Robby O’Daniel
Chief Copy Editor

Before the series against No. 8 Florida last weekend, UT head coach Todd Raleigh, known for his plethora of lineup changes, shuffled his lineup even more dramatically than usual.
He broke up the three-four tandem of first baseman Cody Hawn and catcher Blake Forsythe, trying the two out in different spots lower in the order. Moreover, he moved the team’s best hitter and leadoff man P.J. Polk down from No. 1 to Hawn’s former slot at No. 3.
Two of the affected parties — Polk and Hawn — were subsequently difference makers in the Vols’ 16-7 clobbering of Lipscomb on Tuesday night at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.
Early on in the game, it seemed like things would play out much differently. Two early shots from Lipscomb — a first-inning homer and a second-inning, two-RBI double — had netted the visitors a 3-0 lead. Lipscomb starter Matt Bowling, despite entering the game with a 0-3 record and a 15.26 earned run average, had retired the first four batters to face him.
But then centerfielder Josh Liles beat out a grounder to third for a single. Forsythe, batting in the No. 6 slot, stroked a single to center field. Two UT runs would score off a throwing error and an RBI groundout, making it 3-2 Lipscomb.
And then freshman designated hitter Cody Stubbs made all those runners count with a three-run home run, just clearing the scoreboard, to right field.
Raleigh identified it as the “big play” of the game.
“We fell behind a little bit early,” Raleigh said. “He (Stubbs) hit a big home run and after that, it felt like we really relaxed, and it was good to see him do that because he’s going to be a great player.”
Even though Stubbs’ homer gave the Vols a lead they would never relinquish and set the tone for the game, this night arguably belonged to Hawn. The slugging junior added a home run to his total and went 5-for-6 on the day, becoming the first Vol to have five hits in a game since Tony Delmonico did it against Tennessee Temple on May 8, 2007.
“Cody Hawn may have had his best game of the year,” Raleigh said.
Raleigh said he talked with Hawn before the game about relaxing and not putting too much pressure on himself. Hawn agreed.
“Just trying to do too much, I felt like I was missing some pitches that I hit last year, and that was really the big thing to it,” Hawn said. “And then when I did get a good pitch, I was fouling it back.”
Raleigh said this pressure mentality from Hawn and Forsythe was part of the reason for switching up the batting order.
But Polk, the Vols’ current No. 3 hitter, thrives on pressure. Going into Tuesday’s game, Polk had a .607 batting average with runners in scoring position to prove it.
“I really don’t let the pressure get to me,” Polk said. “I try to hit early in the count and just be aggressive in those counts and hit early, that way I won’t have to hit the pitcher’s best pitch. So I think just staying with that approach has helped me a lot.”
It was the bottom of the fifth, the Vols had the bases loaded, the score was 7-4 Vols and Lipscomb was still within reach of a comeback. Even though he was 0-for-3 on the night at the time, this is when Polk decided to put the game out of reach with a slicing, stand-up triple to center field.
Polk said he has no wish for where he bats in the order.
“I really don’t have a preference,” he said. “Once I get in the box, I just let my instincts take over, and whatever the situation is, dictates what my job is at the time, so if I’m hitting No. 1, No. 3 or even No. 9, I don’t really think too much about it.”
He said players come up in different situations regardless of the order.
“Wherever you are in the lineup, you just adapt and adjust on the fly,” Polk said. “So when you get up, you might be leading off the inning, or you might have two or three guys on base. So just whatever the situation is, you just adjust and go accordingly.”
On Tuesday, the Vols took advantage of Lipscomb pitching (seven walks) and Lipscomb fielding (five errors) to churn out 16 runs on 20 hits.
While Lipscomb (12-22) had plenty of chances in the seventh, eighth and ninth innings — including two bases-loaded situations, a failure to make the big hit spelled doom for the Bisons.
Now the Vols (17-17) prepare for an SEC weekend matchup at Mississippi State, hoping to improve a 3-9 record in the conference.
“I think we’re a good matchup for Mississippi State obviously,” Raleigh said. “I think it’s crucial for us to go down there and play well because we got six in a row at home (from April 23 through May 2). We could really make a run right now, so this is a big series for us.”