Tennessee

Dylan Dreiling is writing his Tennessee baseball legend in CWS. It’s no surprise.

Published

5 months ago

June 23, 2024

Dylan Dreiling is writing his Tennessee baseball legend in CWS. It’s no surprise.

OMAHA, Neb. — AJ Russell smirked and shook his head.

The Tennessee baseball pitcher walked off the field in awe of Dylan Dreiling again. Russell is hardly alone. It’s a state that is enveloping all comers at Charles Schwab Field during the Vols’ crusade through the College World Series.

If it hasn’t caught you yet, you’re not paying attention.

“If you have been watching Tennessee baseball, you know Dylan Dreiling is pretty clutch,” Vols second baseman Christian Moore said.

Dreiling, the soft-spoken, hard-swinging outfielder, is crafting a legend in Omaha. His latest installment of heroism ensured Tennessee’s season didn’t end Sunday and is giving the Vols (59-13) a shot at the program’s first national title. He bashed a two-run homer that crashed into the railing over the Tennessee bullpen in right field, propelling the Vols toward a 4-1 win and forcing a Game 3 on Monday (7 p.m. ET, ESPN) against Texas A&M (53-14).

This is what Dreiling does.

What makes Dylan Dreiling a lethal presence in the Tennessee baseball lineup

Dreiling greeted Vols hitting coach and third-base coach Josh Elander as he rounded the bases Sunday.

All he did was grin.

“He is just a pro,” Elander said. “He is always under control. It is nothing crazy flashy one way or the other.”

The former is how Dreiling excels. The latter is how he often flies under the radar. He is a professional hitter who shows up and produces.

It starts with an unflappable demeanor, which is why he readily rises in the biggest moments. That presence dates back to his high school career in Hays, Kansas. He played for the Hays Larks, a collegiate summer team managed by his grandfather, Frank Leo. He did that instead of typical summer ball games, surrounding himself from an early age with mature players.

That is the foundation of what Elander labels “a pretty special makeup.”

“He just wants to play ball,” Elander said. “I think that is why he is going to play for a long time. He is more of a pro now than I think a lot of our guys have been.”

Dreiling pairs his settled attitude with insane hitting skills. The draft-eligible sophomore is a master of the strike zone whose analytics and metrics are off the charts, Elander said. He is strong and selective at the plate while making constant hard contact, a dangerous combination for any pitcher to grapple with during an at-bat.

Sunday’s homer was his 22nd of the season, tied for the fourth-most in Tennessee history.

“It is real juice,” Elander said. “He can get you.”

How Dylan Dreiling is becoming a College World Series legend

Dreiling opened a water bottle and beamed at catcher Cal Stark during a postgame interview Sunday before Stark gave his opinion on why Dreiling came through again.

“I think his heart just kind of stays calm, his mind stays calm,” Stark said. “I feel like he’s kind of built for those moments.”

Dreiling has shown it often in his career. He smashed a pinch-hit, two-out, two-strike homer against Vanderbilt in a game that flipped UT’s 2023 season. He hit late homers against Georgia and Queens this season and had a mammoth hit against LSU in April.

He is hitting .422 with five homers, 12 RBIs and 14 runs in the NCAA Tournament.

Dreiling dialed it up in Omaha. He walked off Florida State in UT’s opener with a single to cap a four-run ninth inning. That was his first four-hit day in the College World Series. The second was Saturday in the opener of the final against Texas A&M. He didn’t have a four-hit game in 67 games before the CWS.

He is hitting .500 in Tennessee’s five games in the CWS with two homers and eight RBIs. He hasn’t been held hitless, but was until the seventh inning Sunday. He stepped in with Moore on second and with the tip that Texas A&M reliever Kaiden Wilson had a rising fastball.

The Vols were confident as always in Dreiling.

“I think you are just going to get a quality at-bat,” Elander said. “That is what we are looking for. He has been able to hit some big ones. We want quality there and he is going to give it to us.”

MAKEUP: The summer that set Dylan Dreiling on path as Tennessee baseball’s quiet superstar

Dreiling focused on keeping his heart rate low and to get a ball down in the zone. He crushed a 1-1 pitch, unleashing all of his power and a brief batch of emotion.

“It was a sweet swing,” Moore said. “It was beautiful.”

Dreiling glanced to Stark earlier in postgame interviews Sunday and expressed he had given a “pretty good” answer.

“You could run for office,” Vols coach Tony Vitello said.

If Dreiling does it again Monday, it won’t be a quip anymore.

Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at michael.wilson@knoxnews.com and follow him on Twitter @ByMikeWilson. If you enjoy Mike’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it.

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Tennessee

Analyst Slams Titans, Aaron Rodgers Rumors

Published

3 hours ago

November 23, 2024

Press Room

Analyst Slams Titans, Aaron Rodgers Rumors

The Tennessee Titans have to figure out what they’re going to do at the quarterback position moving forward.

Will Levis showed flashes of big-time potential during his rookie season last year. Unfortunately, in year two, he has taken a huge step back and shown a lot of regression.

That has led to questions about his future with the team.

Recently, it has been suggested that Aaron Rodgers could end up being a potential target for the Titans if they’re looking for another quarterback.

It’s widely expected that Rodgers will part ways with the New York Jets in the offseason. Some speculation has even suggested that he could cut ties with the Jets during the 2024 season.

With that being said, Mike Moraitis of The Sporting News has slammed the rumors of Rodgers being a potential target for Tennessee.

“However, for the Titans to even consider bringing Rodgers in, they would have to be confident they are just a quarterback away and that Rodgers can put them over the top,” Moraitis wrote. “And, Rodgers would have to believe that the Titans are right there in terms of being a contender. Nothing we’ve seen from Rodgers or the Titans in 2024 has indicated any of those things are the case.”

He continued forward, revealing his thoughts on what the Titans should actually choose to do.

“What the Titans need to do is find their long-term solution under center and not a shaky bridge quarterback,” he wrote. “If Levis doesn’t rebound, Tennessee needs to get their guy in the 2025 NFL Draft, where they will have a high pick.”

Obviously, in an ideal world, Levis would bounce back strong down the stretch of the season. He could still very well do that and there is no denying the talent he possesses.

Bringing in Rodgers would be entertaining, but it wouldn’t change much about the outlook for the franchise. Depending on the price, they could consider signing Rodgers to a one or two-year deal and drafting a rookie. Starting Rodgers and letting a rookie learn from the sideline could make sense.

Even with that being a possibility, the idea of Rodgers to Tennessee just doesn’t make a ton of sense. Fans should not expect to see the Titans try to pursue Rodgers this offseason.

Make sure you bookmark Tennessee Titans on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!

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Tennessee

Titans Predicted for Another Loss vs. Texans

Published

12 hours ago

November 23, 2024

Press Room

Titans Predicted for Another Loss vs. Texans

The Tennessee Titans are just one day away from their next matchup against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium.

The Titans are looking for their first win since Week 9, when they beat the New England Patriots at home. In the last two weeks, Tennessee has lost by double digits to strong playoff-contending teams, and this week might not be much different against the first-place Texans.

CBS Sports writer Pete Prisco believes the Titans’ struggles will continue, falling 31-21 to the Texans.

“The Texans are playing on a short week, but they looked better on offense against Dallas with Nico Collins back. The Titans will have trouble stopping them this week, so look for the Texans and C.J. Stroud to play well. Will Levis won’t keep up,” Prisco writes.

The Titans will have to stop Houston’s multi-dimensional offense with Joe Mixon on the ground and Collins and Tank Dell through the air. Tennessee has the No. 2 overall defense this season, so it should provide a good test for C.J. Stroud and the Texans offense, but it still doesn’t make them a favorite.

If the Titans want to win against the Texans, they will have to pressure Stroud and take advantage of their offensive line, which has proven to be suspect at times during the season.

When it comes to the Titans’ offense, it needs to take care of the ball. Giving the Texans shorter fields will be the easiest way to lose the game, so if the Titans can prevent the Texans from scoring up close on short drives, they will have a chance to be competitive against their division rival.

Kickoff between the Titans and Texans is set for 12 noon CT tomorrow. The game can be watched on CBS or streamed on Paramount+.

Make sure you bookmark Tennessee Titans on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!

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Tennessee football commit Ethan Utley not looking ahead after Ensworth’s season ends vs McCallie

Published

20 hours ago

November 23, 2024

Press Room

Tennessee football commit Ethan Utley not looking ahead after Ensworth’s season ends vs McCallie

There was a reason Tennessee football commit Ethan Utley didn’t make any trips to Knoxville during the home stretch of Ensworth’s season.

Utley wanted to be fully locked into the Tigers’ TSSAA football playoffs run.

That’s one reason why Friday’s tearful postgame was so difficult. McCallie ended Ensworth’s season, defeating the Tigers 31-7 to advance to the Division II-AAA state final on Dec. 5 in Chattanooga against Baylor.

Utley, a 6-foot-4, 265-pound four-star defensive lineman, doesn’t know if he’ll enroll early at Tennessee yet. He hasn’t been thinking that far ahead. Everything lately, he said, was about the Tigers trying to reach their first TSSAA football state championship game since 2014.

“It hurts and it will hurt for a while. My mind was set on going to the state championship,” Utley said. “All the personal stuff, it doesn’t really matter. I knew Ensworth was going to be my home and where I would graduate from. I never wanted to transfer. My seniors and I gave it everything we could and just fell short.”

Ensworth (11-1) trailed just 7-0 at halftime. McCallie (10-2) began to put the game out of reach when Vanderbilt commitment Carson Lawrence returned an interception 44 yards for a touchdown to go up 21-7 with 10:46 left.

Utley, who appeared in all 45 of Ensworth’s games since the beginning of his freshman season, played through an injury most of the second half until the pain became too much. He said he was kneed in one of his nerves in his right shin. He was helped to the bench by Ensworth staffers late in the fourth quarter.

“I told myself if it has to end this way, I’m going to have to get dragged off this field,” Utley said. “And that’s what happened.”

Utley is the No. 3 prospect from Tennessee in the 2025 class and No. 21 defensive lineman nationally, according to the 247Sports Composite. He intends to sign with the Volunteers when the early period begins Dec. 4.

“He’s super athletic for his size, very smart,” Ensworth coach Tim Hasselbeck said. “Depending on how he wants to change his body in the weight room, how he eats, he’ll figure out what position he’ll play. I think he could play on either side of the ball. He’s got a very bright future.”

Utley was an easy teammate to get along with, Hasselbeck said. That’s where Utley’s focus was Friday as he hugged players on the field one last time.

But he knows a big stage awaits in Knoxville.

“I’m excited for the competition. I’m grateful to be able to go play Division I football in the SEC. Most kids can’t say they can go do that,” Utley said. “I’ve been through some hard times. For that to be my next step, I’m more than blessed. When I get healthy and get my body right, get back in that weight room, get back on the field and start attacking it more, I’ll start getting ready for the bigger things ahead.”

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Reach sports writer George Robinson at georgerobinsontheleafchronicle.com and on the X platform (formerly Twitter) @Cville_Sports.

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