KNOXVILLE ― Ethan McElvain took the mound for the ninth inning against Tennessee in a move that felt like it could go either very well or very poorly.

McElvain has a 7.33 ERA this season, but the potential has always been evident with his mid-90s fastball. He gave up at least one run in his first nine outings of the season and multiple runs in seven of those, and though he was originally in the weekend rotation, Vanderbilt baseball moved him to the bullpen after five weeks.

Facing the top of the order, McElvain retired all three batters he faced, including striking out Andrew Fischer with a 97 mph fastball to close out the 10-6 win on May 10 and force a rubber match in the series.

Vanderbilt (35-16, 15-11 SEC) has dealt with inconsistent performances all season in part because of a young roster that has faced growing pains. But as the regular season comes closer to a conclusion, those same players have stepped up.

In the series opener, it was Brodie Johnston, who hit a ninth-inning home run in a 3-2 loss and made several key defensive plays. In Game 2, it was McElvain and sophomore Braden Holcomb, who had a home run and three RBIs.

“I think we’re as talented of a group as there is,” Holcomb said. “I think once, when we play with confidence, and we just go out there and let it go, I think we’re one of the best teams in the country.”

Holcomb has been rounding into form of late, with six extra-base hits in his past seven games. Most notably, he hit two home runs in a game against Alabama, including a walk-off to clinch the series for Vanderbilt. He is part of a formidable middle-of-the-order core with Johnston, Riley Nelson and Colin Barczi.

Younger pitchers have come in handy, too. Luke Guth got the Game 2 win with a scoreless inning and two strikeouts.

“I just trust him,” Vanderbilt coach Tim Corbin said of McElvain. ” . . . I think he’s really improved over the past couple ofweeks. I like where his mind is. I like where his delivery is. I like where the ball is going. I like his intent. It’s good. He wants to pitch. We’ve got to get him out there.”

Corbin says his teams typically tend to improve after exams are over before hitting a late-season peak. One game against the Vols doesn’t necessarily make that the case this time, but several players are showing positive indicators.

The win also erased some of the previous demons of Lindsey Nelson Stadium, where Vanderbilt got swept in 2023. Just two players who played in Game 2 were on the 2023 team, and only one was on the 2022 team that was swept at home by the Vols, starting what would eventually become a nine-game losing streak in the rivalry.

SUNDAY STARTER Why ’12-year-old demon’ Connor Fennell angers opposing coaches, dominates for Vanderbilt baseball

Now a younger group has the chance to create its own legacy in a series Tennessee has dominated of late.

“I wasn’t here (in 2023), but there’s a lot of guys on the team that were here, and I’m sure that feels really good,” Holcomb said. “Coming in this environment, getting a win, that’s going to set us up in the long run. So that’s good, and that’s important.”

Aria Gerson covers Vanderbilt athletics for The Tennessean. Contact her at agerson@gannett.com or on X, formerly Twitter, @aria_gerson.

It wasn’t a surprise that Tennessee softball’s offense couldn’t overcome errors that led to unearned runs in its SEC tournament quarterfinal loss.

It felt inevitable that the Lady Vols’ inconsistent offense would catch up to them in the postseason, and it didn’t take long. No. 4 seed Tennessee didn’t have any offensive buffer for two critical errors and six unearned runs in the 6-1 loss to No. 5 seed Arkansas (40-11) at Jack Turner Softball Stadium in Athens, Georgia, on May 8. 

It was the fifth loss of the season when junior pitcher Karlyn Pickens (20-8) started and didn’t give up any earned runs. Her ERA went down to 0.92 in the loss.

“Facts are facts. There’s zero earned runs on there,” Tennessee coach Karen Weekly said. “I know (Pickens) is going to probably look at it a little differently, but … we talk about mistakes – we make a couple plays a little cleaner, we’re in a real battle. Who knows, maybe we’re in one of those extra inning ball games.”

Pickens’ performance should have been enough for Tennessee to win. But the Lady Vols’ defense faltered twice and committed errors in crucial moments – ones they couldn’t afford to make with their slow offensive day.

The signs of a postseason loss like this have been there from the season opener on Feb. 6 when Tennessee lost 7-1 to Nebraska. It was the first of five losses this season when Pickens started and didn’t give up a single earned run. The Huskers broke open the game in the fifth inning when multiple fielding errors led to five runs.

The Lady Vols went on to lose 1-0 to Oregon on an unearned run when Pickens struck out 13. Weekly even got strategic with her pitching staff in the Texas series in April so Tennessee wouldn’t lose another pitcher’s duel and waste another excellent performance from Pickens.

The Lady Vols didn’t look like a team playing its best softball in the postseason against Arkansas. But they haven’t looked like a team building toward that for the last few weeks, losing four of their last seven games of the regular season.

A few weeks ago, Tennessee was on track to secure a top-8 seed in the NCAA tournament, which would have given it hosting privileges until Oklahoma City if UT made a run the Women’s College World Series. Now, the Lady Vols are floundering going into the selection show on Sunday (7 p.m. ET, ESPN2).

PICKENS: Karlyn Pickens has thrown fastest pitch ever. What has made Tennessee softball pitcher better?

Tennessee should safely host a regional as a top-16 seed, but its place in the top 8 seeds is in question after losing their first game of the SEC tournament.

Weekly pointed to their road series wins over Texas and Oklahoma along with no losses to unranked teams as part of their case for a top-8 seed. Tennessee has also played 28 of its games against ranked opponents. The Lady Vols played every reigning power conference champion from last season (UCLA, Northwestern, Duke and Texas).

“I think we’re either second or third or tied for second in terms of the number of games against top 25,” Weekly said. “I think sometimes people look at wins, but if another team is playing a bunch of teams that are in 26 through 50, and we played a bulk in the top 25, that’s putting yourself out there over and over and over again.”

Cora Hall covers University of Tennessee women’s athletics. Email her at cora.hall@knoxnews.com and follow her on X @corahalll. If you enjoy Cora’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that allows you to access all of it.