Though it wasn’t easy, Tennessee’s pitching the focal point of national title win
OMAHA, Neb. – Stop me if you’ve read this before. Tennessee pitches the baseball about as well as anyone in the country. It had to this weekend as Texas A&M is just as sharp on the mound and even better in some categories. But when push came to shove Monday night, the Volunteer arms came through.
It started with – who else- but Zander Sechrist, who got the start and pitched 5.1 innings of one-run baseball with seven strikeouts. It’s been what legends-are-made of type of ending to his Tennessee career, compiling a stat sheet of 34.2 innings of nine-run (five earned) baseball, where he surrendered 29 hits with 28 strikeouts over his final six starts. In four NCAA postseason starts (including two in Omaha) the southpaw combined to toss 22.2 innings of seven-run (three earned) baseball while giving up 21 hits with 19 strikeouts.
Of course, Secrist was not always a weekend guy. He spent three years in the midweek role and was even shuffled around some at the beginning of this year. At times, Tennessee treated him like an opener, but the southpaw won the biggest games of his career down the stretch.
“Confidence and we give him a chance to roll with it and let him get out of some jams himself,” pitching coach Frank Anderson said of the difference in Sechrist over the past month. “He’s always been a winner – he won in high school – and look at how many games he’s started here. I think it was just us giving him a chance to roll with it there. We probably could have let him roll a little bit longer there, too.”
Nate Snead was called on in the sixth inning with two outs and two runners on as the Vols held a 3-1 lead. A fielder’s choice out and lineout gets Tennessee out of dodge and preserves the statline for Sechrist.
“Zander is a testimony of what a Vol is,” Drew Beam said. “He goes out there and gives his all for us every weekend. He went out there and did it today. We joked about it being a midweek game – it being a Monday. That’s just his bread and butter. He went out there on a Monday and did his thing – brought us home a national championship.”
Snead was making his fifth appearance of the College World Series on Monday. In every game Tennessee won in Omaha, the hard-throwing righty toed the rubber.
“Snead comes in this year and is new to our team. He’s been so mature and I have so much respect for the kid,” Beam continued. “He’s grown in so many areas that he needed to grow in. Combs – just locking in and being that backend of the bullpen to helps us win games It’s been so cool to see.”
Later as the game ventured on into the ninth and Tennessee was ahead by three runs at 6-3, Aaron Combs was charged to collect the final three outs after recording 63 pitches in the win over Texas A&M the day before to help keep the season alive.
A leadoff double, RBI single and a wild pitch brought in runs four and five. Before you knew it, Tennessee was clinging to a one-run lead with the national championship on the line. But Combs found his way to three outs – all coming via the strikeout – to put the final game of the season in the win column for the Big Orange.
“Lot of eff bombs in my head. We couldn’t have made it any more stressful. I could have told you it was probably going to be a pretty stressful eighth and ninth inning, but wouldn’t want to have it any other way. I feel like that’s just been the image of this group all year, so why not let it show off in the last game of the year.”
Sechrist was great once again for Tennessee on Monday. Snead and Combs both showed some guts in working out of jams and pitching on short rest. Kirby Connell of course pitched in this game. Tennessee gave it all on the mound and have a title to show for it.
“They are just massive competitors,” catcher Cal Stark said of the pitchers. “They want the ball in their hands in the biggest moments.”
Tennessee’s offense was fun all season long. It came up in big moments this weekend and led the charge to several wins while in Omaha. The pitching staff, however, was a constant the past two games with the season on the brink.
Hats off to the guys on the mound and hats off to Tennessee. National champions.
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