Tennessee head baseball coach Dave Serrano didn’t hesitate to share with reporters the midseason grade he assigned to his baseball team. He wasn’t grading on a curve either.
“To assess the whole season, to this point, I would say we are a D- to an F to be honest with you,” Serrano said after the Vols dropped last weekend’s series to Missouri to fall one game under .500. “It’s on my report card and on no one else’s report card. And I am okay with that, I am not okay with the D or an F, but I am okay taking responsibility.
“We aren’t a good baseball team right now, overall.”
Serrano’s midterm evaluation was a stark contrast to the tune he was carrying in the months preceding the season. Before Tennessee had thrown its first pitch, Serrano included a trip to the College World Series in his lofty expectations for the season.
So what went wrong between the preseason expectations and Serrano’s midseason grades?
It has been a combination of poor defense and low offensive production from the bottom of the order that has led to Tennessee’s current mediocre record, which now stands at 15-16 and a 5-10 mark in the SEC.
Poor luck and untimely hits from opponents have also contributed to the disappointing record. The Vols’ coaching staff couldn’t use ace pitcher Andy Cox as much as they would have liked due to Cox suffering arm soreness in the fall. There have been instances when opposing teams have strung together hits in an inning to turn a tightly contested game into a one-sided affair in an instance.
Yet, when Serrano discussed Tennessee’s problems, one word emerged to succinctly describe the root of the Vols’ issues: consistency. Or lack thereof.
“We have shown spurts (of being a good team) and that’s where I get excited,” Serrano said. “But then we show spurts of just being a ho-hum team, and that’s very disappointing. There are a lot of things that we need to get fixed. And make change. We have to make change.”
The Vols certainly have the opportunity to change. Cox appears to have made strides in his arm soreness as he impressed in his first start on the mound in 2015 in a 5-2 win over Missouri on Thursday night.
Tennessee is still set to host quality opponents, including South Carolina and top-ranked Texas A&M. A series win against either foe could alter the trajectory of the season.
But before the Vols can try to boost their resume, they have to travel to Murfreesboro to play the Blue Raiders (19-16, 11-4 Conference USA) this Tuesday. It is a game the Vols can’t overlook as MTSU has already proven it can beat UT this season. The Blue Raiders held a 4-0 lead in Knoxville on March 3 before the game was cancelled due to rain.
Serrano’s request to his team before the Vols resume play was simple: battle.
“That’s all we are asking our guys to do — battle; compete,” Serrano said. “We are not sustaining innings, we are not sustaining success.”
The Vols can start trying to sustain success against MTSU.
“The next game is the biggest game of the year,” starter Drake Owenby said. “We will get ready for the upcoming midweek and the weekend series.”
