Christian Moore didn't let his second chance of being the hero pass by

In game two of the Knoxville Super Regional, Christian Moore stepped up to the plate in the ninth inning with Tennessee trailing by two runs. The Vols had already plated three runs in the inning to put pressure on Evansville as they attempted to sweep the series and reach the College World Series.

With the bases loaded, Moore wrapped up a nine-pitch at-bat by flying out to right field to finalize the loss. This left him 0-for-4 at the plate on the day as the team's designated hitter and lead-off batter.

In the pair of pivotal games since, Moore has been on a tear. While downing the Purple Aces 12-1 to clinch the super regional, he went 2-for-3 with a pair of home runs and walks. In the opening match of the CWS against Florida State, he hit for the second-ever cycle in the event's history while finishing 5-for-6 with two doubles.

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Perhaps no swing was bigger than his second double of the night. With two outs, a full count and a two-run deficit in the opening match of the trip to Omaha, Moore ripped a double to hand the bat off to Blake Burke who would eventually single to score the tying run.

After Moore got the one-strike fastball he was looking for but failed to make contact, he turned to the dugout to say 'let's fight.' While it was him at the plate, he took a team mindset into the crucial at-bat.

This encapsulates Moore's mindset entering the CWS. In his second trip to Omaha, he just wants to win.

"Through the whole game the only mindset I have is to win, get on base for my team, set the tone," Moore said. "I have really good hitters behind me, so I just want to get on for them."

Head coach Tony Vitello, someone who doesn't shy away from showing his emotions and willingness to win, says he has never been around someone who wants to come out on top as much as Moore.

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To Vitello, this plays into what will make him a successful pro. When he cuts out distractions and lets winning fuel him, there may be no better player in the country.

There wasn't always a certainty that Moore wouldn't already be a pro at this point in his career, either. When Vitello went through his recruitment, the expectation was he'd go through the draft and skip out on the collegiate experience.

However, money was turned down and Moore signed with Tennessee and made the move to Knoxville. Now, in less than three complete seasons, he holds the school record for career home runs by a wide and increasing margin with at least two games left to be played.

The Vols will now turn their attention to North Carolina in another pivotal battle amongst the best teams in the country. The first win is out of the way in dramatic fashion and a second test is on the horizion.

A win puts Tennessee just a game away from the CWS finals with a loss to play with. A loss places them in the loser's bracket where it will be tasked with winning three-straight matches.

First pitch is set for 7 p.m. ET on ESPN on Sunday night. Unless an unexpected change is made, Moore will be in the lead-off spot where he has set the tone all season long.

Since the fight that came up short in the super regional, he is 7-for-9 with three home runs and six extra-base hits. There is no hotter player in the country on the biggest stage of the sport.

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