The Tennessee baseball team turned in a massively successful weekend in Texas going 3-0 in the inaugural Round Rock Classic. Behind consistent hitting and elite pitching out of its bullpen, Tennessee picked up a win over a top five opponent (#1 in some polls) and two other solid foes, all by four or more runs.

Let’s take a look back at the successful weekend and a look ahead to the start of a long home stand.

1- Vols have something with JUCO arms- Two of Tennessee’s junior college transfers have already made a big impact this season.

RHP Chad Dallas has gotten the ball on back-to-back Friday nights due to Garrett Crochet’s arm soreness. Dallas impressed in his debut turning in five scoreless innings, but I wondered whether No. 5 Texas Tech and its No. 1 ranked offense would be too big of a test for the sophomore arm.

I was dead wrong. Dallas impressed in his return to his home state, giving up five hits and two runs in five innings of work while striking out eight.

Dallas was impressive against the Red Raiders getting the ball to the Vols’ bullpen with a lead and earning the win. Dallas won’t stay in the Friday night spot when Crochet returns, but he’s shown that he can handle a weekend starter spot. It should be fascinating to see how things shake out for Tennessee’s pitching staff when everyone is back from injury.

Tennessee’s second junior college arm to impress this weekend was Jackson Leath. Leath started on Sunday of the Vols’ opening weekend giving up three runs in 4.1 innings while striking out 12.

Leath showed some of his elite stuff again out of the bullpen Saturday striking out eight. The right-hander had everything working for him against Houston giving up only two hits and an unearned run in 4.2 innings.

Vitello gave Leath the ball in a pivotal moment in the game and the Texas native steadied Tennessee while taking them to the finish line while the offensive picked up its production.

The production Tennessee’s gotten from its junior college transfer pitchers has been a big boost and that’s without Jason Rackers. The Vols were as high on Rackers as they were of any of their incoming arms, but Rackers will miss at least until SEC play as he deals with mono.

2. Lineup takes shape a bit- Tennessee had 14 different players start during its first four games of the season all while using different guys at a plethora of spots

Tennessee’s lineup seemed to take shape a bit this weekend as the Vols’ faced their stiffest competition of the pre-conference slate.

Max Ferguson, Zach Daniels and Jake Rucker hit one through three all three days while Evan Russell and Jordan Beck hit in the cleanup and five hole each game.

Luc Lipcius started at first all three matchups, hitting seventh each day. Freshman Liam Spence also found himself in the starting lineup every game batting eighth or ninth.

In fact, Connor Pavolony and Alerick Soularie were the only two Tennessee starters not to start all three games. At the catcher spot Pavolony never starts all three games of a weekend series, meaning Soularie was the only Vol starter not to start all three games, though he pinch hit and walked twice in Sunday’s win over No. 25 Stanford.

Tennessee’s lineup was consistently threatening on the weekend scoring 21 runs on 29 hits and 51 runners reaching base.

If you’re Tennessee that’s what has to be most encouraging about the weekend was the offense. They weren’t all that great with runners in scoring position and still scored seven runs a game. Tennessee was getting production from top to bottom which is a radical change in its lineup from last season.

In SEC play last season, the Vols essentially had to get all their offensive production from the three to eight hitters in its lineup. That won’t be the case this season.

Vitello also pulled all the right strings this weekend as Tennessee got a pair of pinch-hit base knocks for RBIs, including the go-ahead, three run double from Pavolony against Houston.

I’m not suggesting this will be Tennessee’s only lineup going forward, I imagine Vitello will tinker with it quite a bit over the next two weeks, or that this will be the lineup once they get into SEC play. Right now, however, its clear this is the group he’s most comfortable with.

They really seem to like Ferguson at second, Rucker at third and Spence at shortstop. They love what the freshman gives them defensively at short allowing Rucker to play third. In fact, Spence has had that shortstop spot locked down so much that Trey Lipscomb has seen more time at first base than third. Credit Austin Knight’s development for that as well.

3. Dominant bullpen performance- Tennessee’s bullpen was nothing short of spectacular on the weekend turning in 16 innings, allowing just eight hits, one earned run and four walks while striking out 20.

Down four major arms, Tennessee’s bullpen was consistently the highlight of the Vols’ weekend in Texas.

Sean Hunley took Tennessee the distance Friday against Texas Tech. Hunley gave up just one hit and walked two batters while striking out five.

Hunley has always been a guy that can get outs, but his stuff seems to have improved early on this season. Hunley’s struck out nine batters, 31% of his 2019 mark, in nine scoreless innings so far this season.

After using Hunley and Leath the first two days Vitello had to turn to his bullpen for 7.2 innings Sunday.

Drew Gilbert was solid in relief, pitching 4.1 innings and earning the win. The freshman from Minnesota surrendered one run on five hits while striking out three and not walking a Stanford batter.

Tennessee’s go-to bullpen arm Redmond Walsh took them the rest of the way throwing three scoreless innings not allowing a hit and striking out four while walking one.

Undermanned, Tennessee’s bullpen turned in a very strong weekend against a good slate of opponents.

Seven games into the season, the Vols have a 1.71 ERA and no pitcher who’s seen over two innings has an ERA over three.

When does Tennessee face its next test?

Tennessee has 10 more games before it opens up conference play on March 13th at South Carolina. It’s not a grueling next two weeks for Tennessee as they host a weekend series verses George Washington and Wright State. They host ETSU, Longwood, UNC Asheville and Northern Kentucky in midweek bouts.

Schools lose to inferior opponents all the time in college baseball, Vanderbilt, LSU and Missouri have all done it this season. However, Tennessee will clearly be the better team in its next 10 games and the Vols dropped just one midweek game last season.

If Tennessee can stay consistent the Vols should roll into SEC play 17-0, and after seeing South Carolina drop two out of three to Northwestern at home this weekend it’s hard to see the Vols as anything but favorites in Columbia.

There’s a very real chance Tennessee could be 19-1 and in the nation’s top 10 when the defending national champions Vanderbilt come to Knoxville the second weekend of conference play.

How does pitching staff shake out?

Tennessee’s pitching staff’s strong start is made all the more impressive considering it doesn’t have its ace and three more of its best arms.

We know Garrett Crochet will move into the Friday starter spot when he returns from injury, but where does that leave Chad Dallas and where do the other three fit in.

I’ve long seen Camden Sewell as a weekend starter this season, but he’s going to have to be really strong when he comes back to hold off Dallas and Leath.

Having Dallas, Leath, Sewell and Hunley as options for the Sunday starter spot while also having one of the SEC’s best bullpen arms in Redmond Walsh says a ton about the depth of this pitching staff.

Chase Wallace has been good so far this season posting a 2.70 ERA in 10 innings pitched but the Sevierville native will have to continue to be productive or he’ll lose his Saturday spot. Tennessee isn’t short on options.

It should also be interesting to see where Jason Rackers fits in when he returns from mono. The 6-foot-11 junior college transfer could easily be another swing guy for Tennessee that can be used in a plethora of roles and be a long inning reliever.

Will Heflin is the fourth Vol pitcher out as he recovers from a torn ACL he suffered in the fall. If he returns to the form he had in the postseason of his redshirt-junior campaign and during his summer in Cape Cod he’ll play a major role in Tennessee’s bullpen as a third left-handed arm.

Tennessee stays unbeaten this week

Tennessee dropping a game this week wouldn’t be the end of the world, but I think the Vols will stay perfect with a 5-0 week.

Tennessee’s midweek foes are a combined 2-12 and should provide an opportunity for Tennessee’s freshman arms Will Mabrey, Kody Davidson, Mark McLaughlin and Christian Delashmit to see action.

George Washington has been better than UNC Asheville and Northern Kentucky, posting a 4-2 record in 2020, but the Colonials haven’t played a power five opponent.

I wouldn’t expect a post Round Rock hangover from this bunch either. After beating Texas Tech, the nation’s top team in a poll, the Vols came back out and handled a solid Houston team 13 hours later.