Although I make my living watching sports, that doesn’t make me a sports junkie.
But my sports viewing isn’t always for informative purposes only. Occasionally, it’s just for fun.
That’s why I invested so much time in Tennessee baseball games as the Vols rolled through a nonconference schedule that rarely offered the slightest impediment, much less suspense. I frequently watched anyway.
Why? Because I’m captivated by how good the Vols have become on coach Tony Vitello’s watch. The defending national champions are 17-0 and ranked No. 1 in the USA TODAY coaches poll. And you never know what you might miss if you don’t watch.
Maybe, the Vols will hit multiple grand slams in the same game – or the same inning. Pitcher Tanner Franklin already has thrown a 102 mph fastball. Freshman Levi Clark didn’t just homer in a game at the Houston Astros stadium. He knocked the ball out of the building.
Lindsey Nelson Stadium has accommodating dimensions for hitters, but that doesn’t make it hitter friendly when the wind is blowing in. Nonetheless, in a Friday night game against St. Bonaventure, the Vols powered the ball through the wind for four home runs.
Sometimes, it’s as though UT’s players are trying to one-up each other as hitters and pitchers.
Coaches who are shepherding their program through a sports dynasty invariably challenge their players to reach a standard regardless of their opponent. Whether UT players make that a talking point, I sense that’s what they’re about.
Tennessee will become more concerned about outside competition on Friday when it opens SEC play with a three-game series against No. 7 Florida at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.
The SEC looks as formidable as ever, which means you could lose a series on any given weekend. No. 1 Tennessee is ranked ahead of No. 2 LSU and No. 3 Arkansas. That’s just one reminder of how competitive the league will be.
Georgia, Florida and Texas are also in the top 10. Six other SEC teams are in the top 25.
You will get a better idea of how good those teams are when they start playing each other this weekend. But for now, if you want to speculate on how good the Vols are, you can compare them to former Tennessee teams.
UT has been to three of the last four College World Series. But last season’s national champions and the 2022 Vols are regarded as UT’s best teams.
The 2022 team went 57-9 but fell just short of the CWS when it lost to Notre Dame in an NCAA Tournament Super Regional. The Vols were 60-13 overall and 10-2 in the NCAA Tournament last season.
Each of those teams lost only one game before beginning its SEC season. UT was 16-1 in 2022 and 17-1 in 2024.
The scoring differential also was similar. Tennessee outscored nonconference opponents 204-41 before playing its first SEC game in 2022. Two years later, the Vols outscored nonconference opponents 196-52 before beginning conference competition.
The 2025 Vols have outscored 17 opponents 203-37. Their record in one-run games also gets your attention. They’re 0-0. Nobody has come closer than two runs, and just two teams did that.
A dominant start in which the Vols lead the nation in home runs and ERA doesn’t mean they will win back-to-back national championships or even reach the CWS. But it tells you they will be fun to follow.
John Adams is a senior columnist. He may be reached at 865-342-6284 or [email protected]. Follow him at: twitter.com/johnadamskns.
发表回复