The Clemson Tigers got a nice victory in the first game of the Clemson regional by beating the Lipscomb Bisons at Doug Kingsmore Stadium 12-5. Next up for the Tigers is the Tennessee Volunteers at 6 PM EST on the campus of Clemson University. Here is a look at the Vols.
Tennessee comes into the winner’s bracket matchup with a 39-19 record overall after a win against the Charlotte 49ers in Game 2, 8-1. They were 16-14 in the Southeastern Conference and lost in the opening round of the conference tournament to Texas A&M, thus were ousted from Hoover.
The Vols are led by oft-maligned head coach Tony Vitello, in his 6th season as the head coach in Knoxville. Vitello has had much regular season success during his tenure. As of today, his record as the skipper is 230-96. In 2022, Vitello had the overall #1 seed heading into the Regionals before bowing out at the hands of Notre Dame. The fiery coach gets a lot out of his players and he brings an extremely well-rounded team into their second game of the regional.
After such a successful 2022 regular season, all eyes were on the Vols to return to the mountaintop, but the loss of players to the MLB draft and graduation did not allow for the same successes. However, this is a very good baseball team with ample talent that can give the Tigers fits.
Tennessee started the season with losses to Arizona and Grand Canyon, then reeled off victories in 15 of their next 16 games before entering conference play. Their victories this season have come against: UC San Diego, Alabama A&M (x2), Dayton (x3), Charleston Southern (x2), Gonzaga (x3), Morehead State (x3), Lipscomb, Western Carolina, Texas A&M (x3), UNC Asheville, LSU, Florida, Eastern Kentucky, Vanderbilt (x3), Bellarmine, Mississippi State (x3), Wofford, Georgia, Austin Peay, Kentucky (x2), Belmont, South Carolina (x2), and the most recent game against Charlotte.
Their losses besides the previously mentioned above are Boston College, Missouri (x3), LSU (x2), Florida (x2), Arkansas (x3), Tennessee Tech, Georgia (x2), Kentucky, South Carolina, and Texas A&M in the SEC Tournament.
Looking at the 5 common opponents both teams have played throughout the season (BC, South Carolina, Georgia, Lipscomb, and Charlotte) the records are Tigers – 7-4; UT – 5-3.
Probable Lineup:
SS – Maui Ahuna – .318; 7 HRs, 39 RBI
CF – Hunter Ensley – .288; 6 HRs, 26 RBI
LF – Jared Dickey – .349; 12 HRs, 47 RBI
DH – Griffin Merritt – .304; 18 HRs, 46 RBI
2B – Christian Moore – .306; 14 HRs, 43 RBI; 15-17 SBs
1B – Blake Burke – .282; 15 HRs, 40 RBI
3B – Zane Denton – .273; 12 HRs, 50 RBI
RF – Christian Scott – .301; 7 HRs, 31 RBI; 10-10 SBs
C – Cal Stark – .198; 5 HRs, 17 RBI
Looking at the stats and watching this team play, it’s easy to tell that they have a ton of pop. Coming into the regional, the Vols sat 6th in the nation in home runs with 114, and added two more in their opening matchup against Charlotte. Clemson fans know all too well about the “boom or bust” offensive scheme from the previous coaching regime. When the team is hitting the long ball, look out.
On the flip side, and common for this type of offensive power hitting teams, Tennessee does not run all that often, stealing only 55 bases, tied for 160th in the nation in that category.
On the mound for Tennessee will be Junior Right Hander Chase Dollander. Currently 6-6 on the season with a 4.28 ERA across 73 2/3 innings. He has an eye-popping 107 Ks to only 25 walks. Yet another pitcher with a tremendous strikeout to walk ratio. The 6’2″ fireballer sits between 93-96 mph with his fastball. With a natural tail, the ball explodes out of his hand as he has the ability to touch 98. The swing and miss fastball is his best pitch as he’s able to spot it where he wants. Opponents are hitting a palty .232 against Dollander who also touts a 1.22 WHIP (walks + hits per innings pitched).
An interesting stat of note for Tiger fans is the Tigers are 31st in the country in stolen bases (99) and if they can get on the base paths Tennessee catchers have only thrown out 13% of base stealers all season. WHEN the Tigers get on base, expect that trend to continue in an effort to steal some runs that will ultimately lead to a victory.
Of course Clemson is matched up with an SEC foe, and therefore seemingly will be the underdog even in its own regional. If the Tigers can get a good outing from Caden Grice and lock in on Dollander’s daunting fastball and drive it, it could be another great night at the ballpark.
