By Jay King
With No. 4 Texas being the best team Tennessee played in SEC play, it is impressive that they were able to win in the way that they did, but a sweep was too good to be true.
The Volunteers fell by a score of 13-6, where there was a glimpse of hope in the beginning, only for a complete collapse to ensue.
What especially made it hard to believe in a Tennessee win today was that pitcher Landon Mack was out this series due to arm soreness. This made Game 3 a bullpen game.
Taylor Tracey got the nod to start, and it was just not his day. The freshman lefty was able to get two straight outs, but was unable to get out of the inning. After two straight walks, Texas’Adrian Rodriguez hit a three-run home run to give the Longhorns the first lead of the game. Casey Borba joined in on the fun with a solo shot of his own.
With Tennessee’s first plate appearances today, they were able to carry the momentum from last night. Garrett Wright got a leadoff double, Blake Grimmer earned a walk, and Henry Ford hit a single. After two straight outs, Reese Chapman came up to bat. He was celebrating senior day today.
Already in a 4-0 deficit, the four-year Volunteer Chapman stepped up to the plate in a bases-loaded situation. Moments later, a grand slam would tie up the game for Tennessee in the bottom of the first.
“It was special with the fans that have always supported me since I stepped foot on campus,” said Chapman. “I would not want it any other way other than to end with a win.”
The vibes were high after that, but Texas regrouped, and Tennessee started to struggle. The Vols went three innings without a hit, and four without a run.
Texas tallied eight runs during this drought, including a sixth-inning beatdown where they were able to score five of the eight, all with two outs.
Tennessee was able to score two runs in the bottom of the sixth with another Chapman home run.
Texas was able to score another run, but that was it for the rest of the game.
The main issue for Tennessee in this game was giving up runners, as the Volunteers allowed 20 bases, including 10 walks and 10 hits. The strikeout-to-walk ratio was not good for the Vols either, 13:3.
“When you give up double-digit walks, you really do not even need to look at the score there,” said head coach Josh Elander.
Another issue was the offense’s inconsistency. Chapman was the only player to get multiple hits in the game and the only one to get an RBI, as he had all six. To beat a team like Texas, you need the whole lineup to show out, just like what happened Friday and especially yesterday.
To be fair, the way Tennessee played this weekend was great, and winning a series versus Texas, the top-ranked team in the SEC, is a positive, but it would have been better to see a sweep, especially this late in the season, and when you have a chance at a winning record in conference play.
Up Next: The Vols have their last midweek game and last home game versus the Belmont Bruins on Tuesday at 5 p.m. ET. After that, the Vols will travel to Oklahoma City for a neutral-site game against Oklahoma in the final SEC series of the season.
Tennessee may not be playing to host anymore, but the last series and the SEC tournament are crucial for seeding purposes in the NCAA tournament. They would much rather be a regional two-seed than a three-seed.
D1Baseball last week had Tennessee as a three-seed, so they still have some work to do. This weekend was a great resume booster.