IIIIIIIIIIIIIIITTTTTTTTTTT’SSSSSSSSS MONDAY!!!!!!!!
And it’s a post-regional/pre-Supers Monday. As such, let’s get put on those batting helmets, grab a bat, a swing away at the orange and white balls of thought coming in hot from the depths of my mind.
1) The Supers are set. The Tennessee Volunteers will face Evansville on Friday in Knoxville in a best of three series with a trip to Omaha on the line. I mean, can you really argue with playing a four seed? I’ve seen some folks mention the underdog/motivation factor that can make a team like Evansville dangerous. I mean, sure, yes, I get that. It’s not hard to see that angle. Evansville became just the ninth 4 seed to win a regional. They can become just the fourth team to reach Omaha as a regional 4 seed if they leave Knoxville with two wins.
But…all of that potential and hope doesn’t replace talent, and Tennessee has oodles more of it than Evansville. The Vols’ bats are as hot as any team’s in the country right now. 12 home runs in 3 regional games. Tennessee is simply locked in and mashing right now. And they are good on the mound as well, with A.J. Causey and Nate Snead throwing the ball particularly well right now out of the pen (technically).
So, bring it on, Purple Aces. The storyline is good, but it’s going to be a monumental challenge for Evansville this weekend.
2) With that being said, ESPN has to be loving this matchup, along with fans rooting for an underdog. Vandy, Arkansas, and Mississippi State fans are now watching from the couch, so aside from the underdog factor, there will be plenty of fans tuning in just to see if the Vols can lose and waste away the top overall seed again – to a team from Indiana again, nonetheless.
3) Did you all see John Fulkerson waving the flag at the game on Sunday evening? After Kavares Tears smacked a three-run shot over the wall in right center, the SEC Network camera caught ol’ Fulky waving the Tennessee state flag over in the left center field tent section.
Never change, Fulk. Never change. A true Vol for Life.
4) Tennessee also managed to smack a couple of home runs that resulted in some noteworthy records being set. First, Billy Amick’s grand slam to put Tennessee up 9-0 over Indiana on Saturday set the SEC all-time record for grand slams in a season. Then, on Sunday, Cal Stark’s cherry-on-top three-run homer in the ninth inning against Southern Miss broke Tennessee’s program record of 158 home runs, which it set in 2022.
Hopefully for Tennessee fans, they’ll eclipse the 2022 in an even better way this weekend in the Supers. (I will be out of town on vacation for the next couple of weeks, so I’ll catch back up with you all at the end of the month. Be safe, have fun, and go Vols!)