With heavy rains, extra-inning games and nail-biting midweek contests, it hasn't been pretty. But Tennessee's baseball team has managed wins in seven of its last nine games.
The Volunteers survived scares from Belmont and Eastern Kentucky on Tuesday and Wednesday to enter this weekend's Southeastern Conference series at No. 9 Kentucky with a record that is seven games above .500 for the first time since March 31.
To keep things trending in the right direction against the Wildcats (33-16, 15-9), Tennessee (26-19, 7-15) will have to tame the league's best offense.
Kentucky leads the SEC in batting average, runs, doubles, total bases, slugging, hits, on-base percentage and runs batted in. Its pitching staff is tied for the third-lowest earned run average in the conference.
"We know they're a very good team," Tennessee coach Dave Serrano said Tuesday. "They have a lot of talent and are very similar to how they were last year. They've got a lot of guys returning. They've pitched well this year and they swing the bats well. We've got our hands full, but I believe in our guys and what we're capable of doing."
Tennessee dropped two of three to Kentucky in Knoxville last year, when the Wildcats were ranked eighth in the nation. Kentucky rose to No. 4 in this year's rankings before losing two of three games to Georgia last weekend.
Georgia (20-29, 7-17) is just one slot behind Tennessee for 12th in the SEC standings. The top 12 teams make the conference tournament in Hoover, Ala., later this month. Alabama is in last place but swept Auburn last weekend to improve to 5-19 in conference play and lessen Tennessee's cushion in the race for the tournament's final slot.
"We really need to win," Volsl senior shortstop Max Bartlett said Tuesday. "I know Alabama swept Auburn this past weekend, so they're creeping up. Georgia had a good weekend against Kentucky. They're creeping up. We need to go in with good energy and continue to play well."
Tennessee hosts Morehead State on Tuesday and wraps up the regular season with a three-game series at home against Missouri next weekend.
If the Vols win five of their final seven games, they would have the best regular-season winning percentage in Serrano's six years as Tennessee's head coach.
"They'll be hungry this weekend," he said of Kentucky's Wildcats. "And we should be hungrier, to be honest with you, because we're the ones trying to climb the ladder."
Contact staff writer David Cobb at dcobb@timesfreepress.com.