Tony Vitello yelled at his upperclassmen for something hard to fathom. Tennessee’s freshmen played with more fearlessness then a number of its veterans.
Eight months and 62 games later, three freshmen showed that fearlessness with the Vols’ season the line coming through in Tennessee’s 11-5 Knoxville Regional clinching win over Wake Forest.
“This time of year, whether it’s the ones you mentioned or the other ones that maybe didn’t get credit, they’re not really freshmen anymore,” Tennessee head coach Tony Vitello said. “I mean, they’ve had to play through the SEC and it’s hell.”
Third baseman Manny Marin was the headliner, going three-for-three at the plate with a walk to successfully reach base in all four plate appearances. The Miami native had the swing of the night, taking Duncan Marsten deep to right field for a two-out, three-run opposite field home run.
It was a true bit of postseason magic for the skinny freshman who entered the game with just two home runs on the season and hadn’t gone deep since March 8 against St. Bonaventure.
“I looked at Manny [Marin] and sometimes you never know what’s going through his head because he doesn’t say much, but he just kind of had a little bit of a different presence about him in the on-deck circle,” Fischer said. “When he looked at me, he just kind of nodded and I was like, ‘Let’s go. Let’s do this’. Then, he just got it done and I just lost my mind.”
“He’s just a young pup, so it’ll be fun to watch him grow up,” Vitello said. “But he he’s taken a lot of pride in his weight, and he wouldn’t have been able to hit that ball over the fence to the opposite field in the fall.”
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Brayden Krenzel was the unsung hero of the night. The first reliever up for Tennessee, Krenzel retired eight of the first nine batters he faced before a walk and a two-run homer ended his day in the fifth inning.
Krenzel was one of Tennessee’s most trusted arms the first half of SEC play but hadn’t been the same pitcher since missing two weeks due to illness. The Dublin, Ohio native chose the right time to elevate his game, steadying the ship while the Vols trailed early.
“It reminded me of a couple of his other outings early in the year,” Vitello said. “I mean, Alabama was in there competing, but on day three in Tuscaloosa, it was kind of almost like he turned it into a one-sided game when he got out there. … It’s nasty stuff. It’s just about him having the presence that he had today, which he’s done it several times.”
Perhaps the most overlooked part of the game came in the top of the fourth inning. After Tennessee scored only one run after loading the bases with no-one out for the top of its lineup in the bottom of the third, Krenzel calmly sat the Demon Deacons down in order. That kept the Vols within a run and set the stage for the seven-run fourth inning.
Levi Clark was the third Tennessee freshmen to deliver in the big game. The Atlanta, Georgia native twice reached base and came home to score both times. The slugger went deep earlier in the weekend and has grabbed the reins of the designated hitter spot.
Tennessee’s stars played like stars in the Knoxville Regional. But with its season on the line, Tennessee’s fearless freshmen gave them a major lift.
