KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Zander Sechrist galloped off the mound and into the dugout as fans in Lindsey Nelson Stadium gave him a standing ovation.
Sechrist deserved it. He had just shoved in 6.0 innings against arguably the best lineup in the country that had shelled Tennessee’s starters the past two nights.
Sechrist was the unlikely hero for Tennessee baseball (24-5, 5-4 SEC) as they shutout Georgia (22-6, 4-5 SEC) to win the series rubber match, 7-0, on Easter Sunday. It marks the first time Georgia has been shutout this season.
Thanks to Sechrist’s career-best outing, a three-hit day from Dylan Dreiling, more success from Dalton Bargo at the plate and a big double from Hunter Ensley, Tennessee earned a crucial series-clinching win.
Here’s everything you need to know.
Zander Deals in Best Start of Career
Zander Sechrist has had better outings on paper than he did against Georgia on Sunday. But considering the stakes and the competition, Sechrist turned in a career-best outing on Easter Sunday.
The senior left-hander allowed only four hits, one walk and zero runs in a career-high 6.0 innings of work while throwing a career-high 102 pitches.
Sechrist’s previous career-long outing came earlier this season against Southern Indiana. Ninety-six pitches broke his previous career-high of 80 against Eastern Kentucky in 2022.
After Georgia’s lineup teed off on two of Tennessee’s best pictures – AJ Causey and Drew Beam, Friday and Saturday, respectively – Sechrist simply had no issues with it, cruising throughout his outing as he often does against G5 and FCS midweek opponents.
Sechrist’s fantastic start was the highlight of the weekend for the Tennessee pitching staff, and it came when Tennessee needed it most given the lack of depth in the bullpen for Sunday’s game.
Sophomore right-hander Nate Snead relieved Sechrist after he walked his first and only batter to begin the seventh inning. Snead was excellent in his second appearance of the weekend, giving up no runs and two hits in 3.0 innings of work against 10 batters.
“He’s a different guy,” Tennessee head coach Tony Vitello said about Snead. “He’s super relaxed when he’s away from the field, not in uniform. In uniform, he’s what really every reliever epitomizes. It’s not like he can’t start for us and maybe will at some point, but you want a guy that wants the ball. A guy that has taken care of his body so that he’s resilient. He’s incredibly competitive when he’s playing catch, so I think it allows him to throw back-to-back days where his stuff doesn’t fall off too much.”
Snead’s best moment came in the eighth inning, when he struck out Charlie Condon and got Slate Alford to fly out to stand a pair.
In fact, Sechrist and Snead were excellent against Condon, who is the best hitter in college baseball, on Sunday. Condon went 0-4 at the plate and struck out twice.
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Vols Take Commanding Lead in the Seventh
After a 16-11 ballgame Saturday, Sunday’s game seemed destined to be high scoring given the lack of strong bullpen options for either side.
But that wasn’t the case. Sechrist’s start played a major role, but Tennessee bats also didn’t catch fire for a second straight day.
Georgia’s starting pitcher Christian Mracna had a strong start and the Bulldogs’ bullpen kept the game within striking distance. Until they didn’t.
Tennessee ultimately found big-time success at the plate as Georgia went deeper and deeper into the bullpen in the seventh inning.
Up 3-0 in the seventh, Tennessee loaded the bases with a Blake Burke single, which improved his hit streak to 18 games and on-base streak to 27 games, a Dylan Dreiling bloop double and Dean Curley walk. Reese Chapman was then plunked to bring in a run before Hunter Ensley roped a two-run double to give his team the commanding lead.
The three-run frame put Georgia in a big hole with two innings remaining, and the Bulldogs’ dangerous offense couldn’t find a way to dig themselves out.
Tennessee scored their 7th and final run of the game in the eighth inning, when Kavares Tears hit an RBI single. Tears joined Dreiling as the only two Vols to have a three-hit day.
Dalton Bargo, Dylan Dreiling Stay Hot
Sophomore utility man Dalton Bargo got the start at third base Sunday after impressing there on Saturday. The Missouri transfer pinch-hit for Ariel Antigua in the fifth inning Saturday and proceeded to hit a leadoff single, and later a grand slam.
In the rubber match, Bargo continued his hot streak at the plate with two hits on four at-bats, including a solo home run in the fifth inning to give Tennessee a 3-0 lead.
Bargo’s fourth home run of the season was further indication that the sophomore is seeing the ball as good as anyone on the team now, and that he should be in the lineup more times than not.
Like Bargo, Dreiling was huge for Tennessee at the plate on Saturday and Sunday. Dreiling followed up his outstanding 7-RBI day in game two with a three-hit day in game three.
The sophomore didn’t record an RBI, but he hit two doubles and stole a base that later allowed him to score on a sac fly.
Up Next
There is no midweek game for the Vols this week. Tennessee will travel to Auburn for a three-game series next weekend.
