Basketball implemented “Make a STATEment.” Football continually stressed the importance of in-state recruiting and made countless declarations of “owning the state.”
Turns out locking down the borders of Tennessee has found its way onto the Tennessee baseball agenda as well.
“That was one of the goals coming into this year,” head coach Dave Serrano said. “We want to start taking control of the state and winning all the games we play against the in-state schools.”
And while the Volunteers (25-13) have, for the most part, succeeded in that mission — they own a 4-2 record against Tennessee schools this season — there’s still one in-state rival just north of Knoxville that left Lindsey Nelson Stadium completely unscathed in 2014.
But fortunately for the Vols, they’ll get a second crack at East Tennessee State (19-18) tonight in Johnson City, Tenn., beginning at 7:05 p.m. inside the Buccaneers’ Thomas Stadium.
“If we can even the slate with them, it will allow us to feel a little bit better,” Serrano said. “We’ve got the drive up there Tuesday, and that’s always a tougher atmosphere. They draw a lot of people out there, and it’s on the carpet.
“We’ll have our hands full.”
On April 1, the Buccaneers ventured south and stole a midweek contest from a struggling UT squad, limiting the Vols to a .111 (1-for-9) average with runners in scoring position en route to a 2-1 victory. ETSU mustered only three hits that day but had the most emphatic blow of the night — a long two-run home run to right from first baseman Clinton Freeman.
“Last time we came out a little flat, and they took advantage of it,” said sophomore outfielder Vincent Jackson, who delivered a walk-off double in the Vols’ 10-9 comeback victory over Alabama on Sunday.
“It’s probably going to be a great crowd at ETSU — like always — and we’re just going to take it to them.”
For tonight’s rematch, UT will trot out junior righty Bret Marks (3-0, 4.35 ERA), who will make his fourth start of the season — all midweek contests.
In his last appearance against the Crimson Tide on Sunday, the Roswell, Ga., native tossed a scoreless frame, allowing no hits or walks with one strikeout. Marks tossed one inning in the April 1 matchup against the Buccaneers as well.
Meanwhile, ETSU, who’s looking for its first two-game season sweep of the Vols since 2009, has generated only moderate success since that somewhat surprising win in Knoxville exactly three weeks ago.
Since April 1, Tony Skole’s squad has gone just 5-5 — a set that included both a four-game winning and losing streak. In that stretch, the Buccaneer mound work was less than impressive, surrendering five or more runs in seven of those 10 games.
Yet one individual that has stayed scorching is Freeman, who has garnered national attention throughout different parts of the year from various collegiate baseball outlets such as the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association and Louisville Slugger.
In his last six games the Buccaneers’ burly 6-foot-2, 200-pound senior is hitting .375 (9-for-24) with six runs scored, eight RBIs and a pair of home runs. Freeman, who serves at the team’s closer as well, has picked eight saves on the season, including one in the initial meeting against the Vols.
