Getting Tennessee down and keeping Tennessee down have been two very different challenges this baseball season.
The Volunteers under first-year coach Josh Elander are not reminding anyone of Tony Vitello’s 2022 and 2024 teams that were seeded first overall in those NCAA tournaments, but they are showing a knack for getting back up after being taken to the turf. The latest example occurred in the Alabama series, when Tennessee was abysmal on the mound during Thursday night’s 12-8 loss before quickly regrouping to sweep Friday’s doubleheader inside Lindsey Nelson Stadium by the combined score of 21-4.
“I thought we just came out right away and started competing,” Vols freshman designated hitter Trent Grindlinger said Friday night in a press conference. “We set the tone early and kept the energy the entire time.”
Friday’s sweep marked the second occasion this year in which Tennessee displayed some true pushback. The Vols traveled to Mississippi State for a series April 10-12 at 14th in the 16-team Southeastern Conference standings and on the outside of the NCAA tournament projections.