Four Quick Takes on the best win ever for Tennessee baseball
OMAHA, Neb. – It took seven trips and 26 games, but Tennessee has finally done it. For the first time in program history, the Vols are national champions following a 6-5 win over Texas A&M in Game 3 of the College World Series Final on Monday night from Charles Schwab Field.
From Christian Moore’s leadoff home run in the first to Aaron Combs’ final out, Tennessee (60-13) had control of the ballgame over the Aggies (53-15) and never gave it away. A three-run seventh inning, highlighted by a two-run homer from Dylan Dreiling, provided just enough cushion for the Volunteer arms to operate over he final six outs.
After falling 9-5 to the Aggies in Game 1 of the College World Series Finals, Tennessee bounced back to a 4-1 victory in Game 2 – setting up the decisive Game 3 on Monday night for a true national championship game. The Vols never trailed in the Finals dating back to Dreiling’s two-run home run in the seventh inning on Sunday. The sophomore belted a trio of seventh inning, two-run homers over Texas A&M in the three-game series.
Zander Sechrist earned the victory on the mound after tossing 5.1 innings of one-run (unearned) baseball while giving up six hits with seven strikeouts to just one walk over 88 pitches. Aggie starter Justin Lamkin (3-3) is charged with the loss after surrendering three runs on five hits in 2.2 innings on the bump. Aaron Combs picked up the final three outs of the ballgame before the dogpiles ensued.
Tennessee is now victorious to cap its seventh trip to Omaha for the College World Series. The Vols own a CWS record of 14-12 now while avenging the 1951 team who finished national runner-up to Oklahoma. It’s the first baseball national championship in program history, but the 24th team national championship for Tennessee overall and first since 2009.
The celebration will last a long, long while. Here’s how it all went down for the national champion Volunteers on a Monday night at the ‘Chuck’ over Texas A&M.
What This Means
Tennessee has won a national championship in baseball for the first time in program history. The Vols find themselves as the last team standing in their seventh trek to Omaha and their 26th career game in the College World Series. Tennessee’s College World Series record improves to 14-12 and Monday’s finish is the best in program history, surpassing the 1951 squad’s who capped as national runner-up to Oklahoma.
The win marks the 24th team national championship for all Tennessee sports and the first since women’s track & field in 2009. Monday’s win also makes the Vols the first team in Southeastern Conference history to reach 60 wins in a single season. Tennessee becomes just the fourth SEC program ever to win the regular season title, conference tournament title and College World Series title in the same season, joining Vanderbilt (2019) and LSU (2009, 1993). The last team who won at least 60 games and the national championship was Wichita State back in 1989.
Tennessee becomes the first No. 1 overall seed to claim the College World Series Finals championship since Miami back in 1999 and was just the fourth No. 1 overall seed to reach the Finals series.
A look at the updated history for Tennessee in the College World Series.
2024: 5-1| 12-11 win over FSU, 6-1 win over UNC, 7-2 win over FSU, 9-5 loss to Texas A&M, 4-1 win over Texas A&M, 6-3 win over Texas A&M
2023: 1-2 | 6-3 loss to LSU, 6-4 win over Stanford, 5-0 loss to LSU
2021: 0-2 | 6-0 loss to Virginia, 8-4 loss to Texas
2005: 0-2 | 6-4 loss to Florida, 4-2 loss to Arizona State
2001: 2-2 | 21-13 loss to Miami, 19-12 win over Georgia, 10-2 win over USC, 12-6 loss to Miami
1995: 2-2 | 3-1 over Clemson, 11-1 loss to Cal state Fullerton, 6-2 win over Stanford, 11-0 loss to Cal state Fullerton
1951: 4-2 | National Runner-Up, falling to Oklahoma 3-2 in title game
The Good Start
The Vols were off and running Monday night in the biggest game of their lives. Zander Sechrist got to work quickly in the top half of the first with an efficient 1-2-3 frame, retiring the Aggies top-three hitters with a flyout, strikeout and groundout on just 14 pitches.
Christian Moore then immediately gave Tennessee the lead in the home-half with a laser shot out of the ballpark to left field. It was the sixth leadoff home run of the season for the second baseman and the 34th of the year, putting him in third-place behind Florida’s Jac Caglianoe (35) and Georgia’s Charlie Condon (37). The blast travelled 389 feet and was 109 miles per hour off the bat. The Tennessee fans were alive and well – getting rowdy despite the 98 degree heat.
C-Mo came to play! Vols strike first!
https://t.co/57mSIippEi (ESPN) #GBO // #OTH // #MCWS // #BeatTAMU pic.twitter.com/D9J1luzr5e
— Tennessee Baseball (@Vol_Baseball) June 24, 2024
ESPN Stats & Info reported that Moore became the first player to hit a leadoff home run in the national championship game [final game] since at least 1999. That year was also the last time a No. 1 seed won it all.
According to @ESPNStatsInfo Christian Moore is the first player to hit a leadoff home run in the national championship game since at least 1999…also the last time the No. 1 national seed won the #MCWS.
— Ryan McGee (@ESPNMcGee) June 24, 2024
Record-setting double in the 3rd
After Texas A&M tied the ballgame in the top of the third on an unearned run charged to Zander Sechrist, Tennessee jumped back in front in the home-half of the inning and it was a historic two-bagger that set the pace.
Blake Burke’s leadoff double off the right-centerfield was the 157th of the season for the Vols. That broke the single-season record for the program of 156 that was set twice in 2005 and 2022. It was also Burke’s 30th double of the season, which tied Jeff Pickler’s program record set back in 1998.
With the first baseman standing in scoring position, Billy Amick’s groundout that followed moved him to third. Dylan Dreiling’s drive to deep centerfield was long enough to allow Burke a tag of home and just like that, Tennessee was back in front at 2-1.
The inning wasn’t over, however, as Hunter Ensley and Kavares Tears followed with singles to put a pair on base. Freshman Dean Curley stepped in and delivered a single to left-center and Ensley trotted on home to hand the Vols a two-run lead for the first time in the ballgame.
In all, the Vols plated a pair of runs off four hits in the productive third inning of work.
Tennessee added some much needed insurance in the seventh with a two-run home run from Dreiling and an RBI double by Kavares Tears.
SAFE!!
111 mph off the bat from KT and an incredible slide at home by Hunter to avoid the tag!!!
https://t.co/57mSIippEi (ESPN) #GBO // #OTH // #MCWS // #BeatTAMU pic.twitter.com/7pj5Whlv07
— Tennessee Baseball (@Vol_Baseball) June 25, 2024
Another A+ Viewing of the Zander Show
It was a great start for the lefty as Sechrist retired the Aggies in order in the first. Gavin Grahovac flied out, Jace LaViolette struck out and Jackson Appel grounded out – all this on just 14 pitches. Hayden Schott led off the second with a single to the opposite left, but was left stranded at first with three-consecutive outs that followed.
The third inning is when trouble came as a one-out, two-strike bunt off the bat of No. 9 hitter Travis Chestnut causes catcher Cal Stark to throw the ball well away from Blake Burke at first base. The runner stole third and then came around to score on a RBI single from Gavin Grahovac. Another single put runners at first and second base, but a 4-3 double play ball got Sechrist out of further trouble after just the lone unearned run.
A one -out walk did no harm in the fourth and the southpaw struck out he side in the fifth. Sechrist ran his strikeout counter up to four-straight to begin the sixth inning before back-to-back singles chased him from the game with one out on the scoreboard. Nate Snead entered the game and collected two quick outs to preserve the line for the lefty.
Another incredible outing to conclude his Tennessee career. Sechrist went 5.1 innings on Monday, allowing only one unearned run off six hits with seven strikeouts and one walk over 88 pitches (59 strikes).
What the senior has done to finish his Tennessee career has been something. Over his final six starts, Sechrist pitched a combined 34.2 innings of nine-run (four earned) baseball, giving up 29 hits with 28 strikeouts. In four NCAA postseason starts (including two in Omaha) the southpaw combined to toss 22.2 innings of seven-run (two earned) baseball while giving up 21 hits with 19 strikeouts.
Simply incredible. Hats off kid. Hell of a way to cap your collegiate career.
You have officially entered, the Zander Zone.
https://t.co/57mSIippEi (ESPN) #GBO // #OTH // #MCWS // #BeatTAMU pic.twitter.com/fyjnTjrLg5
— Tennessee Baseball (@Vol_Baseball) June 25, 2024
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