By Anna Reiffer
The Vols came out swinging on Opening Day against Nicholls State on Friday afternoon.
Pitchers Tegan Kuhns and Nic Abraham limited the Colonels to just two hits while the Vols offense tallied 11 hits to run-rule the Colonels 10-0 in the eighth.
Many speculate that the Vols may fall back in the record books compared to the previous few years because of coaching changes.
Veteran Reese Chapman disagrees with them.
“It doesn’t matter who’s our skipper,” Chapman said, “Us as players just want to go out and do what we can to win the game.”
Josh Elander’s First Game As Skipper
“This is just another win for the Tennessee Volunteers,” was Josh Elander’s selfless response when asked about his first game as head coach.
Elander was named the Vols’ head coach in October following Tony Vitello’s departure from the program to coach for the San Francisco Giants. When asked about how it felt getting back to baseball after a chaotic offseason, Elander’s face lit up.
“It was a good day,” he said.
Elander’s enthusiasm for his team radiated throughout not just his press conference, but through his players as well. Chapman gushed over Elander in his postgame interview, saying, “He’s a compassionate person… he’s a player’s guy”.
Vols Shine Behind The Plate And On The Mound
The Vols showcased their power-hitting abilities against the Colonels, with four doubles and three home runs.
Two of the home runs came in the bottom of the eighth from Tyler Myatt and Stone Lawless to seal the victory. Myatt came in to pinch-hit for Chapman to lead off the inning, and on the first pitch launched a 418-foot home run over the right center field wall to bring the Vols within a run of the 10-run rule.
In the very next at-bat, Stone Lawless cranked a 373-foot home run to put the Colonels to bed and secure Josh Elander’s first head coaching victory.
Tegan Kuhns impressed in his season debut, striking out eight batters and allowing only two hits across 6.2 scoreless innings pitched. He received a roaring standing ovation from the crowd as he exited the game in the top of the seventh inning.
Nic Abraham called game in his season debut, finishing what Kuhns started with a single pitch in the seventh inning. He went on to post a three-up, three-down eighth inning to present the Vol offense with the opportunity to win the game.
The Colonels’ Defense Riddled With Mistakes
The Vols received an extreme advantage from the four errors Nicholls tallied throughout the match.
Notably, three of these errors were from the catcher, including an unprecedented two catcher’s interferences– both occurring with Chapman at the plate. He was asked about this unusual occurrence postgame, where he concurred that he was just as perplexed as the spectators.
“I think I’ve gotten one, maybe two, in my entire career,” Chapman said, laughing.
Looking Ahead
The Vols will finish their series with Nicholls on Saturday in a Valentine’s Day doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m. The first pitch of the second game will occur 45 minutes after the conclusion of Game 1.
RHP Landon Mack is set to take the mound in Game 1 for the Vols, and LHP Evan Blanco will start Game 2.
Both games will be available for at-home viewers to stream on SEC Network+.