Tennessee baseball head coach Tony Vitello has revealed that junior RHP Chase Dollander will start for the Vols on Saturday night against Clemson.
Tony Vitello says Chase Dollander will start for the #Vols tomorrow night against Clemson.
— Rocky Top Insider (@rockytopinsider) June 3, 2023
Vitello was originally non-committal on the pitching plan for the Clemson regional. But the sixth-year head coach has since chosen to ride with the usual rotation so far of Lindsey in game one and Dollander in game two.
Andrew Lindsey, who has started the first game for Tennessee in seven consecutive weeks, got the ball in the Vols’ NCAA Tournament opener against Charlotte on Friday night.
Tennessee got off to a strong start in the regional, dominating the 49ers in an 8-1 route. Lindsey shoved against his former team, giving up five hits and just one earned run in seven innings pitched. Additionally, Lindsey threw a career-high 116 pitches and tied his career high in strikeouts with 10.
Lindsey’s fantastic start served as an outstanding follow up to his season-best outing in Tennessee’s 5-0 series-opening win over South Carolina two weeks ago.
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Dollander will try to do the same, as the last time the Evans, Georgia, native took the mound he mowed through South Carolina’s lineup, striking out a career-high 13 batters in just 5.1 innings.
While the 2022 SEC Pitcher of the Year hasn’t been as great as he was a year ago, the future first-round pick has gotten better and better as the season has progressed.
Tennessee’s upcoming game against Clemson is huge for both sides. The winner would have to get beaten twice (once on Sunday and once on Monday) to lose the regional, whereas the loser must win three consecutive games to reach the Super Regionals.
First pitch for Saturday night’s showdown in Doug Kingsmore Stadium is at 6 p.m. ET. How to watch the game and Clemson’s starting pitcher is TBD.
