Momentum is a fickle aspect of sports.
Tennessee baseball had none of it as it welcomed Alabama to Lindsey Nelson Stadium to start a day earlier than any usual SEC series. Not even 24 hours later, the Vols had claimed their first home league series win over a ranked opponent since last season’s conference-opening set against Florida, all before the calendar even flipped to Saturday.
Tegan Kuhns’ near-flawless start in the middle game not only bailed Tennessee out of having to use a spent bullpen after a poorly pitched series opener, but it set the tone for a day of redemption that the Vols had been searching for, providing a boost to their own morale and the outlook of their postseason hopes as the regular season nears a conclusion.
“I was just ready to kind of set the tone,” Kuhns said. “I think the guys needed it. They just needed a better start out of a starter, and I just did that for them.”
Tennessee’s get-back came in the form of a doubleheader sweep, a pair of decisive victories over the No. 13 Crimson Tide that each featured some of the Vols’ cleanest play of an up-and-down campaign. Kuhns tossed an eight-inning complete-game shutout to avenge his fellow arms’ woes from a game before, while rubber match hurler Evan Blanco came up with a quality start of his own.
The bats contributed plenty, too, posting double-digit runs in each contest. Tennessee made the plays it had to in the field, got the hits it needed at the plate and silenced the Alabama offense from the mound to assert nearly 18 innings of dominance. It came at the perfect time.
“It’s really tough what we did today, and our guys know that,” head coach Josh Elander said. “And just so much respect for this league. It is to win one, but to win two in one day, the credit all goes to the players because their response from how they played poorly yesterday to great today is a really good sign for our club moving forward.”
Trent Grindlinger and Blaine Brown helped steer the positive direction of Tennessee’s vast offensive successes throughout the series. The Vols scored 29 total runs over the three games, their highest total all year.
The pair each launched a pair of homers, but Grindlinger’s seven hits were just enough to best Brown’s six. For Grindlinger, the freshman finds his success by keeping things as simple as possible. It’s all about slowing the game down.
“Just not trying to do too much,” Grindlinger said. “Just sticking to my approach, trying to shoot some low line drives around the yard.”
The Huntington Beach, California, native doesn’t need any fancy or complicated method to find his solace in the batter’s box.
“Breathing,” Grindlinger said. “I talk to all the older guys about it, like (Henry) Ford and (Reese) Chapman, all the time. Just breathing and having confidence as well.”
As far as Brown is concerned, he registered his first series with at least six hits since Tennessee’s season-opening slate with Nicholls State back in February. The 6-foot-5 lefty hadn’t posted consecutive multi-hit games since that sweep over the Colonels until his two-knock and three-hit showings in the doubleheader with Alabama.
It was a long time coming.
“I wouldn’t say it’s been the greatest,” Brown said. “But, for sure, it’s just keep going each day at a time and keep putting your head down and working. Pages will flip, and you just got to keep going, taking it one day at a time.”
It’s no secret that the Vols have met their fair share of adversity. They’ve experienced inefficiencies in every area of their game this season, a reality that still slots them with a 10-11 record in SEC play.
Even if this series win came under unusual circumstances, wrapping up before some other teams around the country could even begin their weekend matchups, Tennessee managed to answer the call. The Vols left little room for doubt.
“We’ve been in these scenarios where your back’s against the wall and you got to figure out what you got,” Elander said. “You can play tight and tense and try hard, or you can just cut it loose and play baseball. I thought our guys did that today.”
