CLEMSON, SC — As Tennessee players celebrated an extra innings win over Clemson late Saturday night, Tony Vitello could tell Christian Moore's mind was elsewhere.

The 2-seed Vols were moving on in the Clemson Regional, unbeaten and one game from clinching a Super Regional berth for the third-straight year. In a game that featured several heroics and theatrics, lingering on a thrilling win into the early hours of Sunday morning was understandable, but Moore was looking ahead. He was looking to Charlotte.

"I'm a believer in things start before they get started," Vitello said. "Last night, I was watching the guys celebrate postgame and taking it in a little bit. There was one guy that was more about tomorrow than they were last night. I'm sure there were one or two others but the one that stuck out to me was (Moore).

"I think if you want to be good at something or have something good happen, you're going to need to put in something, even if it's just some thoughts mentally for it to go that way."

Moore played like it, too.

He mashed two home runs—three and four on the weekend—accounted for four RBI and headlined Tennessee's 9-2 win over the 49ers at Doug Kingsmore Stadium on Sunday that places the Vols within two wins of the College World Series.

Moore was also named the regional's most valuable player, finishing 7-for-10 and eight RBIs in three games.

"Whether I can 2-for-2 with some home runs, whatever I can do to help this team win," Moore said. "We're in the postseason now. You win, you advance. You lose, you go home. That's kind of my mindset now."

Even Charlotte head coach Robert Woodard was in awe of Moore's outing.

There was one point following Moore's second home run—a two-run shot that swelled the Tennessee lead to 6-2 in the sixth inning—that Woodard noticed Moore's reaction as he rounded the bases. It looked Moore couldn't believe it either.

“It was like he was playing a video game and he had the cheat code turned on. He was on another level,” Woodard said. “I could even see him shaking his own head when he was coming toward third like he couldn’t believe it. He is a heck of a player. We tried to make our best pitches. I even went out there before his at-bat.

“Our guys made their best pitches and he put great swings on them. That is what great players do.”

Moore didn't think he quite put up video game numbers, but what he did do was help provide a path to the Super Regional and possibly Omaha in the coming weeks.

For now the focus is on next weekend where Tennessee will face the winner of Southern Miss and Penn in the Auburn Regional, possibly on its home turf at Lindsey Nelson Stadium where the Vols are 33-5 this season.

"I wouldn't say I had any video game numbers," Moore said. "It was a good weekend, but at the end of the day, all I want to do is win. Just survive and advance."

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