Super Regionals: OK, Vols, here's the adversity. Without Drew Gilbert, it's time to react
It’s been a season where everything for Tennessee has gone right. The 23-game winning streak? Check. Essentially unchallenged rise to No. 1? Oh yeah. Easy SEC Tournament title? Surely. Sweep through the regional round? Yep. Easy Super Regional win? Not so much.
For only the 8th time all season, Tennessee found itself on the short end of a game. And not just any game. As the opener of UT’s Super Regional with Notre Dame, the loss puts UT with its back at least in close proximity to the wall. Only a pair of wins over the same Notre Dame squad can keep Tennessee’s dream season alive.
And somewhere in the bowels of Lindsey Nelson Stadium, coach Tony Vitello might be … well … a little bit ecstatic. In the same way that omelets aren’t made without breaking a few eggs, championships aren’t won without at least a little adversity. Almost everything UT has touched this season has turned to gold. If it wasn’t the ton of homers, it was the 105 mile-per-hour heat from reliever Ben Joyce or having the SEC’s top 3 ERA leaders. Even what seemed like a flaw — take the lengthy loss of presumed pitching ace Blade Tidwell early in the season — became a strength. Not having Tidwell just allowed the Vols to develop their young aces and then drop the veteran into the rotation late in the SEC season.
But Friday night was very different. First, Tidwell was very, very human. Second, the Notre Dame offense that figured to be outmatched against UT (they scored 11 runs in their 3 regional games) wasn’t outmatched at all. The Fighting Irish had just 68 homers all season, not even half of UT’s total. But Friday, they hit 4 in the first 4 innings. UT found itself training 8-1 in the top of the 4th inning in Knoxville.
But that wasn’t all. In the 5th inning, UT outfielder Drew Gilbert criticized a called strike (apparently telling the home plate umpire that it was “a (expletive) terrible call”) and was ejected from the game. (Remember, Gilbert was hit by a pitch in the 1st inning, only to have that same plate umpire say he leaned into a strike and thus kept him at the plate in an at-bat in which he eventually grounded out.) After Gilbert’s ejection, pitching coach Frank Anderson sprang out of the UT dugout and was also granted an early departure. Both will be suspended for Saturday’s must-win Game 2.
Read More
Tennessee online sports betting officially launched on November 1, 2020, and many of the largest sportsbooks are live and operating in the volunteer state. Tennessee is only one of a handful of SEC football states with legalized sports betting.
So Tennessee's Drew Gilbert and Pitching Coach Frank Anderson were ejected. pic.twitter.com/KRCVRROMTu
— Mr Matthew CFB 🇺🇦 (@MrMatthewCFB) June 11, 2022
The Vols didn’t exactly take a nap for the remainder of Friday’s game, even down 7 runs and without Gilbert. UT drew within 8-6 in the 9th inning, but couldn’t pull any closer. UT left 8 runners on base and went 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position.
And now, the Vols find themselves dealing with actual adversity. Down a game in the best-of-3 series, without Gilbert for Game 2, the haters (and UT has picked up a few) are smelling Vols blood in the water.
But here’s the rub. Adversity doesn’t have to result in defeat. There are plenty of recent examples. A year ago in the Super Regional round, NC State faced No. 1 Arkansas, or as we could call them, last year’s version of Tennessee (a clear consensus No. 1 with few if any weaknesses). After a 21-2 drubbing in Game 1, the Wolfpack could have hung their heads and congratulated each other on a nice season. Instead, they came back to win the series and claim the bid to Omaha over a heartbroken Arkansas squad.
Or consider Mississippi State, which dropped an 8-2 decision to Vanderbilt in Game 1 of last year’s College World Series finals. With the ‘Dores all but crowned as champions, the Bulldogs went back to work, blasted back with a 13-2 win in Game 2, and then smoked Vandy 9-0 in Game 3 to take home the title.
There was never really a question of Tennessee waltzing to the title without a down moment. So yes, the down moment came Friday. The good news for the Vols is they still have Chase Dollander, Chase Burns, Drew Beam, etc, ready on the mound. Even without Gilbert, their biggest motivator, they have a power-heavy offense that nobody wants to face. So after an ugly couple of innings on Friday, some people may have given up on Tennessee.
It’s time for the Vols to determine if they’ll dig deep and use that motivational fuel to start a bonfire of a comeback against Notre Dame … or if we’ll remember UT was one of the great “what might have been stories” of SEC baseball.
But given what UT has already shown in the 2022 season, expecting the motivational fuel is probably a wise move.
UT isn’t coming from behind against a ND team loaded with grad student starters with good pitching while UT’s starting pitching has been suspect since the SEC tournament. The team has gone cold and Vitello was out coached.
That isn’t what really lost the game for us. It was the inability to take the early pitchers out. A batter getting a solo shot off a good pitcher Tidwell is one thing. Ok, you let him pitch out of it. But when you start getting homers with runners on base, those hommers add up to runs. Had Vitello pulled Tidwell after the first one multi runner homer. Notre dame loses. Than putting Mabrey in after the home run shot only to leave him a bit longer, only added to the issue. Game one of a Super Regional is not for keeping in star freshman if they are having issues keeping out of the strike zone. Both pitchers couldn’t keep it out of the strike zones far too often and multi-runners homers ensued. After the first multi homer, Connell should have come in or at least Drew Beam. You can’t pitch the early innings as if this is a regular SEC series. You need good pitching from beginning to end, and pull anyone failing to avoid the strike zone when intentionally pitching to. ND kept on top of their pitching. First by watching runners being walked and how many on and hit, even if fouls was a sign to change pitcher. Vitello in large ignored doing this until the homer damage was already done and 8 was just enough to hold of TN. This was on Vitello. He’s a great coach but I said all season, if TN lose, this would be how and it happened last night, like in the UK series.
Hindsight is 20/20. Nobody saw that coming. Everyone needs to wait till after the next game. Tennessee is still the most potent team in Baseball right now and has the ability to turn the switch on at any moment.
The key is not repeating the mistake of leaving early pitchers in after multi-runner homers. A solo shot, fine, but multi-runner is different altogether. You got pitcher depth and you should use it as soon as you seem them failing to keep it out of the strike zone. Yes, their very good young pitchers but this is a big stage and when you see those signs, should have went to Connell after the first Tidwell multi-run homer. Mistake was repeated with Mabry. TN can win two in a row against ND, as long as they pay attention and adjust the early pitching when need be.
Grad starters or not, ND does not have great batting offense to speak of. But a few of them can hit a 74 mph to a mid 90’s hanging strike zone ball. Most teams have betters that can. Those homers were results of unintended strike zone pitches. A few things out of the norm happened for this loss that aren’t typical. The pitching, Beck’ s just short 3 run homer, the ejections, the two errors to first. More experienced controlled pitching in the early innings for the next two games and TN wins out.
Or,….
1: Don’t argue with umps. You’ll get thrown out.
2: Don’t throw temper tantrums and throw t rash on the field like a hillbilly.
3: Quit claiming to be champs before a game is even played.
You’re throwing rocks at a glass house here. Seen you act like a hillbilly on here plenty of times.
You’ve seen me get thrown out of a game? You’ve seen me throw t rash on a field? You’ve seen me claim championships?
Try harder, piggy.
I’ve seen you be a punk, a sore loser, a babbling fool, a cherry picking justifier. I mean take your pick. Obviously you have no life and live to post on this forum. Trolling is one thing but to think you sign in everyday to talk filth to people shows your character.
“I’ve seen you be a punk, a sore loser, a babbling fool, a cherry picking justifier. I mean take your pick. Obviously you have no life and live to post on this forum. Trolling is one thing but to think you sign in everyday to talk filth to people shows your character.”
Awe, poor piggy. She thinks her opinion has an effect on me. How cute.
Quit being a prick. Your issues start there.
^THIS^
Ronnie a prick? He’s just misunderstood. I think he’s trying to give his best advice to Vol fandom. He dusted off his 20-20 hindsight crystal ball and attempted to help out another SEC fanbase. Not his fault he sounds pricky
“Ronnie a prick?”
There wasn’t a single “prick-like” thing I posted. All three points were true. All three things happened in yesterday’s game.
I know you’re only trying to help Ronnie but sometimes it’s the way you say things and when you say them that makes you look like a prick
“I know you’re only trying to help Ronnie but sometimes it’s the way you say things and when you say them that makes you look like a prick”
And I care why?
“Quit being a prick. Your issues start there.”
Awe, did I hurt your feewings?
I think this was a needed wake-up call for UT. Hopefully, they don’t hit the snooze button.
Well, TN didn’t pull the early pitchers soon enough. Rare night for such pitching and unintentionally hitting the strike zone (leaving them hanging pitches). TN’s scoring was mostly infield and earned. ND’s were off homeruns and it was just enough of a lead to hold off TN. This is on Tony, squarely. I think he tried to force distance with these pitchers to get to certain innings instead of pulling them when you start seeing multi-runner homers. This happened in the UK series as well. It’s the one of the only way TN loses games.
“Hopefully, they don’t hit the snooze button.”
Hopefully they do.
Sorry Ronald McDonald. 12-4 beat down lol. We were snoozing n cruise control by the bottom of the fifth with a 4 home run 5th inning. The rest of the game we kind of snoozed as ND already conceded the game and didn’t opt to sacrifice any more pitchers. Bertrand the great..lol
Good game Vols! Great response to the adversity. On to game three.