Tennessee's top-ranked baseball team was more overpowering than resilient late last month at the Southeastern Conference tournament, but that script was flipped this past weekend at the NCAA tourney's Knoxville Regional.
The Volunteers fell behind Campbell and Georgia Tech by 4-0 scores Saturday and Sunday night before regrouping for 12-7 and 9-6 victories that punched their ticket to this weekend's super regional against Notre Dame. Tennessee is 56-7 overall this season but had been 1-5 in games when trailing after eight innings before scoring six ninth-inning runs against the Yellow Jackets.
"I would say that these players have responded in a lot of situations - it's just that the scoreboard dictates what people talk about and write about," Vols coach Tony Vitello said late Sunday night in a news conference. "I think there have been a lot of situations when our guys have had to bounce back. We've had guys who weren't available, and I know everyone's had injuries, so I'm not saying, 'Poor us.' I haven't been in the dugout a few times, which apparently helped us if you go back and look at the statistics.
"There have been a lot of times when our guys have needed to gather themselves and respond, and I think they've done that consistently throughout the year. It just comes off in more dramatic fashion when these last two games happen."
Vitello described Monday as a "recover and prepare" day, which he added was highly useful after the final regular-season trip to Mississippi State and following the league tournament.
Notre Dame will arrive in Knoxville having prevailed in the Statesboro Regional, which contained three ranked teams from last week's USA Today poll - the No. 11 Fighting Irish, No.15 Texas Tech and No. 24 Georgia Southern. The Irish advanced with a 2-1 win over the Red Raiders to improve to 38-14 overall.
As the second seed in the Statesboro Regional, Notre Dame was viewed by the NCAA selection committee as the top team not to receive one of the 16 opportunities to host, giving the Vols a stout challenge in their quest to reach a second consecutive College World Series.
SO FAR, SO GOOD
Tennessee doesn’t have a lengthy history with NCAA tournament super regionals, but the Volunteers do have a perfect one.2001 — 2-0 vs. East Carolina2005 — 2-0 vs. Georgia Tech2021 — 2-0 vs. LSU
"I just don't think that we fear many people," Vols right fielder Jordan Beck said. "Even when we're down, it's kind of like motivation to have better at-bats. The games are honestly more fun when they're close like this and you can see the competitiveness come out in us."
Beck raised his middle finger as he rounded first base following his ninth-inning double that tied the Georgia Tech game at 4-4, referring to it afterward as a "blackout moment."
Tennessee second baseman Jorel Ortega, who hit .500 and drove in five runs during the three games, was named as the Most Outstanding Player of the Knoxville Regional. The unsung heroes, however, were relief pitchers Kirby Connell and Will Mabrey, who combined to allow just two runs in nearly eight innings after the Vols had fallen behind 4-0 on consecutive nights.
"I just felt good and came in throwing strikes, which is what I've been trying to do all season," Mabrey said Sunday night after striking out five in four scoreless innings. "There wasn't anything I was thinking about besides pumping strikes and getting outs the best I can."
Heupel on ballot
Tennessee second-year football coach Josh Heupel, who quarterbacked Oklahoma to the 2000 national championship, is among 96 former coaches and players on the 2023 College Football Hall of Fame ballot.
Heupel is on the ballot for a third straight year, and he is joined by two former Tennessee receivers, Larry Seivers and Willie Gault, and former Vols cornerback Eric Berry. Seivers was an All-American first-team selection in 1975 and 1976 and was the first Tennessee receiver to eclipse 800 yards in a season, while Gault was an All-American in 1982 and set six SEC kickoff and punt return records.
Berry was the SEC defensive player of the year in 2008 and the Thorpe Award winner in 2009. He remains the league's leader in career interception yardage with 494.
Also making the ballot are former Georgia coach Mark Richt and former Bulldogs running back Garrison Hearst. The 2023 College Football Hall of Fame Class will be announced early next year.
Vols versus Terps
Tennessee's basketball team will face Maryland on Sunday, Dec. 11, as part of the Hall of Fame Invitational at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
"We're excited to play in another Hall of Fame event," Vols coach Rick Barnes said. "This will be our fourth in five years, and Tennessee fans have always traveled well to see us play really strong opponents in big-time cities and venues."
The Vols, who lost to Villanova and defeated North Carolina this past season at the Hall of Fame Tip-Off in Connecticut, are 2-2 lifetime against the Terrapins. The teams last met in the 1984 Great Alaska Shootout.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com.