Tennessee wins SEC East for first time since 1997 thanks to late Kentucky rally
By Keith Farner
Published:
Tennessee baseball players and coaches were big Kentucky fans on Saturday, and a ninth-inning rally by the Wildcats, with five runs on the strength of two home runs, helped them shock Vanderbilt in Nashville and hand the SEC East to Tennessee.
Earlier in the day, Tennessee beat South Carolina, 5-4.
That means the Vols have won the SEC East for the first time since 1997. It was a special season all around as for the first time since 1994, Vols baseball claimed a series win in each of its SEC road series this season. What’s more, For the first time since 2000 and 2001, the Vols have won 40 or more games in consecutive full seasons.
The Vols led 5-1 entering the eighth but hold off a furious rally from the Gamecocks over the final two innings to secure the win, which clinched a top-four seed in next week’s SEC Tournament.
The win was the 42nd of the season for Tennessee, marking its most regular-season victories since winning 43 in 1995.
The Vols will play their first game in the tournament on Wednesday (time and opponent TBD).
For the first time since 1994, @Vol_Baseball claimed a series win in each of its SEC road series this season. pic.twitter.com/VYzGvFbuFV
— Tennessee Stats & Info (@Vol_Stats) May 22, 2021
A former newspaper veteran, Keith Farner is a news manager for Saturday Down South.
