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The Tennessee Volunteers are the final team North Carolina will break down in its Chapel Hill Regional opponent preview and will be one of three teams the Tar Heels could see this weekend.
It has been an up-and-down season for the Volunteers, who finished the regular season 38-20 overall and 15-15 in the SEC in Josh Elander’s first year at the helm. Elander replaced former national championship coach Tony Vitello, who left to manage the San Francisco Giants, and the transition helped lead to Tennessee missing out on hosting a regional — something college baseball fans had grown used to seeing in recent years.
Tennessee is no stranger to Boshamer Stadium. The Volunteers were part of the Chapel Hill Regional in 2019, going 2-2 with both losses coming against the Tar Heels.
Here’s a closer look at Tennessee:
Tennessee has long been known for its ability to mash, and Ford is its premier power threat. He is batting .300 with a team-high 70 hits, 50 runs scored, a team-leading 19 home runs and a team-best 56 RBIs.
Tennessee can do a little bit of everything, but the Volunteers’ calling card is still their power. They have launched 111 home runs, the third most in the SEC and seventh most nationally.
On the mound, Tennessee limits traffic and misses bats. The Volunteers allow 8.29 hits per nine innings, which ranks 34th nationally, and they strike out 3.33 batters for every walk, good for seventh in the country.
They are also steady defensively. Tennessee’s .984 fielding percentage is the fifth-best mark in Division I.
For all of their power, the Volunteers’ offense can be feast or famine. They do not consistently string together base hits or work deep counts.
Tennessee is hitting .278 as a team, which ranks 146th nationally. The Volunteers also sit 176th in walks drawn and 215th in on-base percentage at .370, numbers that underscore their reliance on the long ball.
The pitching staff, while strong in terms of limiting hits and piling up strikeouts, is vulnerable to big swings. Tennessee has surrendered 84 home runs, the most in the SEC, which is a major reason the Volunteers’ team ERA sits at 4.71 instead of something lower.
Follow us @TarHeelsWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.
This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: UNC Baseball: Tar Heels welcome Tennessee to Chapel Hill Regional
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It has been an up-and-down season for the Volunteers, who finished the regular season 38-20 overall and 15-15 in the SEC in Josh Elander’s first year at the helm. Elander replaced former national championship coach Tony Vitello, who left to manage the San Francisco Giants, and the transition helped lead to Tennessee missing out on hosting a regional — something college baseball fans had grown used to seeing in recent years.
Tennessee is no stranger to Boshamer Stadium. The Volunteers were part of the Chapel Hill Regional in 2019, going 2-2 with both losses coming against the Tar Heels.
Here’s a closer look at Tennessee:
Player to watch: INF/OF Henry Ford
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Tennessee has long been known for its ability to mash, and Ford is its premier power threat. He is batting .300 with a team-high 70 hits, 50 runs scored, a team-leading 19 home runs and a team-best 56 RBIs.
Other players to watch
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- OF Reese Chapman is another key bat in the middle of the order, hitting .316 with 62 hits, 10 home runs, 44 RBIs and a team-high seven stolen bases.
- Left-hander Evan Blanco has been the Volunteers’ workhorse on the mound, going 7-4 with a 4.94 ERA over a team-best 82 innings, striking out 97 and holding opponents to a .232 batting average.
- Right-hander Brady Frederick has been one of Tennessee’s most trusted bullpen arms, posting a 4-1 record and 4.06 ERA with 34 strikeouts in a team-high 26 appearances.
Strengths
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Tennessee can do a little bit of everything, but the Volunteers’ calling card is still their power. They have launched 111 home runs, the third most in the SEC and seventh most nationally.
On the mound, Tennessee limits traffic and misses bats. The Volunteers allow 8.29 hits per nine innings, which ranks 34th nationally, and they strike out 3.33 batters for every walk, good for seventh in the country.
They are also steady defensively. Tennessee’s .984 fielding percentage is the fifth-best mark in Division I.
Weaknesses
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For all of their power, the Volunteers’ offense can be feast or famine. They do not consistently string together base hits or work deep counts.
Tennessee is hitting .278 as a team, which ranks 146th nationally. The Volunteers also sit 176th in walks drawn and 215th in on-base percentage at .370, numbers that underscore their reliance on the long ball.
The pitching staff, while strong in terms of limiting hits and piling up strikeouts, is vulnerable to big swings. Tennessee has surrendered 84 home runs, the most in the SEC, which is a major reason the Volunteers’ team ERA sits at 4.71 instead of something lower.
Follow us @TarHeelsWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.
This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: UNC Baseball: Tar Heels welcome Tennessee to Chapel Hill Regional
Continue reading...
