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Tennessee Baseball: Vols to Face Alabama State Hornets in Second Game of Midweek Back-to-Back

By Caleb Calhoun

Sep 12, 2015; Knoxville, TN, USA; Tennessee Volunteers mascot carries the flag through the fans during Vol Walk prior to the game against the Oklahoma Sooners at Neyland Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Brown-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 12, 2015; Knoxville, TN, USA; Tennessee Volunteers mascot carries the flag through the fans during Vol Walk prior to the game against the Oklahoma Sooners at Neyland Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Brown-USA TODAY Sports /
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After a walk-off victory over the Eastern Kentucky Colonels, Tennessee baseball has its second midweek game Wednesday. The Volunteers will face Alabama St.

Finally, the Tennessee Vols are beginning to show a little bit of mental toughness on the baseball diamond. Dave Serrano’s team is clearly getting a winning mentality after taking two out of three against the No. 4 ranked Vanderbilt Commodores over the weekend and then winning off of a walk-off hit against the Eastern Kentucky Colonels Tuesday night, a team that despite its losing record had previously beaten the No. 13 ranked Mississippi State Bulldogs.

More volunteers: Tennessee Baseball: Vols Beat Eastern Kentucky Via Walk-Off

Now at 24-17 and barely in the hunt still for postseason play, Tennessee plays another dangerous lower-level team in the second game of a midweek back-to-back at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.

The Alabama State Hornets are 26-14 overall, but they are 18-0 in their conference, clearly establishing themselves as the dominant team at their level. That makes them very dangerous, and once again, the Vols cannot take them lightly.

This is a very well-coached team with a rising star in Mervyl Melendez, who has turned the Hornets into consistent winners in five seasons there following a 12-year stint with Bethune-Cookman in which he won his conference 10 times and made regionals 11 times.

At Alabama State, his teams have already won two straight regular season conference titles and are en route to clinch a third easily. Do not take what Melendez can do lightly.

Serrano may appear to know this, or maybe it’s just the rotation, but he’s got Alex Harper-Cook on the mound Wednesday to face the Hornets, a team batting over .300 overall.

The first pitch is set for 6 p.m. Eastern Time.

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Tennessee clearly wants to look ahead to the weekend to get to the series against the Missouri Tigers, a chance to improve their 6-12 SEC record, but it won’t matter if they can’t win games like this one. They’ve got to knock out Alabama State before looking forward.

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