KNOXVILLE – There were a few schools of thought floating around Lindsey Nelson Stadium on Saturday about why the Tennessee baseball team might be able to compete with visiting top-ranked Florida.
Perhaps the tropically accustomed Gators would struggle with the unseasonably frigid Knoxville weather. Or perhaps Tennessee would ride the confidence of last season’s series victory over Florida into a similar performance this year against the reigning national champions.
The wishful thinking evaporated in a sea of fifth-inning Gators hits and Tennessee errors as Florida took the first of a three-game Southeastern Conference series 22-6.
Florida (26-5, 7-2) posted seven runs in the fifth – four of them unearned – and tacked on seven more in the sixth in a display of why many college baseball pundits believe the Gators will repeat as national champions in 2018.
“There’s such a thing as too much respect for your opponent,” Tennessee coach Tony Vitello said. “I think that played into some things tonight.”