Twenty games played.
Twenty games won.
The top-ranked Tennessee baseball team broke the record for the best start by a reigning national champion Sunday afternoon, rallying past No. 7 Florida 7-4 before 5,579 fans inside Lindsey Nelson Stadium. The Vols improved to 20-0, topping the 19-0 opening by the 1997 LSU Tigers, who went on to successfully defend their 1996 College World Series crown.
A double to right field by Cannon Peebles in the sixth inning scored Manny Marin and Jay Abernathy, who had each reached on one-out walks, to turn a 4-3 deficit into a 5-4 lead. Reese Chapman hit a two-run home run to center in the eighth inning for the three-run difference.
“We have a lot of confidence in our team,” Peebles said afterward in a news conference. “As you can see, we got the job done. We’ve just got to keep going. Last year, we were very fortunate to do what we did, but last year really doesn’t matter anymore.