By Jay King
CHAPEL HILL, NC. – Sometimes, the toughest teams to play are the ones playing with house money, and the Volunteers learned that the hard way.
After a heartbreaking loss on Friday that went into 14 innings, the Volunteers found themselves in the elimination bracket versus the regional four-seed, the Virginia Commonwealth Rams.
The Rams did not play like a four-seed.
5-4 was the final score, sending the Vols home packing in the regional round, something that has not happened since they last played in Chapel Hill in 2019.
It was also Reese Chapman’s final game as a Volunteer. The four-year player was a staple in Tennessee’s lineup and saw two College World Series appearances and a National Championship in 2024. He was the leader of this year’s team and hit a home run in his final game wearing Orange.
“This program means everything to me,” said Chapman. “I would not change anything from my last four years here.”
What went wrong for Tennessee
What cost the Volunteers this game, and many games this season, was situational hitting once again. They went 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position and left nine runners on base all game.
“We just were not able to execute,” said Elander. “We got some bases-loaded situations, [and we] were not able to do it.”
The second factor in the offensive woes was the lack of walks. Garrett Wright did get hit by a pitch twice, but that was it for the free bases.
Lastly, the overall offensive approach was not in sync during the game. This had been a problem all season, and versus VCU was no different. Players kept on trying to swing for the fences when all they needed to do was get on base. This led to 13 strikeouts and seven combined pop-ups and fly-outs.
“[We need to] learn from our mistakes, and not make them again,” said Chapman.
Pitching was not bad, but it left more to be desired. Credit to Cam Appenzeller, with an appearance in relief fresh off of appearing in Game 1. He went 2.2 innings with five strikeouts and did not allow a hit. He made it possible for the Vols to have a late-game rally.
Tegan Kuhns was the starter for the game, and from the first pitch delivered for Tennessee as a much-needed ace, but the sophomore was battling an illness. He only pitched four innings, and it was obvious when he started to look tired.
The first two innings were great: Kuhns allowed no hits and struck out five, but the third and fourth innings saw him give up four hits, a home run, and a hit-by-pitch, which scored three runs for the Rams. Kuhns was credited with the loss.
“It was his best interest… physically [to leave early],” said Elander. “We thought we were able to get 80-90 pitches out of Tegan; we were not able to get there.”
Brady Frederick was called in for relief after Kuhns departed, and his struggles continued. In only 2/3 innings pitched, he had two hits, two walks, and a wild pitch, giving up two runs.
UP NEXT – This game ends the Volunteers’ baseball season, and there will be many questions this offseason.
Among those questions are potential changes to the coaching staff? Who will return for next season? And who will they find in the transfer portal?
“[This] game has told us we need to make some adjustments,” said Elander. “We will make those in the offseason.”
The absence of Tony Vitello left big shoes to fill, and while Elander’s first season on Rocky Top was not bad, it did not meet the standard Vitello had set for the team.