Tennessee baseball picked up a crucial series victory over the weekend, taking two of three games against rival Alabama at Lindsey Nelson Stadium. The Vols dropped the opener on Thursday night before winning both games in Friday’s doubleheader against the Crimson Tide.
Now through seven SEC series, Tennessee sits at 10-11 in SEC play. The Vols likely need just three wins in their final nine SEC games to make the NCAA Tournament. Four wins would all but secure a NCAA Tournament bid.
Here’s four takeaways from Tennessee’s successful weekend series against Alabama.
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Tegan Kuhns Keeps Rolling
Josh Elander made one of his biggest decisions of the season five weeks ago when he briefly removed Tegan Kuhns from the weekend rotation before moving him back into the rotation as the Saturday starter a week later.
Since Elander made the move, Kuhns has allowed just four earned in 23.2 innings pitched. Kuhns has struck out 33 batters over the stretch and has walked just six in the five appearances. The sophomore pitcher has gotten quicker to the plate, helping him control the running game. He hasn’t been perfect every time out, but he’s avoiding bad outings and has a 1.52 ERA over the stretch.
Kuhns’ outing against Alabama was his best and most important yet. After exhausting its bullpen on Thursday night, Kuhns was the only pitcher Tennessee needed in game one of the doubleheader.
With stellar command of his curveball, Kuhns shut out Alabama in the eight inning run-rule, striking out nine and allowing just four baserunners. Kuhns looked every bit of a first round draft pick in the outing.
Should Tennessee Make A Change To Its Weekend Rotation?
Kuhns’ effectiveness as of late leads to another question— is it time for Tennessee to move him back to Friday night?
Landon Mack, who has started the opener each of the last four series, allowed five earned runs in 2.1 innings on Thursday night against Alabama. It was Mack’s second consecutive poor outing and Cam Appenzeller was unable to pick him up in the 12-8 loss.
Tennessee is just 2-5 in series opener’s in SEC play. The starting pitching has not been the issue in all five losses but it’s been enough of an issue to make it a conversation.
The Vols could move Mack out of their weekend rotation and to the bullpen but that feels a bit premature. However, flip flopping Kuhns and Mack back to their original spots could be an option for the Vols to better put their food forward on Friday night.
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Blaine Brown’s Awakening
Tennessee’s offense was better against Alabama than they had been in any other SEC series this season. The Crimson Tide’s defense was a big part of that. However, a number of Vols stepped up and none more so than Blaine Brown.
Brown entered the weekend hitting just .189 in SEC play but the sophomore looked like a completely different player this weekend. He went six-for-12 at the plate with two home runs, a double and a walk.
The left-handed slugger hit both home runs in the series finale with the first giving Tennessee a lead it never relinquished. That home run was an opposite field blast, something Brown has locked for much of the season but displayed this weekend against the Crimson Tide.
This was the Brown that Tennessee was expecting to see more of this season. If he can keep it going, it would change the dynamic of Tennessee’s lineup in a major way.
Trent Grindlinger’s Maturity Is Impressive
Freshman Trent Grindlinger has become a staple of Tennessee’s lineup over the last month. But after a hot stretch, Grindlinger crashed back to earth with a one-for-11 weekend against Ole Miss.
But the freshman did not let that phase him. He promptly bounced back with a seven-for-12 weekend where he walked twice and was hit-by a pitch. So, yes, Grindlinger reached base safely in 10-of-15 plate appearances. He also displayed power, totaling two home runs and a double.
Grindlinger talked to the media about not trying to do too much. That’s easy to preach but much harder to practice, especially as a freshman in the SEC. The California native’s maturity is super impressive and should be a great piece of Tennessee’s lineup for years to come.
