Tennessee baseball enters Sunday’s series finale against Ole Miss searching for a reset, both mentally and offensively.
The Vols dropped the first two games of the weekend with final scores of 7-4 and 8-1.
In Saturday’s loss, the Vols were held to just two hits. It was a performance that underscored ongoing issues at the plate and increased the urgency to avoid a sweep at home.
The focus, however, isn’t on overhauling mechanics.
“Just hit the reset button as soon as we can,” Tennessee head coach Josh Elander said. “It needs to be mental changes.”
Through two games, Tennessee’s offensive struggles have stemmed from an inconsistent approach. The Vols have mustered just nine hits in two game.
Elander emphasized how the hitters have been caught between pitch types, expanding the zone, and failing to execute in key situations.
“Weren’t staying to the off-speed pitches and chasing heaters up,” Elander said. “It’s not a good formula for success.”
Even with opportunities, the Vols have been unable to deliver.
“We’ve had chances,” Elander said. “We don’t have a way to get it done.”
Part of the issue, according to Elander, is internal. Rather than trusting their approach, hitters have pressed in big moments, trying to create offense instead of letting it develop.
“I think a lot of it is guys just trying too hard,” Elander said.
Leadership will also be key in that reset. Veteran players such as Reese Chapman are expected to help stabilize the group and reinforce the approach needed to respond.
“I think Reese (Chapman) is the easy one to look at, or Stone (Lawless), or Arv (Brandon Arvidson). There’s a lot of guys, I think, that the messaging has been consistent with the guys. Again, the door swings both ways. You have to be ready. This league can break you if you let it, but if you stay in it and make sure you’re paying attention to things that help you win, and staying away from the things that don’t. And really, Reese is the guy who knows that. Manny (Marin) knows that as well. Those are the few that have been in the league a bunch. But again, just another game on Sunday on our home field, we need to come out and be ready to go.
Avoiding a sweep will likely come down to whether Tennessee can pair that mindset shift with improved execution at the plate; staying disciplined, using the whole field, and delivering in the moments that have slipped away through two games.
Game three is slated for 1:00 p.m. on Sunday.
