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Nichols: 16th-ranked Diamond Vols mark SEC baseball’s glorious return with opening win over Georgia Southern

After a 346-day break, Tony Vitello’s 2021 Vols started their season with a win over Georgia Southern on Friday night in Statesboro. The win served as a wonderful reminder that one of America’s greatest sports, in one of the sport’s greatest conferences, has finally returned.

Jake Nichols

On March 10, 2020, the Tennessee baseball team took down in-state foe ETSU by a score of 17-5.

Little did the Vols know it would be their final game of the 2020 season.

According to a video released by Tennessee this week, UT coach Tony Vitello informed his team after a lift session last year that their 2020 season was being postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We had heard some rumors about getting it postponed,” standout sophomore Connor Pavolony said in the video. “But we still had to lift, and then we were going to leave for South Carolina. We lifted, and then we had a team meeting, and Coach V. kind of told us all what was happening.”

“There were a lot of emotions,” Pavolony continued. “A lot of people were upset and kind of angry, but it was another moment for us to come together as a family. It probably made us stronger.”

Added sophomore Max Ferguson, who joined Pavolony on the Golden Spikes Award watch list earlier this week: “I think it hurt a lot of us. That same team that we put on the field would never step on the field in a Tennessee uniform again. It definitely grew us a lot closer with the guys that are still here.”

Those emotions were likely even worse when pandemic’s full effect took control, turning the postponement into a complete cancelation for spring sports.

No 2020 season. No SEC Tournament in Hoover. No College World Series, which meant no shot at Omaha for anyone.

That last cancelation added even more of a gut-punch for a Tennessee team that advanced to a Super Regional in 2019 before starting 15-2 in 2020, the second-best start in program history. That start peaked with a win over No. 1 Texas Tech in the Round Rock Classic, cementing the Vols’ rediscovered perch in college baseball.

But, all was not lost with the 2020 cancelation. The Vols used their long offseason to regroup, as Ferguson said players used the extra time to “take a step back, work on themselves, and come back better than they were before.”

So on a Friday night in Georgia, 346 days removed from that win over ETSU, the 16th-ranked Vols once again suited up for America’s greatest pastime against a group not sporting the Power T.

UT’s 2021 campaign has been greatly anticipated, too. Ferguson and Pavolony are just two of several impact players in Vitello’s fourth year, as the former Arkansas assistant has lured a range of impressive prospects to Knoxville.

Those prospects certainly filled their roles, helping Tennessee hold off Georgia Southern for a season-opening 5-3 win. Jordan Beck provided three RBIs in the victory, while ace Chad Dallas controlled the pace from the mound.

Vitello said in a team-released video that “both teams kind of won” given the wet field and cold, rainy conditions. But the weather wasn’t Tennessee’s only obstacle, as bus issues during the team’s drive to Statesboro provided some extra gratitude for finally being able to play baseball.

Neither program could forget the ever-looming threat of COVID-19, either, as players from both teams had to test negative before anyone could think about taking the field.

Despite the transportation problems — which seemed to plague more than one Tennessee team this week — and the COVID testing that all college athletes are willing to undergo, the Vols arrived in time for their 4 p.m. start. But the dreary weather pushed first pitch back to 7 p.m. ET, making the Vols’ hot bats even warmer as players wore thick black jackets in the visitors’ dugout at J.I. Clements Stadium.

A D1 Baseball selection for Preseason All-American, Ferguson got on base first with a walk, and he advanced to second on a passed ball. Liam Spence singled to shortstop to put runners at the corners. After a Jake Rucker foul-out, Beck smashed his first RBI double of the night to the left-field wall. The hit scored Ferguson and Lipcius, putting UT at an early 2-0 advantage as Beck sprinted to third after a slow throw.

“Jordan was outstanding,” Vitello said of Beck. “He didn’t even get all of the ball in the first inning, but he drove it to the wall, and it was a very competitive at-bat.

“We had kind of talked as a team, Rucker’s at-bat prior to that — I don’t know how many pitches it was, but you could kind of argue he wore the guy down a little bit. Jackson has got really good stuff, and Beck took advantage of a mistake.”

Georgia Southern starter Jordan Jackson — brother of former Tennessee player Vincent Jackson — struck out the rest of the side, bringing the bespectacled, right-handed junior Chad Dallas to the hill for Tennessee.

Dallas’s start marked the second-straight season that he’s gotten the nod in the Vols’ opening game. And wearing the Vols’ smoky gray road uniform — complete with an orange bill, orange T and “TENNESSEE” stitched across the chest — the Texas native rewarded Vitello’s faith by turning that smoke to fire with each pitch that crossed the plate.

Nicknamed “Cheese” by his teammates, Dallas started his season with what Henry Rowengartner might call “hot, stinky cheddar” to strike out the side in the first inning. He even clocked 93 at one point in the night, according to John Wilkerson on the radio broadcast.

(For the original clip from the Rookie of the Year trailer, go to the 1:32 mark in the video below. You’re welcome.)

Ferguson was left stranded in the top part of the second inning, but he made a phenomenal diving catch in the bottom half to aid Dallas in another quick frame.

“Chad was outstanding,” Vitello said. “He really leads by competitiveness. The fact that he was getting us outs in the fashion that he did, it’s just kind of a bonus to me.”

Jake Rucker got the Vols started with a hard-hit double in the third inning, and he advanced to third on a wild pitch. Luc Lipcius did the rest with an RBI double down the left-field line, bringing Rucker across to make the score 3-0.

Georgia Southern made its first pitching change after that run, as Tyler Owens replaced an embattled Jackson.

At first, it seemed that the change wouldn’t do much for the Eagles. Ferguson’s fellow Preseason All-American, Connor Pavolony, added his part in the sophomore duo with a left-field line drive to score Lipcius for a 4-0 lead.

Still, Owens struck out the remaining two batters, but Dallas responded with another no-hit inning for Tennessee.

Both teams’ bats went quiet in the fourth inning, but Beck appeared to break the game open in the fifth with a one-out, one-run shot over the left-center wall.

“The ball (Beck) hit over the fence was absolutely incredible,” Vitello said. “Obviously, he’s strong, but he’s facing a guy who stuck it on us pretty good in long or middle relief, and Jordan was able to take advantage there. Obviously, it was a huge, huge run on the scoreboard.”

Lipcius knocked in a single after that, but, again, Owens regained control before a no-hit sixth inning calmed each side.

The seventh inning is where things began to get dicey for Tennessee. Dallas forced a fly-out to start the inning, but a lumbering designated hitter, 6-foot-1, 252-pound Noah Ledford, hammered a 342-foot solo shot to put the Eagles on the board. That homer also robbed Dallas of what had been a no-hitter for the 5-foot-11, 206-pound junior.

After that, Jason Swan swatted a single for Georgia Southern, forcing Tennessee’s first mound meeting of the season. To relieve Dallas, Vitello brought in righty Sean Hunley from the bullpen.

“Left (Dallas) out there a little longer than we wanted to, or that our coaching staff had planned to, so a mistake on my part,” Vitello said. “But I think he’s built up his pitch count a bit more so he can go deeper into games.”

Dallas did end up with the win despite his late struggles, and his final line is as follows: 6.1IP, 2H, 2ER, 1BB, 7K.

Hunley didn’t fare as well, at least not at first. Christian Avant doubled down the left-field line, and, as he advanced to third, Swan crossed the plate to make the score 5-2.

Swan sprinted across home plate a few moments later, using a Mitchell Golden groundout to bring the Eagles within two runs at 5-3 at the bottom of the seventh.

And that was where the score stayed, though not without a little more drama. After all, what’s a season-opener without it?

Southern made another mound change to start the eighth inning, bringing in Tyler Jones for Tyler Owens. Jones promptly dealt a full count to Lipcius before Lipcius drew a walk. But the Eagles’ reliever got quick revenge, picking off an eager Lipcius at first before striking out Pavolony and Pete Derkay to end the top of the eighth.

Hunley held strong in the bottom half, as he forced a fly-out, left one stranded and dealt two strikeouts, the latter of which came against the potential tying run with a runner already on base.

Tennessee couldn’t get anything going on offense in the final frame, so one last pitching change left redshirt senior Redmond Walsh to close.

A Southpaw, Walsh subbed in for Hunley to start the bottom half. The Louisville, TN, native wasted no time, using a strong left arm to force two strikeouts and a groundout. He ended the night with a scoreless ninth inning and the save to affirm a nomination he received on Friday morning.

Walsh’s final frame put him at just seven earned runs in the past 58.1 innings, according to Rivals.com‘s Ryan Schumpert. The win also gave Walsh a 12th career save, putting him at fourth all-time on that list, according to Tennessee.

“Redmond and Sean, they do two things: they pitch with composure, and they throw strikes,” Vitello said. “More times than not they get it done for you, but, at the very least, you know those two attributes are coming to the table each time you give them the ball, so at least you know what you’re getting.”

Like the transportation issues mentioned earlier, that “know what you’re getting” feeling from coaches goes back to what Kellie Harper mentioned about her Lady Vols after their South Carolina win Thursday.

As for Rick Barnes, he may still not know what he’s getting each time the Vols take the floor. We’ll see if that effort becomes any more predictable today, as No. 19 Tennessee takes on Kentucky at 1:00 p.m. ET on CBS.

Back to Vitello’s Vols, though, at least for now. With Beck’s bat, Dallas’s dealing and Walsh’s winning effort, Tennessee cushioned itself with a versatile mix to move to 1-0.

For Game Two on Saturday, the Vols will start freshman Blade Tidwell on the bump for his first collegiate action.

But Tidwell, the No. 22 right-handed pitcher and No. 3 overall player in the state of Tennessee’s 2020 class, will face a fellow newcomer in Georgia Southern right-hander Chase Dollander.

With a name like Blade, we’ll see if Tidwell can slice through Dollander’s teammates enough to live up to his billing.

First pitch is set for 2 p.m. ET on ESPN+, just an hour after the basketball Vols tip off against the Wildcats in Knoxville. To watch both games, fans may need a dual-screen setup.

The Diamond Vols will conclude their stay in Statesboro on Sunday. Two days later, on February 23, they’ll host Arkansas Pine-Bluff for Opening Day at Lindsey Nelson Stadium to kickstart next week’s three-game series.

At that point, Covid-19 will still run rampant. Tensions across the country will still be high. In the big scheme of things, nothing will change.

But, with springtime drifting around the corner, gameday hot dogs sizzling on the grill, and the faint sounds of “Rocky Top” wafting from the Great Smoky Mountains into the infield bleachers, the home-field arrival of Baseball Time in Tennessee should feel a little sweeter this season.

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Jake Nichols
JAKE NICHOLS

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