NCAAM: Alabama vs Kentucky
Tennessee opens up the fifth-season of the Tony Vitello era this afternoon against Georgia Southern at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.
We’ve already tackled what Tennessee has on the mound and at the plate, so let’s turn to the Vols’ schedule and some preseason predictions
Schedule Breakdown
Tennessee opens the season with three-games against Georgia Southern at Lindsey Nelson Stadium. The Eagles are a strong mid major program, posting a 34-23 record a season ago.
The major non-conference challenge comes the third weekend of the season when Tennessee heads to Houston for the Shriners Hospital College Classic. In three days, Tennessee will face Big 12 foes Texas, Baylor and Oklahoma.
Home weekend series with Iona (Feb. 25-27) and Rhode Island (March 11-13) round out the rest of the major non-conference tests.
Tennessee opens up SEC play at Lindsey Nelson Stadium on March 18 against South Carolina. The Vols round out March with a road trip to Ole Miss before facing Vanderbilt in Nashville the first weekend of April.
From there, Tennessee heads home for a two-week homestand where they’ll face Missouri and Alabama. The Vols open up the second half of conference play with a trip to Florida before coming home to face Auburn.
The final three weekends of the regular season sees Tennessee travel to Kentucky, host Georgia and travel to Mississippi State.
What stands out is the extremely challenging road slate. The Vols face three preseason top five teams and four preseason top 10 teams on the road. While Tennessee could certainly pull off an upset, the Kentucky series is the only road series the Vols will be favored to win.
That means Tennessee will have to capitalize at Lindsey Nelson Stadium. Four of the Vols’ five home series are against teams picked in the back half of the SEC standings. You can’t complain about SEC series wins, but if the Vols want to make a run at its second straight SEC East title they’ll have to sweep some opponents at home.
“It’s an interesting schedule,” Tennessee head coach Tony Vitello said. “You could argue, you change one or two venues on that schedule and we have the most difficult places to play in the SEC. Again, on paper. It can change every year. I think it changed in Knoxville last year. So, looking forward to that time when it comes and it’ll be a steep, steep challenge, but for now we got other ones ahead of us.”
Tennessee went 20-10 and didn’t lose a SEC road series a season ago. Even if the Vols are every bit as good as they were last season, this challenging schedule will make it nearly impossible to win 20 games again.
Regular Season Record Prediction: 38-18 (17-13 SEC)
Team MVP
Evan Russell: The super-senior, fan-favorite is back for one final year in the orange-and-white, and Russell is taking on a challenge that makes him Tennessee’s most valuable player. Tennessee lost its top two catchers from the 2021 team and West Virginia transfer Matt McCormick decided to end his baseball career before fall practice. That led to Russell moving behind the plate and taking the reins on the starting job. I don’t expect Russell to be an elite defensive catcher, but I think he will hold his own and that would be invaluable for Tennessee. Combine that with what we know Russell can do at the plate, and you have an incredibly valuable baseball player.
Top Newcomer
Chase Burns: Tennessee has an abundance of newcomers that will make a difference on this team, but none more so than the right-handed pitcher getting the ball on opening night. The 6-foot-4 freshman throws in the upper-90s and has been incredibly impressive in his first seven months in Knoxville. The Gallatin, Tennessee native was destined to be a weekend starter before Blade Tidwell’s injury, but the sophomore’s shoulder stiffness thrust Burns into the Friday night starter, at least for now. Georgia Southern transfer pitcher Chase Dollander and freshman infielder Christian Moore are also serious contenders.
Home Run Leader
Jordan Beck: Tennessee returns its top two home run leaders from a season ago when both Beck and Luc Lipcius blasted 15 bombs. I expect those two to lead the way again this year though Evan Russell, Logan Chambers and Blake Burke have the pop to give them a run for their money — though Chambers and Burke may not get enough at-bats. Vitello said Beck was swinging the bat “as well as I’ve seen him” this preseason, and I think the junior is in for a monster season.
Weekend Starters
Chase Burns, Chase Dollander, Camden Sewell: This one becomes a little tricky due to the pitching injuries at the season’s offset. If Blade Tidwell is healthy, he would be starting tonight and getting the ball for Tennessee every Friday night. Whether he comes back into a starting position when he returns will be interesting. The Vols could ease him back in from the bullpen, but if healthy it’s going to be hard to keep Tidwell out of the weekend rotation. Burns and Dollander can hum it and we’ve seen how impressive Sewell is when he gets going. Like Tidwell, Sewell won’t be available this weekend, but the senior is expected to miss little time.
Top Bullpen Arm
Ethan Smith: Again, a tricky one due to the injuries. If it weren’t for Tidwell’s injury I think Sewell would be in a very similar role to what Sean Hunley did last season. So, I’ll quantify this as the person who throws the most innings without starting more than two games all season. With that in mind, I’m taking the Vanderbilt transfer. The Mount Juliet native was a reliable bullpen arm for three seasons in Nashville, posting a 2.77 ERA in 64.2 innings. Smith throws strikes and has great off speed stuff. That sounds like someone Vitello and Frank Anderson can trust and will frequently turn to.
Breakout Bat
Kyle Booker: Tony Vitello was straight-forward and honest talking about Booker’s struggles in the preseason. In fact, I’d be surprised if Booker is in Tennessee’s opening day lineup, but the sophomore outfielder is going to get his chances. When he does, I think he’ll capitalize. As a freshman last season, Booker hit .310 with six extra-base hits and 10 RBIs in 58 at-bats as one of Tennessee’s best pinch hit candidates. The strong outfield depth has forced him into competition, but I’m still driving the Kyle Booker bandwagon.
Breakout Arm
Will Mabrey: I wrote about it in detail in Tennessee’s pitching preview, but the Vols’ pitching staff includes a trio of returning pitchers who have served in major roles, a trio of strong transfers and a handful of returners who have served in roles of varying degrees. Mabrey threw just eight innings as a sophomore last season, but saw time as a lefty, pitch to contact specialist in meaningful weekend series. Mabrey posted a 1.13 ERA and has had a strong offseason. Mark McLaughlin, Ben Joyce and Jake Fitzgibbons are other contenders here who will have opportunities to earn a major role on this team. Mabrey won’t overpower you with his fastball or stuff but he does throw strikes and get outs. I think the LHP takes the lead and becomes a major part of this bullpen.
Most Likely To Start A Fight With An Opposing Team
Drew Gilbert: No explanation needed.
