Analysis
Hope springs eternal on opening day, and today is not just another opening day at Tennessee.
It's the beginning of a new era as Tony Vitello steps in to take his swing at getting Tennessee baseball back to relevance.
The Volunteers are scheduled to host Maryland at 3 p.m. today in the first of a three-game series that is almost guaranteed to be affected by bad weather. Tennessee fans hope the rain is not the harbinger of another dreary era of Vol baseball.
The program has not won an SEC Tournament game since 2007. This year, it is picked to finish last in the Eastern Division by the SEC's coaches. The coaches also determined that UT is the only team in the league that does not have a player worthy to be on the preseason All-SEC first or second team.
So what's a reasonable goal for this 2018 team then?
"I can guarantee you the goal of the coaching staff - and I think the players are on board - is to be playing our best baseball in May," Vitello said Thursday.
Before offering an eye-roll at what could be interpreted as coach speak, consider the unique challenge college baseball coaches face in their first year at a new school.
With the exception of a couple late signees who came aboard after Vitello was hired, the 2018 Tennessee roster is comprised of players who signed to play for Dave Serrano. Vitello is trying to instill his culture and mindset into a team with scars from the shortcomings of a previous regime.
So while a goal of playing your best baseball in May sounds rather vague, accomplishing that would indicate that players from the previous era are meshing with a new mindset and gaining the confidence that has been lacking from Tennessee baseball during SEC play in recent years. It would mean Vitello and his staff are gaining momentum as they welcome their first recruiting class onto campus.
As the 2018 season arrives, Vitello said he is looking forward to seeing how Tennessee reacts when the first wave of adversity hits. The reaction will offer a window into how much psychological adjustment is still needed with this bunch.
"Really, by adversity in this team's case, I mean results that are poor," Vitello said. "Whether it's individual lack of success or team lack of success by losing games, how are they going to react? Is it going to be the, 'here we go again' mentality or is it going to be 'how do we make adjustments so we can improve upon this and really get this thing going the direction we want so that we're peaking in May?'"
If Vitello were a pessimist, he would have much more material than just the bleak preseason predictions made by SEC coaches to dwell on.
To name a couple things, the athletic director who hired him is gone. Then, there is the fact that the one player who defected from Serrano's last signing class happened to be the guy who would have been the natural choice at shortstop this year.
Instead, the starting shortstop is going to be last year's first baseman. Say what?
But it's opening day, and no matter how rainy it is, opening day is no time for pessimism. And for what it's worth, the sun was out when the Vols had their official opening day to preseason practice last month.
"Opening day is just a phrase that's great for any baseball player or fan," Vitello said at the time. "You've got a clean slate. Typically the sun is out. You have a fresh start and a lot of new thoughts in your head about what are some positives that can happen for you and the team."
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Some players to watch:
On the mound, sophomores Zach Linginfelter and Garrett Stallings appear to be the top two starters entering the season, while junior Will Neely and sophomore Andrew Schultz may be next in the rotation.
Elsewhere, freshman infielder Wyatt Stapp is likely to get meaningful playing time during the opening weekend, possibly playing at third base. He was a late addition to Tennessee's roster as a walk-on but has impressed the staff.
Andre Lipcius is making the move from first base to shortstop as a sophomore after hitting .275 last season.
"You know, he's surprised us all," Stallings said recently. "We were kind of on the fence whenever he got back. We were like, 'oh, he's going to play short.' Because he started every game at first base last year. But he's really changed his body in a great way. He's quicker and he's shown to be a great leader out there. He's definitely ready for the challenge and going to be the leader of our infield."
Andre's brother, Luc Lipcius, is expected to compete for the starting position at first base.
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If baseball is your thing, here are a few other stories previewing Tennessee's 2018 squad:
Vols ready for baseball season opener after dealing with sickness
Former MLB catcher J.P. Arencibia returns to Tennessee to complete degree, work with Vols
New UT baseball coach Tony Vitello emphasizes leadership
Tony Vitello completes staff as Tennessee baseball finds fall rhythm
With Tennessee basketball hitting the stretch run, football spring practice just around the corner and softball taking aim at the Women's College World Series, I won't be at Lindsey Nelson Stadium for every game this year. But I'll be out there quite a bit. Please follow along.
David Cobb is the Tennessee athletics beat writer for the Times Free Press. He is stationed in Knoxville. Follow him @DavidWCobb on Twitter, or direct your emails to dcobb@timesfreepress.com. Oh, and go download the Times Free Press mobile app. It's free.