Even as top-ranked Tennessee was enduring its first Southeastern Conference series loss of the season Thursday through Saturday at Kentucky, fifth-year Volunteers baseball coach Tony Vitello was already looking ahead.
The three-game SEC sets are coming to an end after the Vols host Georgia later this week and travel to reigning national champion Mississippi State next week. Then its league tournament time in Hoover, Alabama, followed by the start of NCAA regionals.
“You’ve got four starters and a bullpen you already trust,” Vitello told reporters late Saturday afternoon in Lexington. “I don’t want to get arrogant, but I think we’re prepared to do four games in a weekend and not necessarily just three.”
The Vols (42-6, 20-4 SEC) won a second consecutive Eastern Division title without even playing Sunday, as Vanderbilt’s 4-0 victory at Georgia saddled the Bulldogs with an 11th league loss with six conference contests remaining for every SEC program.
Tennessee has spent most of its season with freshman Chase Burns (7-1, 2.25 earned run average) as the Friday starter, sophomore Chase Dollander (6-0, 2.66) as the Saturday starter and freshman Drew Beam (8-0, 2.15) getting the ball each Sunday. When a ball came back to the mound against Alabama on April 16 and struck Dollander on the arm, it sidelined him for 17 days.