Tennessee prepares to host Kentucky in final home series of regular season
Last season, Tennessee was nearly perfect during SEC play.
However, the one series the Vols were beaten in was a road battle against Kentucky.
This year, Tennessee has limped through the conference slate with the Wildcats just now appearing on the schedule.
While the Vols have struggled, Kentucky has put together an extremely impressive season.
Although the Wildcats sit at No. 17 in the D1Baseball rankings, they own the top RPI in the country. This tool is critical in the NCAA's decision on seeding for the NCAA Tournament.
“A good club, No. 1 in the country if you’re going to go off of RPI standards, which obviously carries a lot of weight," said coach Tony Vitello. "So, again, first in the country in that category and therefore in our league, too. A team that will have some familiar faces, but just like every year in our league with the draft and everything else, a lot of turnover. So, some new faces, too. But on offense, they like to bunt, like to run. And a pitching staff that is well coached as well.”
Similar to Tennessee, Kentucky has profited in games at home. While in Lexington, the Wildcats own a 24-4 record including sweeps over Mississippi State, Missouri and South Carolina.
When on the road, though, the team's record drops to 10-9. This features a loss to Elon and series losses to Georgia, LSU and Vanderbilt.
For the Vols, the series will work as the team's last weekend in Knoxville during the regular season. They have put up a 30-4 record at home while sweeping Texas A&M, Vanderbilt and Mississippi State.
Vitello wants to stay focused on what's in front of them, though.
“I think it’s the game that is in front of you," said Vitello. "This team has its own theme. This season has written part of its story to this point... What is the thing in front of you? We probably had the best coach in the country talking about being where your feet are in Pat Summitt. So, I would listen to her before I listen to me if I were one of our players.”
In order to see success over the weekend, Tennessee will need to slow down Kentucky on the base paths.
The Wildcats boast four players who have reached double-digit steals. All but one also hit above the .300 mark.
“I think it’s circumstantial," said Vitello. "On the whole, it’s a topic that you bring up for good reason. But I think it’s circumstantial. What's going on with the score, who is up at the plate and who do we have on the mound with what the count is and stuff like that. You want to know who is on the bases and want to approach it carefully going over that way. We have talked about it and gone over stuff to prepare."
Due to a dangerous batting order, Kentucky has continually given itself a chance to be aggressive on the bases.
Leading the way is Jackson Gray. The center fielder is hitting .372 on the year with 13 doubles, six triples and four home runs.
Emilien Pitre, Hunter Gilliam, Patrick Herrera and Jase Felker all also hit above the .300 mark. Gilliam is the only with double-digit home runs, though, with 10.
On the mound, the Wildcats are also dangerous.
Starting on Friday is Travis Smith. He has started 10 games this year while totaling a 4-1 record and a 3.62 ERA.
"I think they formally announced that Smith will throw," said Vitello. "Who threw for them and then if I’m not mistaken, the outing before that was on a Tuesday against Louisville, who’s an SEC-quality baseball program. Even though he’s a redshirt freshman, if I’m not mistaken, he’s got experience. He kind of knows what’s going on and he’s a competitor, otherwise, he wouldn’t have the ball on Friday."
For Tennessee, Andrew Lindsey will get the ball to open the series. First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m. ET airing on SEC Network+.
The Vols are firmly in the field for the NCAA Tournament at this point but a good showing against Kentucky could increase their seeding.
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