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Gavin Kilen is hamstrung no more for Tennessee baseball.
The Vols junior returned to play second base against Lispcomb on April 22, more than a month after he injured his hamstring against ETSU on March 18 and 11 days after he rejoined the lineup as the designated hitter.
"I think it gives our offense the best chance to have nine guys out there that can be productive," coach Tony Vitello said after the Vols beat Lipscomb.
Kilen likely will stick at second as No. 6 Tennessee (34-7, 12-6 SEC) heads to No. 5 LSU (34-8, 12-6) for a weekend series staring April 25 (7:30 p.m. ET, SEC Network+) in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He is hitting .412 with 11 homers and 28 RBIs in 29 games.
The Louisville transfer is a key presence in the field and the lineup for Tennessee, but his full return also unlocks the best offensive potential for the Vols as he frees up the designated hitter spot.
Vitello pointed to freshman Levi Clark (.338, eight homers, 27 RBIs) and redshirt freshman Blake Grimmer (.370, four homers, 14 RBIs) as candidates to "take control" of the DH spot.
"They're both physical enough to look like an upperclassman or a junior, and by now, again, you'd like to sprinkle in more reps to both those guys, but Levi, especially (and) Grimmer, getting there," Vitello said.
The bottom part of Tennessee's order slumped through a series loss to Kentucky. The final five spots in the order hit .148 (8-for-54) in the three-game series. Only Cannon Peebles and Manny Marin had multiple hits with three each. The other eight players who rotated through the spots combined for two hits.
Tennessee was No. 1 opening April and LSU jumped to No. 3 on April 7. But both teams have been on small skids in the three weeks since.
Both UT and LSU are 8-5 in April. The Vols lost home series to Kentucky and Texas A&M and are 4-5 in conference play in the past three series. They opened 8-1 in the first three weekends.
The Tigers were swept at Auburn in their first April series. They have lost two straight games, dropping the series finale against Alabama then losing 13-3 to Northwestern State in seven innings.
Texas leads the SEC with a 16-2 record. Arkansas is second with a 13-5 record. The Tigers and Vols play Arkansas in the final two regular-season weekends.
Liam Doyle has been arguably the best pitcher in college baseball this season. LSU's Kade Anderson has also been one of the top arms in the sport.
FASTBALL: How Liam Doyle's fastball makes Tennessee's ace college baseball's top strikeout pitcher
That'll be the Game 1 matchup. Doyle (7-1, 2.48 ERA) leads the nation with 104 strikeouts. Anderson (6-1, 3.92 ERA) is fifth with 93.
Tennessee and LSU only played once in Vitello's first three seasons before turning up a good rivalry in the past four seasons.
The Vols won five matchups in 2021, sweeping the Tigers and winning two games in the Knoxville Super Regional to clinch the first College World Series berth under Vitello. They won again in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals in 2022.
LSU owned Tennessee in 2023, winning the regular-season series then beating UT twice in the College World Series. It was all Tennessee again in 2024 as the Vols swept the Tigers and beat them to win the SEC Tournament title.
The Vols have an 11-7 record against LSU under Vitello. They were swept in Baton Rouge in 2018 in Vitello's first season.
Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at [email protected] and follow him on X @ByMikeWilson or Bluesky @bymikewilson.bsky.social. If you enjoy Mike’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Tennessee baseball vs LSU: Vols get Gavin Kilen back at second base
Continue reading...
The Vols junior returned to play second base against Lispcomb on April 22, more than a month after he injured his hamstring against ETSU on March 18 and 11 days after he rejoined the lineup as the designated hitter.
"I think it gives our offense the best chance to have nine guys out there that can be productive," coach Tony Vitello said after the Vols beat Lipscomb.
Kilen likely will stick at second as No. 6 Tennessee (34-7, 12-6 SEC) heads to No. 5 LSU (34-8, 12-6) for a weekend series staring April 25 (7:30 p.m. ET, SEC Network+) in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He is hitting .412 with 11 homers and 28 RBIs in 29 games.
The Louisville transfer is a key presence in the field and the lineup for Tennessee, but his full return also unlocks the best offensive potential for the Vols as he frees up the designated hitter spot.
Vitello pointed to freshman Levi Clark (.338, eight homers, 27 RBIs) and redshirt freshman Blake Grimmer (.370, four homers, 14 RBIs) as candidates to "take control" of the DH spot.
"They're both physical enough to look like an upperclassman or a junior, and by now, again, you'd like to sprinkle in more reps to both those guys, but Levi, especially (and) Grimmer, getting there," Vitello said.
The bottom part of Tennessee's order slumped through a series loss to Kentucky. The final five spots in the order hit .148 (8-for-54) in the three-game series. Only Cannon Peebles and Manny Marin had multiple hits with three each. The other eight players who rotated through the spots combined for two hits.
Tennessee, LSU need a series win to close April
Tennessee was No. 1 opening April and LSU jumped to No. 3 on April 7. But both teams have been on small skids in the three weeks since.
Both UT and LSU are 8-5 in April. The Vols lost home series to Kentucky and Texas A&M and are 4-5 in conference play in the past three series. They opened 8-1 in the first three weekends.
The Tigers were swept at Auburn in their first April series. They have lost two straight games, dropping the series finale against Alabama then losing 13-3 to Northwestern State in seven innings.
Texas leads the SEC with a 16-2 record. Arkansas is second with a 13-5 record. The Tigers and Vols play Arkansas in the final two regular-season weekends.
Liam Doyle vs Kade Anderson is a must-see pitching matchup
Liam Doyle has been arguably the best pitcher in college baseball this season. LSU's Kade Anderson has also been one of the top arms in the sport.
FASTBALL: How Liam Doyle's fastball makes Tennessee's ace college baseball's top strikeout pitcher
That'll be the Game 1 matchup. Doyle (7-1, 2.48 ERA) leads the nation with 104 strikeouts. Anderson (6-1, 3.92 ERA) is fifth with 93.
Tennessee baseball has a good rivalry with LSU in recent seasons
Tennessee and LSU only played once in Vitello's first three seasons before turning up a good rivalry in the past four seasons.
The Vols won five matchups in 2021, sweeping the Tigers and winning two games in the Knoxville Super Regional to clinch the first College World Series berth under Vitello. They won again in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals in 2022.
LSU owned Tennessee in 2023, winning the regular-season series then beating UT twice in the College World Series. It was all Tennessee again in 2024 as the Vols swept the Tigers and beat them to win the SEC Tournament title.
The Vols have an 11-7 record against LSU under Vitello. They were swept in Baton Rouge in 2018 in Vitello's first season.
Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at [email protected] and follow him on X @ByMikeWilson or Bluesky @bymikewilson.bsky.social. If you enjoy Mike’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Tennessee baseball vs LSU: Vols get Gavin Kilen back at second base
Continue reading...
