How Tennessee baseball bounced back from 'embarrassing' loss to win series vs Georgia

Tennessee baseball came out victorious against Georgia on Sunday to win its second consecutive SEC series, having thwarted Ole Miss last weekend. 

No. 5 Tennessee (24-5, 5-4 SEC) lost to Georgia 16-2 on run rule Friday; won 16-11 on Saturday; and won 7-0 on Sunday at Lindsey Nelson Stadium. It was the Bulldogs' first shutout loss of the season.

The Vols lead the all-time series against Georgia 129-122, and 73-51 at home. 

Here are the takeaways from the weekend:

Resilience after 'embarrassing' loss 

Tennessee’s loss Friday was its most lopsided of the season and the first time it was run-ruled. The largest deficit before then was a 5-1 loss to Oklahoma on Feb. 17. Georgia, ranked No. 24, had 16 hits, 16 RBIs and four home runs in its win

The last time the Vols lost by at least 14 runs was April 7, 2018, when they fell to Florida 22-6. 

Tennessee coach Tony Vitello said his group was not pleased and viewed the blowout loss as “a little embarrassing.” He said Sunday, however, that he learned how “resilient” the players can be. 

“If you let that scoreboard or that stat sheet get you waving in the wind one way or other, that’s trouble,” Vitello said. “I don’t think anyone was deterred and so the resiliency factor there was huge.”

After managing just one RBI Friday. Tennessee returned the next day with 16 RBIs and four home runs in the 16-11 win. 

Tennessee’s defense stands out

Georgia (22-6, 4-5) entered and left the weekend as one of the most powerful offensive teams in the country. It leads the SEC in slugging percentage (.661) and home runs (82) after Sunday. The Vols got a taste of that dynamism in the first two games, when Georgia’s Charlie Condon went 5-for-6 and had two home runs and three RBIs.

The Vols then delivered arguably their most impressive defensive performance of the season Sunday, shutting out Georgia with a brilliant performance from Zander Sechrist. The senior lefty pitcher and Georgia native threw a career-high 104 pitches, allowing four hits and one walk. He also struck out seven in a career-high six innings. 

“My arms going to hurt tomorrow, I won’t lie,” Sechrist said. “The fastball was playing well, change-up, too.”

This was the Vols' first shutout of an SEC opponent since May 19, 2023, when it beat South Carolina 5-0.

Blake Burke’s memorable junior season

Junior first baseman Blake Burke tied Tennessee’s record for career home runs with 40 in the fourth inning Saturday. 

He also continues his streak of consecutive games with a hit (19) and getting on-base (27). 

HOME RUN RECORD:Junior Blake Burke ties Tennessee baseball program record with 40th homer

“He’s real gifted but I think he’s a better worker than he is player,” Vitello said Saturday. “There’s plenty of skill there for him to make it all the way to the big leagues but it's been refined by a big-time work ethic and also a will to win that’s pretty special.”

This season, Burke is tied for a team-high 10 home runs along with a .400 batting average.

Toyloy Brown III is a Knox News sports reporter. Email toyloy.brown@knoxnews.com. On X, formerly Twitter, @TJ3rd_.