KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Wednesday evening’s NCAA baseball matchup between the Xavier Musketeers and the Tennessee Volunteers at Lindsey Nelson stadium ended in a rather unsurprising 13-1 Tennessee win.
The win propelled the Volunteers to a perfect 13-0 start to begin the 2025 season, while the visiting Musketeers dropped to 7-6.
Isaac Wachsmann’s 2nd inning solo home run got the scoring started in this one, and the Volunteers’ offense was only able to produce 1 hit across the first 3 innings.
The Vols’ offensive struggles were short-lived, however, as Tennessee answered in the 4th inning. Gavin Kilen shot a double to the opposite field, and Andrew Fischer brought him across just two batters later, belting his 5th home run of the season to right-center field.
The Tennessee offense also added some insurance in the following two innings. The 5th inning featured a two-run double from freshman phenom Levi Clark, as he scored Kilen and Ensley.
The 6th inning proved to be crucial in allowing Tennessee to pull away from Xavier. Ariel Antigua dropped a bloop single into shallow center field, scoring Jay Abernathy from second base. A Dean Curley single would later bring Antigua across, who had advanced to second base on a balk from Xavier pitcher Sam Stevens. A sacrifice fly from Ensley later scored Dean Curley. Levi Clark then shot a base hit up the middle, scoring Gavin Kilen.
Clark’s RBI single marked his 20th RBI of the young season, giving him the Volunteers’ team lead through the first 13 games. A 3-run home run to left field from Reese Chapman capped off a 7-run 6th inning for Tennessee, who finished the inning with a 10-run lead.
After the game, I asked Chapman if the game has slowed down for him this season compared to last. He said, “gettin[g] reps out there definitely helps… overall, sticking to my [approach] in the box… has worked out for me.”
The mercy rule was not in effect for this game, so the onslaught continued past 7 innings.
Later, in the 8th inning, Stone Lawless brought a pair of runners home on a base hit to left field, extending the Volunteers’ lead to 12.
Following the win, I was able to ask Tennessee Head Coach Tony Vitello if he is surprised by how well Tennessee’s incoming transfer class has adjusted to fulfill the team’s identity. He told me, “…Not with the kids who came out of the transfer portal… we were able to take our time and figure out which ones… fit us, and those guys do that…”
However, the offense was not the only highlight in the blowout win, as a handful of Tennessee pitchers combined for the win. Thomas Crabtree got the start, and pitched 2 innings of 1-run ball. Austin Breedlove nabbed the pitching victory out of the bullpen, his first of the new season. He allowed no hits and one walk across 3 innings.
I caught up with Breedlove after the game and was able to ask him what has most contributed to him getting into the early season groove he has displayed across his first 5 outings. He told me, “[I’m] just keepin[g] baseball, baseball, not [trying to] make it too much.”
Tegan Kuhns then pitched the 6th inning, striking out a pair of Musketeers. Brayden Sharp gave up a double and a pair of walks in the 7th inning, loading the bases before striking out Xavier right fielder Landon Mensik to escape the frame unscathed.
Luke Payne was summoned from the bullpen to pitch the top half of the 8th inning. He tossed a scoreless inning while giving up no hits, and walking one. Brayden Krenzel then finished the job for the Vols, pitching a scoreless 9th.
Next up for the Volunteers is a weekend series against St. Bonaventure at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.