Evan Russell’s patience walks Vols to best SEC baseball start in a decade

Infielder Evan Russell (6) of the Tennessee Volunteers is shown during the game between the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Vols at Lindsey Nelson Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn. (Photo courtesy of Austin Perryman/University of Tennessee Athletics) Infielder Evan Russell (6) of the Tennessee Volunteers is shown during the game between the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Vols at Lindsey Nelson Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn. (Photo courtesy of Austin Perryman/University of Tennessee Athletics)

By David Cobb March 26, 2018 3 min read

KNOXVILLE – A glance at the rosters showed it should have been Evan Russell who was nervous when he stepped up to the plate for Tennessee in the bottom of the sixth inning with the score tied 1-1.

The Tennessee freshman was playing in the first home Southeastern Conference series of his career, and the pitcher he was facing during the first game of a doubleheader with Alabama on Sunday afternoon – left-handed reliever Dylan Duarte – has been a trusty veteran for the Crimson Tide during his junior season.

Instead, during this pivotal moment, it was Russell who handled the situation like a veteran by drawing a bases-loaded walk to score the go-ahead run that lifted the Volunteers to a 2-1 win and helped set up a sweep of the three-game series at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.

“I could tell that he was pretty nervous because of the way he pitched to Pete (Derkay) before me,” Russell said.

And besides, Russell had been in a similar situation just two nights before.