By BILLY DIXON
It’s hard to not get frustrated watching this version of the Tennessee baseball team. The last two weeks alone are enough to make a balding man lose his precious few remaining locks.
The last two weeks have been maddening. I’ve used this space to preach hope and patience, but both are wearing thin.
Time is running out – but not completely expired – to turn “what might have been” into “what a turn-around.”
Let’s dive into the “what might’ve been.” Georgia is currently atop the Southeastern Conference standings with a 10-2 league mark. What if I told you that the Vols are on the wrong side of a razor thin margin that could have them atop the standings with that same record?
We’ll start with game three of the opening league series against those Bulldogs. Following a Blake Grimmer home run leading off the top of the ninth to cut their deficit to 8-7, Levi Clark singled to put the tying run on base. Pinch hitter Stone Lawless launched a ball that everyone in the park thought was gone before Georgia’s freshman left fielder Cole Johnson scaled the wall and ended the game with a stunning robbery.
Two weeks later in the series with Vanderbilt, the Vols pulled even in game one in the top of the eighth inning and had two on with one out when Henry Ford grounded into a double play. Tennessee left two more on base in the top of the 10th before falling in the bottom of the frame.
The very next day, the Vols played the longest game in program history. They went scoreless in 15 of the game’s 16 innings, but left runners in scoring position four times in extra frames alone.
To add insult to injury, Tennessee failed to hold on to a 15-10 lead in game three, giving up a heartbreaking six runs in the bottom of the ninth.
Fast forward to this past weekend. The Vols led LSU 4-1 in the eighth inning of Friday night’s game then lost 7-5, and led 5-0 on Sunday before eventually surrendering a 10-spot in the 11th inning to drop the series. That contest was mere inches away from ending in Tennessee’s favor in the 10th, however, when Clark’s blast to center was hauled in against the yellow line atop of the fence.
Are the Vols struggling at the plate? Yes.
Are they missing depth in the bullpen? Also yes.
Had Tennessee managed to get breaks to go its way, get a timely hit or one timely out, however, it could be sitting at 10-2 in the conference.
Pen and Plate
As has been the case all year, the Vols are getting some outstanding pitching from Tegan Kuhns, Landon Mack, Evan Blanco, Brandon Arvidson, and, particularly, freshman Cam Appenzeller.
The problem has been at least one starter each week and one reliever has had an “off” outing. Still, the starting pitching and long relief has been more than good enough. This team just does not have a closer. They had hoped that ETSU transfer Brady Frederick and sophomore Brayden Krenzel would fill that role.
Frederick has proven to be no mystery at all to SEC hitters, and Krenzel has been unable to find the zone.
After that, it’s a guessing game. Bo Rhudy has looked really good at times, but gets hit hard at others. A long line of talented freshman arms just do not appear ready yet, but may get a trial by fire in the coming weeks. There’s no choice. Taylor Tracey seems to be the next best option based on his mid-week performances. I’m also curious as to when Blaine Brown gets another look on the bump.
At the plate, the mystery continues. In the weekend series against LSU, no player had more than three hits. Ford, Clark, and Jay Abernathy had one hit each. Manny Marin and Tyler Myatt went hitless.
For the season, it gets even more baffling. Tennessee is hitting a paltry .264 as a team. The Vols do have 53 home runs which keeps them in the top 20 in the nation, but neither number is even close to year’s past. The problem is, this year’s sophomores were much better as freshmen. The transfers in the lineup were also a lot better last year.
Let’s look at the lineup and compare:
Garrett Wright
2026 – .321, 3 HRs, 10 RBIs
2025 (Bowling Green): .406, 8 HRs
This is not apples to apples because of the difference in games played (full season vs. just over half so far this year), but you can see the difference in trends. This is not a talent thing. It’s a matter of execution from capable bats.
Midweek Musings
Don’t dismiss the importance of Tuesday night’s 12-6 win over Northern Kentucky.
The Vols found themselves in a similar position they’ve been in the last several games – with a different outcome. Taking advantage of a defensive mistake, the Vols exploded for six runs in the bottom of the eighth to put the game away. Tracey and Rhudy were excellent in relief.
Yes, it was only Northern Kentucky, but any momentum is helpful.
Once again, the midweek was not kind to several SEC teams. Auburn, LSU, Texas A&M, and South Carolina all lost.
The Challenge Ahead
The Vols (21-12, 4-8) head to Starkville this weekend to take on Mississippi State (26-7, 7-5). Game times are set for Friday and Saturday at 7:00 ET. The series concludes Sunday at 2:00. All games will be available on SEC+.
The then-No. 5 ranked Bulldogs got swept at home last weekend by Georgia, falling to No. 9 in this week’s poll.
This is the SEC, however. You can throw out prior results as they have no bearing on what’s coming. MSU had won 11 of its last 12 before Georgia took down the Bulldogs, a run that included series sweeps of Vandy and Ole Miss.
The Bulldogs are hitting a smoldering .327 as a team, led by Bryce Chance‘s .410. Six other regular starters are hitting over .300 while five guys off the bench are hitting at least .341.
State has been pretty solid on the mound as well with a 3.40 ERA. Its weekend starters have been fantastic, but it will be missing one key cog with Ryan McPherson injured.
Charlie Foster is 0-1 with a 5.21 ERA and has started the last couple of Friday nights in place of McPherson.
Tomas Valincius has gone on Saturdays and is 6-1 with a 1.15 ERA. He has 66 strikeouts in 47 innings.
Duke Stone is 5-0, with a 3.75 ERA.
On the positive side for the Vols, the Bulldogs starters aren’t going very deep into games, averaging less than five innings per outing.
Josh Elander has switched up Tennessee’s rotation the last two weeks and as of this writing had not announced who will go when this weekend We can expect to see Kuhns, Mack, and Blanco in some order, but do not be surprised if Arvidson gets another starting nod or to see Appenzeller take the ball to open a game at some point.