Tennessee will begin the defense of its 2024 NCAA Championship on Friday afternoon when the Vols host Hofstra in a three-game series to open the season.
While the offseason went by quickly with football and basketball happening in between, it’s still sometimes crazy to think that just eight months ago, Tennessee was hoisting its first College World Series championship in program history.
A key figure during Tennessee’s championship run last season was right-handed pitcher Nate Snead. During Game 2 of Tennessee’s championship series against Texas A&M, Snead stepped up to the mound with two men on base in the bottom of the ninth inning and delivered three outs to close the game. That close helped push the series to a decisive Game 3 as Tennessee took the second game by a narrow margin of just 4-1.
Looking back on that moment brought Snead to tears on the latest episode of Tennessee Athletics’ Everything Orange podcast.
“In that moment, I was just worried about pitching,” Snead said on the show, recalling the pivotal finish of Game 2 against the Aggies. “It was like afterward, it hit me when Cal (Stark) came up to me – and Cal always did something fun with me, maybe because there’s a lot of games we closed out together – He punched me in the chest or something like that. He gave me a hug and he was like, ‘You don’t know what you just did. We have another chance. We’re going to Game 3.’ So, it was like, damn. That was so cool.”
Everything Orange podcast host Sarah Detwiler asked Snead about his relationship with Stark, moving Snead to tears as he contemplated his answer.
“Yeah, that guy is everything,” Snead said while wiping his face. “That guy is very special.”
Vols RHP Nate Snead breaks down while talking about Cal Stark and Game 2 of finals in the 2024 CWS. pic.twitter.com/KmKf8Dlfgl
— Tri-Star Network (@TennesseeNet) February 13, 2025
Watch Snead’s inning of work in Game 2 here:
More from RTI: Tennessee Baseball 2025 Season Preview: Accolades, Predictions
Stark, a catcher from Farragut High School in Knoxville, was with the Tennessee program for two years from 2023 to 2024 before signing an undrafted free agent contract with the Texas Rangers last July. Snead and Stark shared one season together on Rocky Top on Tennessee’s 2024 championship team.
Stay tuned to Rocky Top Insider for full-season coverage of Tennessee Baseball starting with the Vols’ season opener on Friday afternoon in Lindsey Nelson Stadium.
Check out the full episode from Everything Orange on Thursday below:
