Similar to the countless orange construction cones that currently dot the Tennessee campus, Volunteer head baseball coach Dave Serrano has been headlining a renovation job ever since his 2011 arrival.
But now, as his Knoxville tenure enters its fourth season, the man in charge of reviving a once-storied program believes the multi-year project is entering its final stages as the Vols prepare to start fall workouts Sept. 29.
“It’s exciting to know that we basically have built this team now,” Serrano said Tuesday, “and it’s exciting to see what the future will bring. There’s a lot of hard work out in front of us still, but it’s a group that each and every day we’re going to be excited to work with.”
Although far from the final product that will ultimately roam UT’s dugout for the season opener, the Vols’ current fall roster is undoubtedly veteran heavy as 18 of 37 players listed are upperclassmen.
And after ‘the best summer in this program in many years,’ which saw 19 Vols participate in summer ball and five win championships in their respective leagues, UT’s fourth-year head coach had no problem throwing down the gauntlet early.
“I’m not going to hide from it — we have an Omaha sign up now,” Serrano said. “… I feel as a program now that is our goal. That’s why I’m in this job is to see kids prosper academically, socially and to get teams to Omaha.
“Why can’t we start thinking that? If we can’t think that, we’ll never do it.”
And unsurprisingly, that College World Series-or-bust mindset has quickly trickled down the ranks of those in charge of making that locker room sign a reality.
“Not getting to Omaha this year would be a disappointment for me,” sophomore pitcher Andy Cox said. “I know this team feels the same way because we’re coming out with a different mentality.”
Part of that can be attributed to a newfound discussion topic that has now resurfaced after a seven-year hiatus. For the first time since 2007, the Vols’ pre-fall workout chatter now includes vivid memories of a recent postseason appearance.
And although UT’s 2014 run was short-lived — the Vols lost their SEC tournament opener to eventual College World Series champion Vanderbilt — the Hoover, Ala., experience could have a large hand in achieving 2015’s much loftier goals.
“This year we want to go to Omaha, and I think reaching Hoover was a little taste of that,” sophomore hurler Kyle Serrano said. “It was a lot of fun, and I definitely want to go back and go even further than that.
“I think this team’s hungry to get back. Last year, it was good to get that experience to go to Hoover, but we didn’t reach our goal of last year making it to the regionals.”
Dates of interest: Once the Vols begin workouts, the fall schedule will consist of numerous intersquad scrimmages — all of which will be free and open to the public.
UT will hold their annual Scout Day on Oct. 15, which opens up Lindsey Nelson Stadium to all professional scouts to watch and take note of the Vols’ draft eligible players.
Two weeks later, though, UT will put on a program first with its Oct. 30 “Halloween extravaganza”. This event, which Serrano said he’s done at some of his previous coaching stops, will include an scrimmage full of costume-laden players as well as other members of the baseball program.
“You may even see the coaching staff dressed up,” Serrano said. “I don’t need any hints of what I should be.”
Finally, the last noteworthy fall event will be Family Day, where Serrano and company will hold an open house of UT’s baseball facilities and a free clinic afterwards for any kids that decide to stick around.
