Not even a one-and-a-half hour rain delay could stop the UT baseball team from jumping out to a 5-1 overall record, its best start under coach Todd Raleigh.
The Vols swept the visiting Canisius College Griffins in a three-game series at Lindsey Nelson Stadium this past weekend.
“We’ve got to continue to make improvement,” Raleigh said. “We have a lot of room for improvement, and I think we’re going to continue to make strides.”
In game one, the Vols’ victory came an outstanding start by junior pitcher Steven Gruver, who allowed just two hits, no runs, no walks and threw 10 strikeouts in seven innings.
“I feel like I could have gone nine innings,” Gruver said. “I took it one pitch at a time. You can’t worry about the pitch before or after. I just tried to put the pitch where I wanted it.”
With performances like this, it’s easy to see why Gruver was the opening-day starter for Tennessee. In 13 innings this season, Gruver has allowed zero runs and thrown 18 strikeouts.
“Gruver was obviously outstanding,” Raleigh said. “Our pitching was phenomenal. The change with him is a combination of development, maturity and being healthy.”
UT benefited from a strong outing by Gruver, as the Vols were held to just a one-run lead until a two-run seventh inning, and a one-run eighth inning secured the win for the pitcher from Ohio.
Junior shortstop Zach Osborne aided on offense, going 2-for-2 with a pair of doubles and earning an RBI on a sacrifice bunt in the seventh that helped Davis Morgan score.
In the second game, the Vols defeated the Griffins 6-2 following a strong outing by freshman starter Jon Reed, who earned his first victory of the season.
Reed redshirted last season because of Tommy John’s surgery. Raleigh was impressed with Reed but understood that he needs to pace his pitcher.
“The biggest thing for (Jon) was that he kept his pitch count down,” Raleigh said. “He probably could have gone a little more, but he is coming off of Tommy John’s surgery, and we had plenty of pitching left after getting a good start yesterday.”
Sophomore Drew Steckenrider earned his first career save on Saturday. Steckenrider threw three scoreless innings while striking out four of the 11 batters he faced.
The Vols’ offense once again benefited from another solid performance by Zach Osborne. Osborne went 3-for-3 on Saturday with an RBI and a run scored. Following Saturday’s game, Osborne led all UT hitters with a .583 batting average.
“(Zach) has been unbelievable, both offensively and defensively,” Raleigh said. “He delivered big today. He got a bunt down and chopped one over their heads, because they were playing in. He’s giving us great at-bats, not chasing hits. He is just doing a great job.”
Second baseman Khayyan Norfork continued to impress on his senior campaign on Saturday. Norfork went 2-for-3 and increased his team-leading RBI total to seven after hitting three on Saturday. Norfork is the only Vol to hit in each of UT’s first six games.
In the final game of the Vols’ weekend homestand, UT’s offense was the key to another victory. Third baseman Matt Duffy led the Vols, batting 3-for-3 with three RBIs and uncharacteristically stealing three bases, a proud personal achievement for the senior.
“I guess I just got some good jumps,” Duffy said. “When they don’t think you’re a threat to steal the bases, it helps as well. We’ve really been working hard on baserunning lately.”
