Published May 4, 2022
Tennessee sets program single-season home run record
Ben McKee  •  VolReport
Staff Writer
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It’s been one record broken after the next for this year’s Tennessee baseball team.

The Vols have terrorized the SEC week after week, breaking records, earning accolades and irritating everyone outside of Knoxville along the way.

Tony Vitello’s bunch could care less, particularly about the record books they’ve re-written, as the ultimate goal is an SEC Championship and National Championship.

But the latest accomplishment on Tuesday night against Alabama A&M felt different. It helps paint the story of the 41-4 Vols who have been ranked unanimously No. 1 for six straight weeks now.

Tennessee hit five home runs to beat A&M 14-1 in what was another ho hum midweek win.

Its fifth home run, however, a solo home run from infielder Logan Steenstra, was the Vols’ 108th home run of the season, which set the program record for home runs in a season. It surpasses the previous single-season program record of 107 that was set in 1998.

“One of these days, when they're around their grandkids or whoever, they'll see that records are made to be broken,” Tony Vitello said after the win. “I think it's good feedback for our guys, something they can hang their hat on down the road. But overall, just we want to have good at-bats, and I think it's a byproduct of that.”

The 1998 Vols set the previous record in 56 games during an era where the bats that were used were far easier to hit a home run with.

This year’s set of Vols broke the record in just 45 games while there’s still 11 regular season games remaining, as well as the postseason where the Vols are guaranteed to play four games.

Tennessee entered the week leading the country in home runs, yet the power numbers haven’t completely surprised Vitello.

“A little bit, because of the work in the weight room and the cages,” Vitello explained. “And then I'd say the other you know, combo in that whole deal is having good athletes. I mean, we're blessed with guys, you ask ‘em to do something, and they can make the adjustment relatively quickly. And it's not like we got any magic sauce with hitting, but it applies to those type of guys, too. I mean, they can get in the cage here on their own and start to figure out what's a better way, you know, to square up the baseball. And then we have good facilities and a bunch of coaches that are willing to help the kids.

“So you saw that potential, you know. How many or how less, who knows? And again, circumstances have a little bit to do with that.”

Tennessee has five players who have hit double-digit homers this season and two players — Cortland Lawson and Christian Moore — who are one homer away from joining that club. Redshirt-freshman Jared Dickey (7) and true freshman Blake Burke (6) aren’t too far off from double-digit homers either.

The Vols will look to add to their home run total this weekend when they travel to Lexington for a three-game series with Kentucky.