Tennessee dropped its final home SEC game of the season 13-6 to No. 4 Texas on Sunday.
The senior outfielder launched two home runs and drove in all six Tennessee runs in his final conference home game. Still, the Vols claimed the weekend series over the Longhorns.
Chapman wasted little time making his mark Sunday. After Tennessee loaded the bases in the first inning, he crushed a game-tying grand slam into right field to erase an early 4-0 deficit.
He delivered again in the sixth inning. Chapman battled through a 12-pitch at-bat against Texas’ reliever before hammering a two-run homer to right field. The blast cut the deficit to 12-6.
“It’s fun to have a showdown with the pitcher that has great stuff,” Chapman said. “I knew at some point he was gonna leave something over the plate and make a mistake, and I didn’t want to miss it.”
Chapman finished the weekend with 5 hits, 8 RBIs, and 3 home runs.
“It was special with the fans that have always supported me since I stepped foot on campus,” Chapman said. “I had a bunch of family here supporting me, and I wouldn’t want it any other way, other than to end with a win.”
Head coach Josh Elander praised Chapman after the game and pointed to the veteran’s toughness throughout the afternoon.
“He’s a guy to root for,” Elander said. “True Volunteer means a lot to me and a lot of people I know. He’s just a special player.”
Elander also called Chapman’s sixth-inning battle “one of the best at-bats I’ve seen in a long time.”
The Colorado native has become one of the defining veterans of Tennessee’s rise into a national power.
After the game, Chapman reflected on how much the program has changed during his four years on campus.
“To come from my freshman year, when we still had portable bleachers down left field line to see what it looks like now,” Chapman said. “It’s truly remarkable.”
Chapman said wearing the Tennessee uniform has always meant giving everything he has to the program.
“I want to be a Vol for life,” Chapman said. “That’s the only Vol way, is to give it your all.”
Now Tennessee turns its attention to a midweek matchup against Belmont before closing the regular season at Oklahoma.
