News

Oct 05, 2023

Tennessee baseball crushed by Tennessee Tech before Vanderbilt series

Tony Vitello was worried about his Tennessee baseball team's toughness Sunday.

Tony Vitello was worried about his Tennessee baseball team's toughness Sunday.

The Vols responded by losing a midweek game against Tennessee Tech on Tuesday.

No. 20 Tennessee lost to Tennessee Tech 12-5 at Lindsey Nelson Stadium, its second midweek loss this season and its first to a non-major conference opponent.

"You have to take a stand and have a little pride in what you represent, what your program represents and what the things are you want to be judged by," Vitello said Tuesday.

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The Golden Eagles were 10-24 entering Tuesday. The Vols host No. 4 Vanderbilt at Lindsey Nelson Stadium in a three-game series starting Friday (6 p.m. ET, SEC Network).

"You better compete the way you plan to in your head or otherwise you’re going to look back and regret it," Vitello said. "There's no do overs right now. I don't mean to belittle the very beginning of the seasons, but one thing you could argue then was a lesson learned or we needed reps for the freshmen or whatever. It's towards the end of the year, so it's do or do not."

Tennessee also lost to Tennessee Tech in a midweek game last season at Smokies Stadium in a wood-bat game. The 3-2 loss snapped a 23-game winning streak as UT started the season 31-1.

Vols starter Zander Sechrist did not record an out, allowing three straight singles to open the game. Freshman AJ Russell entered and limited the damage to one run, but Bryce Jenkins allowed four runs in the fourth inning.

Seth Halvorsen also allowed five runs as the Golden Eagles crushed one of Tennessee's best relievers. He allowed three earned runs, being harmed by Kyle Booker dropped a throw to first on a sacrifice bunt. Tennessee Tech's Hayden Gilliland hit a three-run double to clear the bases three batters later to turn the loss into a blowout.

Vitello blamed himself for coaching decisions, including pitching changes and putting players in positions they are not used to playing or being in.

"There's some improper decisions there on the timing of guys on the mound," Vitello said.

Maui Ahuna did not play for the third straight game, while Christian Moore did not play. Ahuna has been battling an injury in recent weeks. Moore was in a walking boot Tuesday.

Ahuna, a highly heralded transfer from Kansas, has struggled this season. He is hitting .284 with five homers and 22 RBIs. He is hitting .262 with one homer and four RBIs in 11 SEC games. He has struck out a team-high 18 times in only 42 at-bats in SEC play. He also missed two games in UT's series against Florida before sitting out the final two at Arkansas.

Moore is hitting .300 with six homers and 26 RBIs. He leads the Vols with 32 walks and a .463 on-base percentage.

Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @ByMikeWilson. If you enjoy Mike's coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it.