When Tennessee baseball players arrived at the clubhouse at Lindsey Nelson Stadium early on April 24, they weren’t thinking about the upcoming grind of a doubleheader against No. 15 Alabama.

They weren’t fixated on the 12-8 loss to the Tide in the first game of the series a day earlier. They weren’t stressed about what a series loss could mean for their postseason future.

The Vols were too busy “jamming” to rapper NBA YoungBoy, according to starting pitcher Tegan Kuhns.

That loose mentality translated into a cascading offensive downpour and stringent defensive outing as Tennessee (29-15, 10-11 SEC) cruised to big wins over the Tide (29-29-16, 10-11) on both ends of the doubleheader.

Tennessee run-ruled Alabama in eight innings, 10-0, charged by another exceptional performance from Kuhns. Hours later, the Vols posted their second double-digit scoring performance with an 11-4 win.

Tennessee coach Josh Elander believes his young team is learning from facing adversity.

“We’ve been in that spot because we haven’t won on Friday night,” he said. “We need to be better on Fridays, but we’ve been in these scenarios where your back is against the wall and you’ve got to figure out what you’ve got. You can play tight and tense and try hard, or you can just cut it loose and play baseball.”

Tennessee hosts West Georgia at home on April 28 (6 p.m. ET, SEC Network+) before continuing SEC play at Kentucky from May 1-3.

Here’s what we learned about Tennessee baseball after its Alabama series victory.

Offense responded to Josh Elander’s challenge

After Tennessee’s first two losses in its last series against Ole Miss, Elander challenged the team to reflect on the offensive woes. The Vols scored four runs in the first game, yet barely escaped a shutout with a single run in Game 2.

Tennessee closed the series with a 13-5 win on April 19. The success carried over into the Alabama series with a total of 29 runs. Even in Game 1, the Vols logged eight runs.

Tennessee basketball has fortified its defense with a commitment from Kennesaw State forward Braedan Lue.

Lue announced his decision on Instagram on April 24, writing “Still Me Different City.”

The 6-foot-9, 235-pound Lue with two years of eligibility remaining. He spent his first two seasons at Kennesaw State and was an immediate starter, starting in 66 of 68 games for the Owls.

Last season, he averaged 10.9 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.4 blocks and 0.9 steals. He shot 45.% from the field and 26.7% from 3 on 2.5 attemtps.

Lue was the third-leading scorer and one of the top defenders for a Kennesaw State team that won the CUSA championship and made the Men’s NCAA Tournament. The Owls lost to Gonzaga in the first round, 73-64.

The sophomore provides much-needed depth to the Tennessee front court. The Vols only had freshman forward DeWayne Brown II and Loyola (Chicago) transfer center Miles Rubin in the rotation. Lue also adds some defense in an otherwise offense-heavy portal class that included Belmont guard Tyler Lundblade, Cal guard Dai Dai Ames, Notre Dame forward Jalen Haralson and VCU guard Terrence Hill.

Lue was an unranked prospect out of Alexander High School in Douglasville, Georgia, but he received power conference offers from California and Penn State before committing to Kennesaw State.

Wynton Jackson covers high school sports for Knox News. Email: wynton.jackson@knoxnews.com

Support strong local journalism and unlock premium perks: knoxnews.com/subscribe