mound was Marcus Phillips, as he had a career high eight strikeouts, and got the win versus the Cincinnati Bearcats.
Game one
Game one saw Liam Doyle take the mound for the Vols, and he had a strong bounce-back game, with 11 strikeouts, while only allowing four hits and one earned run.
The scoring started with an opposite-field Reese Chapman solo home run in the bottom of the second.
The third inning is when the Vols broke the 1-1 tie on a Dean Curley walk with the bases loaded to bring home Gavin Kilen, and an RBI sac fly by Reese Chapman.
Tennessee had a scoring outburst in the fourth inning, started by a Manny Marin Walk. Gavin Kilen, Andrew Fischer, Hunter Ensley, and Dalton Bargo all then hit singles that scored three, and Reese Chapman then got to first on an error that brought home Ensley and Bargo.
A Gavin Kilen RBI single in the bottom of the fifth made the game 9-1 Vols, and that was all they needed, as they would not score for the rest of the game. Austin Breedlove and Andrew Behnke both had scoreless frames to secure the victory.
Game two
Game two saw the Cincinnati Bearcats face off against the Vols in the 1-0 game. This game was a victory for the Vols, but the Bearcats did give them a scare at points throughout the game.
The top of the first saw the Vols get on the board early, as Dean Curley hit a two-run RBI single to make it a 2-0 ballgame. Later that frame, Cannon Peebles had the bases loaded, and it looked like he would have a base hit, but Cincinnati center fielder Derrick Pitts made a spectacular diving catch to prevent the Vols from scoring any more runs
Dean Curley hit the Vols’ only home run with a solo shot to center field to make it 3-0 Vols. The Bearcats responded in the bottom of the third though, as they scored two of their own runs on a Jack Natili single, and a Cal Sefcik sac fly that cut the Vols’ lead to only one.
Gavin Kilen hit a triple, and Andrew Fischer got an RBI groundout to extend the Vols’ lead 4-2.
In the sixth inning, Andrew Fischer hit a two-run RBI double, and three straight walks brought Fishcer home. This brought the Vols lead to 8-2.
The Bearcats didn’t go down without a fight though, as they scored two runs in the bottom of the seventh on a Christian Mitchelle solo home run, and Charlie Niehaus scored on a passed ball. This cut the Vols’ lead in half, 8-4.
Tennessee was able to get insurance runs in the top of the ninth, with a two-run RBI single by Manny Marin, now 10-4 Vols. In the bottom of the ninth, Quinton Coates hit an RBI single, and Cal Sefcik hit an RBI double to make it a four-run ballgame, but Brandon Arvidson was able to get the final out.
Game three
Game three saw the Vols’ only loss of the regional as they lost to Wake Forest by a score of 6-7.
Marek Houston was the first player to score this game with a solo home run in the bottom of the first.
Tennessee was then able to take the lead, 2-1, in the bottom of the third, with a Gavin Kilen RBI double, and an Andrew Fischer RBI single.
The Demon Deacons had a strong bottom of the fourth, as they scored five runs, starting with Kade Lewis’ RBI groundout, then Jack Winnay’s RBI double, followed by Dalton Wentz’s RBI double, and Javar Williams two-run home run, to make it a 6-2 Deacon’s lead.
Tennessee was able to get back into the game though, as Andrew Fischer hit a two-run home run in the top of the fifth, and a Levi Clark two-run homer in the top of the sixth.
The Vols and Deacons then traded scoreless innings from the bottom of the sixth, to the top of the ninth. The top of the ninth then saw Tennessee getting in a bases loaded situation with no outs, then Jack Winnay drew the walk off walk to force a winner-take-all game Monday night.
Game four
Game four saw the Vols getting a strong all around, bounce-back victory.
Wake Forest got the scoring started, to give the Vols a scare though, as Matt Conte hit a two-run home run. AJ Russell’s start was over after that, as Brayden Krenzel came in.
The scoring for the Vols started in the bottom of the third, as Gavin Kilen grounded into a double play, but drew in a run.
The bottom of the fourth was a dominant one, as they scored seven runs. It started with a Reese Chapman infield single which scored Hunter Ensley, then a wild pitch that scored Dean Curley. The Vols now had the lead 3-2. Manny Marin then hit a monster three-run home run, then Andrew Fischer hit a two-run shot that gave the Vols an 8-2 lead.
Wake would then make a comeback bid with a Matt Scannell two-run home run, and an Austin Hawke RBI single, to make the score 5-8.
Liam Doyle then came in for relief, and was lights out. This came after Doyle was apparently in Tony Vitello’s ear about wanting to come in for the clinching game.
Dean Curley hit a two-run RBI single in the seventh, and Gavin Kilen got an RBI double to give the Vols an 11-5 lead that they would not lose.
Doyle had five strikeouts and did not give up a hit in his relief appearance, to get his first save of the year, as well as breaking Tennessee’s single season strikeout record.
What’s next?
The Vols will go on the road to face off against the three-seeded Arkansas Razorbacks in the Fayetteville Super Regional. It will be a best of three series, and the winner of that will punch their ticket to Omaha to play in the College World Series.