It's time for people to wake up and stop sleeping on the postseason giants. The Tennessee Vols have had a target on their back for quite some time, but the reigning national champs made another statement on Thursday by taking down Texas in an extra-innings thriller.
Liam Doyle didn't have his best stuff on the day, but his team backed him up late and an unforgettable 7-5 win was recorded. Think this win meant a lot to Doyle and his teammates? You bet. To make things even better, the ESPN cameras caught Doyle firing up a 'Horns Down' right after UT posted the win. Vols fans are loving this. Texas supporters? Not so much.
Liam Doyle delivering a 'Horns Down' made the Tennessee win over Texas even better
With Doyle on the bump for this one, a lot of people gave Tennessee the edge despite the team's late-season struggles. However, the Longhorns were able to jump out to a 4-0 lead, which had a lot of people out there pretty worried.
Remember when Alabama coach Rob Vaughn said this offense is scary when it gets going? Tennessee chipped away at the lead and tied things up at 4-4. A go-ahead homer by Gavin Kilen in the top of the 10th gave the Vols the momentum, but Texas tied things up soon after.
It looked like the Longhorns would finish things off, but the Vols got out of a jam and then more magic arrived in the top of the 12th. Once again, Kilen was the hero. That's right, with two runners on, he belted a two-run double to give his team the W.
This is a monster win for Tennessee for so many different reasons. With the NIL law arriving in the state, people are up in arms, with a lot of haters calling for Greg Sankey to kick the Vols out of the SEC. If you ask us, the thought of that is a joke.
So, what has Tennessee baseball done since everyone has been bashing the university? They've taken down Alabama and followed that by ending the SEC Tournament for the No. 2 team in the country. It's lights out for the Longhorns in the hunt to win the conference title. Doyle made sure to make things worse with his Horns Down move, while Kilen will look to deliver once again for head man Tony Vitello on Saturday in the semifinals against Vanderbilt.