If the Tennessee Volunteers struggle this weekend in the Clemson Regional of the NCAA baseball tournament, it won’t be due to significant straining in the days leading up.
The Vols are experiencing a 10-day break between last Tuesday’s 3-0 loss to Texas A&M in the opening round of the Southeastern Conference tournament and this Friday’s NCAA opener against the Charlotte 49ers. The game between second-seeded Tennessee (38-19) and third-seeded Charlotte (34-26) has a 6 p.m. start on ESPNU.
“I think this time off has really been big for our team,” Vols senior left fielder Jared Dickey said Tuesday in a news conference. “We took two days off whenever we got back and kind of just got to work after that. I think it was really good for us, because the season is such a grind and takes a lot out on your body.
“I also think it helped us reset as a team.”
Dickey said that he and his teammates even enjoyed time by the pool and playing ping-pong, which is a far cry from the past two seasons when Tennessee reached the SEC tournament championship contest, losing to Arkansas in 2021 and defeating Florida last year.