Tennessee’s impressive 2019 season finally came to an end Sunday night as North Carolina bested the Vols 5-2 in the regional championship.
Let’s take a look back at this weekend and this season while taking an early look at the 2020 Vols.
Three Observation
What a season it was
Tennessee’s run of being a SEC doormat on the diamond appears to be over. What Tony Vitello and his staff have done in just two years is remarkably impressive, especially given some of the limitations this team had.
Tennessee’s win over Liberty Sunday gave the Vols 40 wins on the season, marking the first time since 2005 that Tennessee won 40 games. The 40-win season also tied for the third most games that the Vols have won this century.
Tennessee made it back to the SEC Tournament for the first time since 2016 and back to the NCAA Tournament since 2005
The Vols won a series in Gainesville, won a series against Georgia, who was a top five team all season, swept a road SEC series for the first time since 2010, and won a series against a Ole Miss team that hosted a regional.
In total, Tennessee won five SEC series, its most since 2007, and won five series against NCAA Tournament teams.
Vitello did plenty to make Vol Nation excited about baseball again, while also earning himself a nice raise.
2. Pitching depth gives Tennessee a chance
If you sat down and talked to Vitello at any point this season it wouldn’t have taken him long to compliment his squad’s pitching depth. It showed up in Chapel Hill as the Vols used 10 different pitchers.
Ironically, Tennessee’s Friday and Saturday guys turned in some of the worst performances as the weekend as Garrett Stallings struggled Friday night against Liberty and Zach Linginfelter imploded Sunday against North Carolina.
Garrett Crochet showed his toughness as the Vols relied on the lefthander’s arm Saturday and Sunday in wins over UNC-Wilmington and Liberty despite not seeing action the previous two weeks due to injury.
I was skeptical that Andrew Schultz could give Tennessee good innings in regional play after the junior struggled in the latter part of SEC play, but Schultz gave up just one run in 2.2 innings.
Even guys who had lesser roles this season ate up innings effectively for Tennessee including Will Heflin and Richard Jackson who kept Tennessee in the game against North Carolina with their efforts on the mound.
In total, five Tennessee pitchers, who made at least 20 appearances on the season, ended the season with an ERA under three.
The pitching staff along with strong defense behind it were the rock of this year’s team and were the reason Tennessee made it back to the NCAA Tournament.
3. Not enough bats
Tennessee’s weakness all season was that it could struggle to produce runs. That weakness reared its ugly side in Chapel Hill as the Vols scored just three combined runs in their two losses.
Luc Lipcius and Max Ferguson’s injuries were tough blows for the Vols as Lipcius seemed to be having a breakout junior season and Ferguson seemed to be turning a corner before his injury.
Either way, you won’t find many teams that can win a regional with its first two hitters batting just .220 and .254, that number falls to .217 and .214 if you just look at SEC games.
There is no getting around the fact that down the stretch Jay Charleston, Justin Ammons, and whoever started at catcher were a black hole for the Vols offense.
With only two high end bats it was hard for Tennessee to pull itself out of the lull created by the lineup’s lack of hitting depth.
Things certainly weren’t helped by the fact that Andre Lipcius and Al Soularie were the only two Vols with good power after Luc Lipcius went down
Tennessee needed good performances from Lipcius and Soularie every night out, and needed production from one of Evan Russell, Ricky Martinez, or Jake Rucker to put solid numbers on the board. They didn’t get enough of either to make it out of the Chapel Hill regional.
Two Questions
Who does Tennessee lose to the draft?
The MLB draft begins Monday night and many Vols are expected to get picked in the coming days.
Garrett Stallings developed his off-speed stuff this offseason and he saw the fruits of his labor on the mound this year. He’ll see the fruits of his labor in his bank account as well as the junior has likely played his last game in a Tennessee uniform.
Andre Lipcius also did himself plenty of favors this season. The Virginia native improved his power numbers hitting 17 bombs, the second most in the SEC, while keeping his average over .300.
Despite disappointing second halves of the season Zach Linginfelter and Andrew Schultz will likely be gone as well due to both pitcher’s high potential.
Ricky Martinez seems to be the one true borderline guy for the Vols. The junior college transfer showed his elite fielding abilities in his one year and Knoxville, but his bat often struggled as he adjusted to life in the SEC.
Interestingly Garrett Crochet made a comment after the win over UNC-Wilmington that it felt good to win a NCAA Tournament game “for guys like Rick (Ricky Martinez) and Andre (Lipcius) that may not be here next year if everything goes as planned.”
Guys like Justin Ammons and Jay Charleston likely won’t be drafted very high but could elect to leave Tennessee. If those two do leave I’m not sure it wouldn’t be mutually beneficial as Vitello signed another big and talented recruiting class.
How does the 2020 pitching rotation shape up?
With Tennessee likely losing its Friday and Saturday starter to the MLB draft, the Vols will have to replace a lot of innings on the mound. Luckily for Vitello they have some very talented young pitchers and one of the nation’s best pitching coaches.
Garrett Crochet seems like a likely choice for the Friday night spot as the talented lefty started six conference games while turning in a 4.02 ERA.
Freshman Camden Sewell seems like another likely weekend starter for the Vols. It doesn’t take long to see his natural talent and once he does some work in the weight room and has a full offseason with Frank Anderson, watch out.
Sewell was no slouch this season either turning in a 2.18 ERA in 45.1 innings.
The third spot seems less clear. Sean Hunley has been a solid swing guy and midweek starter for two years, but I’m not sure if he has the stuff to be a weekend guy in the SEC.
Elijah Pleasants is an uber talented arm, but the freshman was super raw this season and him making the jump to weekend starter seems like a big one.
Incoming freshman Charez Butcher could be the x-factor here. The Kokomo, Indiana native is ranked as a top 40 player nationally and already throws mid-90s
It will be a fascinating situation to follow leading up to next season and the Vols certainly have some solid options.
One Prediction
Tennessee makes it back to the NCAA Tournament
Tennessee will certainly lose some important guys this offseason, but the bulk of this year’s team will be back.
Freshmen Jake Rucker and Max Ferguson both flashed this season and should be even better with another year in a college weight room. Especially Rucker, who hit 10 doubles this season, could prove to be a solid power hitter next season.
Freshman outfielder Christian Scott was impressive in his opportunities this year. His bat isn’t at an elite level, but his glove and speed are.
All-SEC left fielder Al Soularie will be back for his junior season as will closer Redmond Walsh.
Evan Russell made a big jump in production from his freshman to sophomore year and could certainly do the same this offseason.
Tennessee also brings in another impressive recruiting class to help bolster its roster.
Tony Vitello’s second season on Rocky Top wasn’t just a flash of good luck, it was a sign of things to come. Tennessee won’t be waiting 14 more years to make the NCAA Tournament; they’ll be back next year.
