Tennessee Ends 27-Year Drought, Wins 2022 SEC Baseball Tournament Title
For the fourth time in program history and first time since 1995, Tennessee claimed the SEC Baseball Tournament title Sunday after four consecutive wins in Hoover, Alabama.
The top-ranked Vols capped off their perfect week in Hoover with an 8-5 win over Florida in the tournament’s championship game. Over the course of four wins at the SEC Tournament, Tennessee never trailed—outscoring Vanderbilt, LSU, Kentucky and Florida by a combined score of 35-10.
How can you not be romantic about baseball? pic.twitter.com/iytf3MYO5H
— Tennessee Baseball (@Vol_Baseball) May 29, 2022
Prior to last season's SEC Tournament, the Vols had never even won a game in the current 12-team format, which started in 2013. Tennessee now has made back-to-back championship game appearances and gone 7-2 in that span.
After Tennessee dominated the SEC’s postseason honors announced prior to the SEC Tournament, three Vols landed on the SEC All-Tournament team, while outfielder Drew Gilbert was named SEC Tournament MVP. In addition to Gilbert, pitcher Chase Dollander and third baseman Trey Lipscomb earned All-Tournament honors.
Gilbert supplied the thunder in the championship game, breaking open the lead in the fifth with a three-run double to the wall in left field. In the ninth inning, he cranked a moonshot home run into the right field bullpen to add a bit of insurance to a historic victory. Lipscomb posted the highest batting average for the Volunteer offense in the conference tournament, going 6-for-13 at the plate (.462) and driving in three runs. Dollander's incredible Friday night outing against LSU saw the sophomore go 6.2 innings, allowing just four hits and striking out nine in a critical winner's bracket matchup. Tennessee's three honorees give the program 35 All-Tournament winners while Gilbert becomes the first UT outfielder to be the tournament MVP since 1984.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Welp. ??<br><br>Game one between <a href="https://twitter.com/BaseballUGA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BaseballUGA</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/AlabamaBSB?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AlabamaBSB</a> is now officially in a ?????????????? ?????????? with a start time TBA.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SECBSB?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SECBSB</a> x <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SECTourney?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SECTourney</a> <a href="https://t.co/mBGRZHVAEL">pic.twitter.com/mBGRZHVAEL</a></p>— Southeastern Conference (@SEC) <a href="https://twitter.com/SEC/status/1529108835046244354?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 24, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Welp. ??
— Southeastern Conference (@SEC) May 24, 2022
Game one between @BaseballUGA and @AlabamaBSB is now officially in a ?????????????? ?????????? with a start time TBA.#SECBSB x #SECTourney pic.twitter.com/mBGRZHVAEL
Playing as the top seed in the tournament, Tennessee began its run in Hoover with a 10-1 win over eighth-seeded Vanderbilt on Thursday—giving the Vols four wins in the same season over their in-state rival for the first time since 1994.
The Vols plated six runs in the first three innings and didn’t allow a hit from the Commodores until the fourth inning. On the mound, Camden Sewell secured his sixth victory of the year as he teamed up with Will Mabrey and Ben Joyce to retire the final nine Vanderbilt batters in order. Starter Blade Tidwell and Kirby Connell allowing a combined five hits in the first six innings—surrendering one run.
Friday saw Tennessee face fourth-seeded LSU for the first time since the 2021 Super Regionals, as the Vols claimed a sixth straight win over the Tigers with a 5-2 victory that ran into the early hours of Saturday morning.
Dollander, the SEC Pitcher of the Year, was dominant in his start on the mound—going 6.2 innings, striking out nine batters and allowing just four hits and one earned run.
Offensively, Tennessee jumped on top of LSU early with three runs in the game’s first two innings—highlighted by an RBI triple from Jordan Beck that drove in a run and was immediately followed by an LSU wild pitch that Beck came home on.
LSU briefly threatened in the top of the fifth inning with a pair of runs, but a showdown between Dollander and LSU first baseman Tre' Morgan shut down the Tigers’ fifth-inning efforts.
BAYOU AT 98!!! Chase with a massive strikeout and Tennessee escapes the fifth with a 3-2 lead.
— Tennessee Baseball (@Vol_Baseball) May 28, 2022
?? https://t.co/BhyTpREaui#GBO // #OTH // #BeatLSU pic.twitter.com/7fDjUuFz0D
The Vols had committed two errors in the frame, one leading to an unearned run. Morgan, the Tiger cleanup man, stepped into the box and battled Dollander for seven pitches. Dollander however was determined to shut the door, delivering a 98 mph strike past Morgan to end the threat and halt momentum. LSU would not score after that inning, while Tennessee added two more runs in the bottom of the inning.
In the semifinal round, Tennessee was met with a rematch against the only team to hand it a series loss in 2022—Kentucky, the No. 12 seed in the tournament. The Wildcats had already notched upset wins over Auburn, Vanderbilt and LSU during their time in Hoover and through seven innings on Saturday, had played to a 2-2 draw with Tennessee.
The Vols then launched an offensive explosion in the eighth and ninth innings—plating a combined 10 runs to eventually claim a 12-2 win.
Luc Lipcius and Beck started the eighth inning with back-to-back singles, while two batters later, Lipscomb loaded the bases with another single. Jorel Ortega and Cortland Lawson capitalized, each driving in runs in a four-run frame.
The ninth added insurance as UT plated six runs and capped the scoring in style as Blake Burke launched a two-run moonshot homer high out of the stadium with two outs in the ninth inning to secure the Vols’ spot in Sunday’s championship game against Florida.
might need more than a telescope to find that one pic.twitter.com/SoMJ8XewL4
— Tennessee Baseball (@Vol_Baseball) May 29, 2022
In front of an orange-dominated crowd of 13,270—the fifth-largest crowd ever for an SEC championship game—Tennessee was faced with its fourth meeting of the season with rival Florida on Sunday.
For the first time all season, Sewell got the start on the mound and earned his seventh victory of the year. The Cleveland, Tennessee, native gave up six hits, but did not allow a walk in five shutout innings.
Couldn’t draw up much a prettier day.
— Peter Burns (@PeterBurnsESPN) May 29, 2022
Sounds like Lindsey Nelson Stadium out here.
I’d estimate it as 85% full of @Vol_Baseball fans. pic.twitter.com/3Na7lwMbqZ
After struggling against Gators' starter Carsten Finnvold for the first four innings, Tennessee finally got to the freshman left hander in the top of the fifth, plating four runs on three hits and an error.
Evan Russell reached on a throwing error to start the inning and advanced to third on a single from Blake Burke before scoring on a well-executed squeeze bunt by Seth Stephenson two batters later to open the scoring and give Tennessee a 1-0 lead. After an intentional walk to Beck loaded the bases, Gilbert came through with the biggest hit of the game, a bases-clearing double over the head of Gators' left fielder Wyatt Langford to give the Vols a 4-0 lead.
Tennessee added three more runs on a pair of RBI doubles from Stephenson and Lipcius in the sixth inning to take a 7-0 lead, while a homer to right field by Gilbert in the top of the ninth capped off the Vols’ scoring.
AN EXCLAMATION POINT!! Drew. Gilbert. Bye bye baseball!
— Tennessee Baseball (@Vol_Baseball) May 29, 2022
?? https://t.co/aj1LZfembt#GBO // #OTH // #BeatFlorida pic.twitter.com/rZcrPCAVM7