Tennessee Knocks Off Florida in SEC Tournament Championship

Tennessee Vols Baseball Knocks Off Florida in SEC Tournament Championship

HOOVER, Ala. -- Tennessee has dominated the college baseball landscape all season, and the top-ranked Vols' performance in Hoover was no different. 

Tennessee won all four games it played to ultimately achieve the 2022 SEC Baseball Tournament trophy, their first in 27 years and first ever since the tournament expanded to include every SEC team. 

After two night games, Tennessee met Florida in a sunny Hoover Met Stadium on Sunday afternoon, getting past the Gators 8-5 to earn the tournament victory. 

The Vols were led by an efficient start out of Camden Sewell and a bases-clearing double by Drew Gilbert that sparked the offense in the fifth inning. 

Seth Stephenson and Luc Lipcius also hit back-to-back RBI doubles to plate three Vols in the seventh, helping Tennessee build a sizeable lead to leave room for some error out of the bullpen. 

And error there was, as Ben Joyce and Zander Sechrist were not their sharpest in relief. The pair of Big Orange arms gave up three runs to the Gators in the bottom of the eighth, but Florida's runs were too little, too late. And if he hadn't done enough already in the tournament, Drew Gilbert all but ensured a Tennessee title win with a solo moonshot over the right field wall in the top of the ninth to give the Vols a five-run lead. 

Redmond Walsh finished things out for Tennessee in the ninth, retiring the Gators in order to finish off Florida. 

Here's everything that happened in Tennessee's SEC Tournament title victory. 

Camden Sewell Logs First Start of the Season on the Big Stage

The Vols, who served as the away team due to the fact they had been the away team less than Florida so far in the tournament, started at the plate on Sunday afternoon. Jordan Beck was the only baserunner for Tennessee in the first inning, working a two-out walk. With his walk, Beck got on base in the first inning in three consecutive games. This time, though, Beck did do donning No. 10 (Pete Derkay's number) on his jersey, as his jersey, along with Trey Lipscomb's and Ethan Payne's, was apparently stolen. Beck, a.k.a. Pete Derkay a.k.a Mike Honcho, was stranded there as Drew Gilbert struck out, and Tennessee starting senior RHP Camden Sewell would take the mound as a starter for the first time this season in the bottom of the frame. 

Sewell gave up his first hit early in the inning, as Florida second baseman Sterlin Thompson connected on a first-pitch single to left-field. Thompson then stole second to give Florida their first runner in scoring position of the afternoon, but Sewell kept him there by retiring the next two batters with a strikeout and a pop-up. 

The Vols got their first baserunner in scoring position of the day in the second, as Trey Lipscomb was hit by a pitch to begin the inning and made his way to second on a wild pitch. However, Jorel Ortega grounded out and Evan RUssell and Blake Burke struck out to strand him there. 

Sewell continued his solid start to the game by retiring the side around a one-out single from Florida's powerful designated hitter Jac Caglianone. 

Vols Miss an Opportunity, Evan Russell Catches Wyatt Langford Stealing 

Tennessee got their first hit of the day in the top of the third with a leadoff triple from Cortland Lawson, who nearly went yard. The junior shortstop sent the first pitch of his at-bat deep to left field that bounced off the wall. Lawson showed impressive speed making it to third and hyped up the dugout once he made it to Josh Elander's perch. 

The Vols had their first prime chance to strike, but Tennessee squandered the opportunity, as the top of the lineup went down in order. Seth Stephenson and Luc Lipcius each popped up before Jordan Beck struck out looking. 

In the bottom of the frame, Florida's third hit came via Wyatt Langford one-out single up the middle. But Florida's home-run leader didn't stay on the basepaths for the long, as Evan Russell rifled a throw to second during Sterlin Thompson's at-bat to catch the sophomore stealing. Langford became the third player to be caught stealing by Russell in the Hoover, as the Vols' senior catcher was very efficient behind the plate in the tournament. 

Poor Situational Hitting Continues to Bite Vols

Tennessee got another baserunner on in the fourth, as Trey Lipscomb worked a one-out walk. But nothing came of it. 

Jorel Ortega popped up into what ended up being a double play, as Lipscomb seemed to have forgotten how many outs there were or lost track of the ball and was stuck at second. Florida shortstop Josh Rivera made an easy throw to BT Riopelle at first to get the third out of the frame. Tennessee had gotten a runner on base each of the first four innings, but poor situational hitting and baserunning mistakes caused the Vols to remain scoreless through four. 

Despite Lipscomb's baserunning woes, he did his best to make up for it on defense, impressively fielding two grounders, one of which could've scored a run, to strand another Florida runner and keep the Gators scoreless. The third out of the inning was a Jac Caglianone flyout to deep left field. 

Vols Strike First... and Big

Tennessee got on the board and then some in the top of the fifth. The first run came off a beautiful RBI bunt by Seth Stephenson to score Evan Russell, who had led off with a single. Stephenson joined Blake Burke on the basepaths, who had cracked a single. Jordan Beck was later intentionally walked, giving Drew Gilbert a two-out, bases loaded situation. 

Gilbert then did what Gilbert does best: come up in big moments. The star junior outfielder crushed a bases-clearing double deep into left field off the wall, pumping his fists in celebration while looking to the Tennessee dugout after the biggest hit of the game. 

After Gilbert's double, Florida went to the bullpen for the first time of the day, bringing in freshman RHP Blake Purnell (3-3, 2.06 ERA) on to face Trey Lipscomb. Purnell did his job, getting Lipscomb to groundout to strand Gilbert and keep the deficit at four runs. 

Camden Sewell faced a little adversity in the bottom of the fifth, giving up back-to-back two-out singles (one a bunt), but the senior battled through and got Sterlin Thompson to line out to left to end the inning. 

Tennessee Extends Lead in the Sixth

The Vols built off of their success at the plate in the fifth by scoring jhjjhjhhj runs in the sixth. Jorel Ortega started things off in the inning, roping a leadoff double down the left field line. Evan Russell was then walked to give the Vols runners on first and second with no outs for Blake Burke. Burke was able to reach first on a fielder's choice, and Russell was out at second for the first out of the inning. 

Cortland Lawson couldn't take advantage of the opportunity with runners on the corners with one out, but Seth Stephenson could. 

The junior JUCO product roped an RBI double down the left field line to score Ortega and move Burke to third. And then Tennessee continued their success with two-outs, as Luc Lipcius stayed hot by drilling a two-run double into the right center gap. With the double, the Vols took a commanding 7-0 lead over the Gators in the title game. 

Vols' Bullpen Gives Up a Pair of Runs But Ultimately Seals Victory 

Tennessee went to the bullpen for the first time of the day before the start of the bottom of the sixth, bringing in junior left-hander Will Mabrey who hadn't pitched much this week. 

Mabrey allowed a pair of baserunners in the inning, but Florida could never do anything with them, especially with Tennessee being helped by a 4-3 double play. 

Just like Florida in the sixth, Tennessee got a pair of baserunners on in the seventh, but Purnell got Evan Russell to ground into a double play to end the inning. 

Vitello went back to the pen in the top of the seventh to bring in junior right-handed pitcher Mark McLaughlin who, like Mabrey, had not seen much work in Hoover. McLaughlin dealt Tennessee's first 1-2-3 inning of the afternoon, keeping the Gators scoreless as Tennessee coasted into the eighth inning. 

After Tennessee's bats once again struggled to get going in the eighth against Florida reliever Phillip Abner, the Volunteer Fireman jogged across left field out of Tennessee's bullpen to take the mound in the bottom of the eighth. 

Joyce had seen some action against Vanderbilt but was still fresh like Mabrey and McLaughlin. But Joyce's outing did not go near as well as Mabrey and McLaughlin's. 

Joyce walked his first batter in Wyatt Langford, who later advanced to second on a wild pitch. A Sterlin Thompson groundout then moved Langford to third, who would score on the next at-bat thanks to Florida first baseman BT Riopelle sending a 1-0 pitch over the left-center wall for a two-run blast. 

The homer marked Florida's first runs of the game and squandered Tennessee's chances of getting a shutout victory in the title game. 

Joyce's day was done after the homer, as Zander Sechrist came out of the bullpen to make his SEC Tournament debut. 

The sophomore's showing was far from his best, allowing back-to-back hits to give the Gators runners on the corners with one out. And with that, Sechrist's outing was cut short, as junior lefty Kirby Connell came out of the pen to try and finish out the eighth. 

Connell retired two of three batters, allowing giving up an RBI single by Florida's shortstop Josh Rivera that gave the Gators their third lead. 

Drew Gilbert, Redmond Walsh Finish Off Florida

Tennessee led by four runs to begin the ninth but quickly made it a five-run lead, as Drew Gilbert came up big for the Vols once again in the tournament with a solo moonshot over the right field wall. In doing so, Gilbert flipped his bat high in the air and jogged around the bases before being greeted by a Daddy Hat and fur coat in the Tennessee dugout. 

UT super-senior LHP Redmond Walsh tookover the mound to close out the game for Tennessee in the ninth. Walsh gave up a pair of hits and a run but ultimately did enough to preserve a Tennessee lead and win. 

With the win, Tennessee becomes the first school ever to win the SEC Tournament in both basketball and baseball in the same year.