Evan Russell homered twice and Luc Lipcius once Friday night inside Lindsey Nelson Stadium as top-ranked Tennessee blasted Georgia 9-2 to capture the three-game series and clinch at least a share of the Southeastern Conference championship.
Roughly 90 minutes later, the Volunteers had their first league title since 1995 all to themselves by virtue of Vanderbilt’s 9-6 topping of Arkansas in 10 innings.
“The vibe in the locker room is that we can celebrate after the season is completely over,” Russell said immediately after Tennessee improved to 45-6 overall and to 22-4 in conference play. “No matter what happens or what we accomplish, good or bad, I think we can save the celebrations for when it’s all over.”
The Bulldogs, who entered Friday second in the SEC East standings, dropped to 32-18 overall and to 13-13 within the league.
Tennessee’s latest offensive onslaught came at the expense of Georgia 6-foot-6 junior Jonathan Cannon, who is considered one of the SEC’s top pitching prospects in the looming Major League Baseball draft. Cannon’s 10 hits and six runs allowed were season highs.