Hunter Ensley was the only player to go through senior night festivities on Tuesday night for Tennessee baseball. He received a well-deserved ovation from the home crowd and responded with some key plays in his final regular-season home game at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.
Tennessee beat Belmont 9-4 Tuesday night after another weather-delay-filled game. Ensley provided two key hits before the rain delay, including a home run to give the Vols a comfortable lead before the weather delay.
Ensley returned to center field after the delay but was replaced by Colby Backus. This allowed Ensley to exit the field one final time to another ovation from the fans, who recognized his impact on the team throughout his career and his impact on Tennessee's national championship last season.
He is a fan favorite for a reason. He puts his body on the line to help Tennessee win regular-season games and the College World Series.
Tony Vitello recognized his contributions and the importance of his final home at-bat, which was a home run in front of Vol Nation.
"Hitting a home run ain't easy," Vitello said postgame. "And I know we had more game to play there. We take him out of the game. No one's going to get made fun of more in the country tonight if we lose that game after he comes out that early.
"But if I was Hunter, I would want my last at-bat to be a homer. At the very least regular season at-bat here. And if you had asked him if he wants to come out of the game, he's not coming out of the game. We just decided, as a coaching staff to do that."
The BaseVols will look to cap their season with a series win over Arkansas this weekend. Tennessee travels to Fayetteville to take on the Razorbacks starting on Thursday, with the first pitch scheduled for 8 PM ET.