UT Baseball: Vols Sweep Northern Illinois

The Vols have begun their first campaign under new Coach Dave Serrano with a sweep of the Northern Illinois University Huskies.

After winning the first game Friday 7-1, the Vols won both games of a double header Saturday 10-5 then 7-2.

“I was proud the way we played can’t take it for granted,” Serrano said. “Double headers are hard to sweep. Sweeps are tough to come by no matter who you’re playing. We have to get to, to get back to. That’s what’s so good about playing. Some stuff came out that we’ll have to get back to the drawing board and fix. But to walk away with three wins, you have to be excited about that.”

Serrano had a script for his pitchers coming into the weekend. He wanted to get a grasp on their skills without working them too hard. The pitching staff responded in force. The starters, Drew Steckenrider, Zack Godley, and Nick Blount,  didn’t give up a run in each of their outings. Serrano considered letting his starters go deeper into the game, but restrained.

“Coach likes to stick to his plans, which is fine.” Nick Blount said, “I think that I could have thrown more, but with what he wants me to do right now, that was just fine with me.”

The Vols offense supplied plenty of support for the pitching staff. Tennessee scored first in all three games and never trailed the Huskies all weekend. Game one Chris Pierce had a career-high 4 RBIs, three coming in one swing on a home run in the bottom of the sixth.

Chris Fritts led the Vols at the plate in game two. Fritts had already hit a double in the bottom of the second that cleared the loaded bases when he stepped up in the bottom of the 8th with two runners on. The Vols lead had been cut to 6-5 and Fritts had a chance to give the Vols breathing room. He responded with a 3-run shot that was just inside the left field foul poll that ultimately sealed the Vols victory and gave Fritts a 6 RBI game.

Reliever Nick Williams picked up a save, closing out game two for the Vols.

In game three, the Vols put the hammer down and buried the Huskies for good. Blount’s performance on the mound was followed by a strong four-inning outing by Carter Watson, surrendering only one run on two hits. Samuel Davis and Dalton Saberhagen closed out the game for the Vols.

Zach Luther led the offensive charge with a single and a pair of doubles and two runs scored for the Vols. Pierce added three more RBI’s to give him a series total of 7. Fritts added another RBI for the Vols matching Pierce’s series total.

“We don’t have a superstar, and that’s okay. I’m fine with that,” Said Serrano. “We’re going to have to have different stars each and every night and I wouldn’t want it any other way. Everybody feels that they come to the ballpark and they can contribute their way to helping this team be successful.”

The Vols outscored the Huskies 24-8 on the weekend.

While it was a great for the Vols, there is still plenty of work to be done says Serrano.

“We won’t brush it under the rug and say ‘good we’re 3-0.’ There’s still work to be done.”

The Vols will have to contend one of the toughest schedules in the nation. They are currently ranked 11th in strength of schedule rankings. Their division alone features No. 1 Florida, No. 3 South Carolina, No.10 Vanderbilt, and No.11 Georgia.