The Tennessee Vols picked up a midweek win over Presbyterian, 8–1, extending its non-conference winning streak on Tuesday's. However, the bigger storyline is their SEC performance, where the Vols sit 11–13 and rank 12th in the conference. Last weekend, Tennessee dropped two of three to a solid Kentucky team, scoring just four runs across the first two games in a combined 21–4 loss. They bounced back with a 10–9 win on Sunday, but still left Lexington without the series.
Former Vol Andrew Fischer emerging as Brewers prospect to watch after explosive start
It doesn't get any easier for the Vols taking on Texas this weekend. Ahead of the series, head coach Josh Elander praised the Longhorns' elite program.
"It's a championship-level program," said Elander. "It's a very talented roster. There's high draft picks all over the place. There's big velocity, there's different looks, and they have some freshmen from the West Coast that are playing well right now. It's a very balanced group and very competitive, but that's what the SEC is. And if you look across, there'll be more, maybe some more familiar faces across the way, just from either recruiting or back in the day. But it's another really, really good opponent at home in Knoxville, and we're excited for the challenge."
Josh Elander is excited for the challenge of No. 4 Texas this weekend
Tennessee is 25–9 at home and has been really strong at protecting Lindsay Nelson, but Texas is a different level of challenge. The Longhorns have one of the best pitching staffs in the conference, led by Dylan Volantis, who has a 1.87 ERA and over 13 strikeouts per nine. The Longhorns have won their last three SEC series, taking down some of the conference's best in the process.
On the bright side, Tennessee did sweep Mississippi State, and they took two of three against Alabama, two of the top teams in the nation, so they have proven they can take down good teams, but taking on Texas will be difficult. If Elander can take two of three against the Longhorns, it would be a very successful weekend and would help the Vols in their tournament seeding.
Add us as a preferred source on Google