Tennessee trailed, 3-2, with one-out in the bottom of the seventh inning. Senior Christian Scott swung at the first pitch he saw, slicing a fly ball that dropped in front of a diving Ty Wilmsmeyer in left-center field.
It looked like a routine single with left fielder Trevor Austin there to field the ball behind the diving Wilmsmeyer midway through the outfield turf at Lindsey Nelson Stadium. Scott had other ideas, digging for second out of the box before sliding head first for a one-out double.
“It was just something the team needed,” Scott said. “I just knew if I got on second we were going to score there. It was just something that gave us the momentum.”
It took Jorel Ortega one pitch to prove Scott right. The second baseman doubled down the left field line to tie the game and Cortland Lawson gave the Vols a 4-3 lead an at-bat later and UT never looked back, baptizing the Missouri bullpen on the way to an 8-3 series opening victory.
Tennessee was inevitably going to get off to a slow start in a SEC game and Friday’s series opener proved baseball’s tendencies true. Freshman phenom Chase Burns didn’t make it out of the third inning while surrendering four walks in his first poor collegiate start.
Tennessee’s offense was slow out of the gates with Missouri starter Spencer Miles retiring the first six Vols on just 17 pitches.
It was Scott that gave Tennessee its first base runner of the game, singling to right field for the first of his team-high three hits. Like the seventh inning, Scott proved to be the Vols’ spark plug throughout the evening.
“His first at-bat was about as annoying — if you’re throwing to him — about as annoying as an at-bat or as pesky as an at-bat as you could put together and he gets on base with it,” Tennessee head coach Tony Vitello said. “He’s been incredibly valuable for us since he stepped on campus in a lot of different ways. … Christian Scott has gotten better in a ton of different areas since he’s been here and the No. 1 area is just more mature as a kid and a ballplayer and a teammate. He’s a joy to be around, so I like when he gets to get out there in the lineup.”
Scott made his sixth start of the season and first start in SEC play last Sunday at Vanderbilt, reaching base three times and stealing a base before scoring a critical run late in the game. The reliable glove added a nice play in left field and has started each of Tennessee’s last three games with redshirt-freshman Jared Dickey limited to hitting only since bruising his foot two weeks ago at Ole Miss.
Vitello mention Scott as well as four others Thursday as guys they felt comfortable with in left field and that represents Scott’s Tennessee tenure well. Scott’s earned starts — including an opening day start in 2021 — throughout his career, but Tennessee’s impressive outfield depth has kept him from breaking through into consistent playing time.
With that depth, Scott has felt an increased sense of urgency with his most recent opportunities. The Clarkesville native has made the most of it, however, reaching base seven times in 10 plate appearances in his three-straight starts.
“I think just hard work,” Scott said on how to stay ready. “Any given time one of us could be out there and just trusting each other. There’s a lot of great guys in the outfield group and just trusting each other and competition is always good too.”
Scott’s emergence highlights Tennessee’s strengths, both as a team and as a program. There’s the depth that Scott provides and represents. Tennessee’s lineup has gotten contributions up-and-down the roster and a senior that had 34 at-bats on the season a week ago pushing the Vols’ offense is a perfect example.
“I think these kids are all learning a valuable lesson that to have a good team it takes a bunch of guys to fill a bunch of different roles, but the only way they’re going to buy into that role is if they enjoy their work environment and I think he’s one of those guys,” Vitello said.
Then there’s the overused ‘C’ word in sports — culture.
Scott is plenty talented enough to start at a number of SEC schools and approximately 75% of power five programs across the country. The Tennessee native entered his senior season hitting .297 for his career without becoming an everyday starter.
And despite turnover from Tennessee’s 2021 College World Series roster, the Vols’ returned all three outfield starters. Granted, Evan Russell made the transition to catcher, but Jordan Beck and Drew Gilbert’s starting role was etched in stone and outfielder Kyle Booker was overly impressive in limited opportunities during his freshman campaign.
But Scott didn’t transfer to one of the myriad of schools he could have easily started at. The 5-foot-9 outfielder stuck around to compete for playing time in Knoxville.
“I love it here,” Scott said of why he decided to stay. “I love the guys. I love V(itello). Just trusting the process and knowing it will show up for sure.”
A veteran player wanting to stay in the program he hasn’t found consistent playing time in for three-years to keep competing? That’s a representation of great culture.
Having a hard working, talented veteran raise the bar for work ethic and approach for the ever-more-talented group of players Vitello brings to Knoxville? That builds a culture of competitiveness and toughness.
“I love it because I like the kid,” Vitello said. “But if you’re trying to hang your hat on something as far as when you come to work, guys have to like where they’re at in order to stay when it’s not going so good. Anyone who is hitting .450 or has seven saves or something like that probably is enjoying their baseball collegiate experience. But for other guys who are asked to pinch run or come in and bunt or come in and play defense in the ninth inning, it’s pretty easy to go home and gripe to your buddy or girlfriend or whoever it might be, and say ‘maybe the grass is greener on the other side.’”
Scott hasn’t done any of that. Instead, continuing to pluck away for the top-ranked Vols. The fruits of Scott’s labor were clear to anyone Friday night as Tennessee improved to an-SEC best 10-0 in conference play. But Tennessee reaps the fruits of that labor in an abundance of ways noticeless to the common fan everyday.
