Over the weekend, Tennessee squared off against in-state SEC rival Vanderbilt, winning the series 2-1. The Volunteers had a chance to sweep the Commodores after taking the first two games of the series. However, Vanderbilt battled back and won Sunday’s matchup 3-0.
If the score wasn’t apparent, Vanderbilt was able to win the game thanks to its strong pitching and defense, which shut out the Tennessee bats. On the other end, the Commodores successfully jumped all over the Volunteers’ starting pitcher, Zander Sechrist. On Monday, Tennessee skipper Tony Vitello revealed why Vanderbilt was able to have success against Sechrist and explained why its ballpark might have had a little to do with it.
“They just had a good approach. He also missed in the middle of the plate several times. And the angle here is really tough,” said Vitello. “I know this park and our park are really tough to be an umpire because you can hear everything that’s being said from the dugouts. And some things should be kind of left within the dugout.”
“But the angle is kind of weird because some pitches, I thought, were this or that; you watch video, and it’s the opposite. But as far as the feedback from our players, including Cal, missing the middle of the plate too much. But they also had a clear-cut approach against him it was that was good.”
It is worth noting that Vanderbilt’s defensive game plan absolutely suffocated Tennessee’s offense. In comparison, the Commodores finished the game with eleven hits, one home run, and 16 total bases, with just 10 runners left on base. On the other hand, Tennessee had just three hits, zero home runs, three total bases, and seven runners left on base.
Sechrist saw just two innings of action for Tennessee against Vanderbilt on Sunday. During those two innings, he did have three strikeouts but unfortunately allowed four hits, leading to three earned runs for the Commodores. And those three earned runs were the deciding factor in Sunday’s game as Vanderbilt earned the shutout victory over the top team in the nation.
With the regular season coming to an end, Tennessee will look to finish the 2024 campaign on a high note at home against South Carolina. The Volunteers will host the Gamecocks for their final weekend series starting Friday at Lindsey Nelson Stadium. After that series wraps up, Tennessee will head to Hoover, Alabama, for the SEC championship tournament, which is scheduled to start on Tuesday, May 21, and conclude on Sunday, May 26.
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