Tennessee opens the SEC Tournament with a win over No. 9 seed Alabama, with a 15-10 win in Hoover, Alabama.
The Vols were the home team in front of a strong Tennessee crowd at the Hoover Met. Tennessee showed it has the ability to be one of the best hitting teams heading into the postseason, proving to be a threat to make another deep run in Omaha this year.
Tennessee didn't wait to get things started at the plate, putting up a run in the first, second, fourth, fifth, sixth, and eighth innings. The explosion at the plate included an outing that saw 20 hits and went 9-for-20 (.450) with runners in scoring position.
Marcus Phillips started the game on the mound for the Vols. After allowing four runs in four innings, he was pulled to settle down Tennessee's defense and slow down Alabama's bats.
AJ Russell picked up a few big innings on the mound. He pitched 3.2 innings, allowing two runs but zero earned runs. His performance on the mound helped the Vols keep some distance over the Crimson Tide before an eighth-inning offensive explosion pushed the Vols to a nine-run lead.
This has been a trend for the Vols throughout conference play: They won their midweek matchup and started the weekend with a conference win.
Tennessee struggled in its second SEC game of the weekend, so Thursday's matchup against Texas could be an interesting challenge for the Vols. After a disappointing end to the conference schedule, the Vols are looking to make a statement in the SEC Tournament.
The Vols and Longhorns' first pitch is scheduled for 4:00 PM ET on Thursday to begin the quarterfinal round, which will take place on Thursday and Friday. If the Vols win that game, their next game will be Saturday.