Tennessee
Tennessee Baseball's Bats Fall Flat In Series Finale Loss At Vanderbilt | Rocky Top Insider
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee baseball’s offense fell flat as the Vols dropped their series finale at Vanderbilt 3-0 on Sunday afternoon.
Led by JD Thompson, Vanderbilt’s pitching staff became the first team to shut out Tennessee all season long. Here’s everything to know about the series finale loss.
A Poor Outing For Zander Sechrist
Tennessee baseball needed a strong outing from starting pitcher Zander Sechrist after exhausting a good chunk of its reliable bullpen arms int he first two games of the weekend series.
Things couldn’t have started better for Sechrist as the left-handed pitcher struck out the first two Vanderbilt batters he faced.
But things went poorly from there for the left-handed pitcher. RJ Austin gave Vanderbilt a two-out baserunner with a single to right field and then Alan Espinal took Sechrist deep for a two-run homer an at-bat later.
Vanderbilt added another run in the second inning when a Jonathan Vastine blooper dropped in right field for a two-out RBI single.
Tennessee went to the bullpen to open the third inning making it a three-run, two inning outing for Sechrist. The lack of offensive production compounded the issue but it was still a poor outing for Sechrist.
JD Thompson Tosses A Gem For Vanderbilt
Sunday’s matchup was the only game that Vanderbilt didn’t announce its starting pitcher before the series. But JD Thompson one upped already strong outings from Bryce Cunningham and Carter Holton the first two games of the weekend series.
The left-handed pitcher came out dialed in striking out the side in the top of the first inning. It jumpstarted what was a fantastic outing for Thompson. He allowed just two hits while striking out nine Vols in six shutout innings. His one shortcoming was a somewhat shaky command— three walks and two hit batters. But it mattered little as he worked his way out of the few tight spots he found himself in.
Tennessee didn’t oft threaten against Thompson. The Vols came their closest to adding a run in the fifth inning when Hunter Ensley worked a leadoff walk and Dean Curley was hit-by a pitch. But then Thompson struck out both Robin Villeneuve and Cal Stark before getting a Christian Moore fly out to get out of the inning.
Vanderbilt needed a series finale win to salvage the weekend badly. Thompson answered the bell and held down a fantastic Tennessee offense.
More From RTI: Play-By-Play Of Tennessee Baseball’s Series Finale Loss At Vanderbilt
Strong Nate Snead Outing Keeps Tennessee In Striking Distance
After throwing just three pitches to get the final two outs of game two of the weekend series, Tennessee called upon Nate Snead to relieve Sechrist has he’s done almost every weekend this season.
Snead turned in a strong long relief outing in the series finale, allowing no runs on five hits and one walk in 4.1 innings of relief. The flame throwing right hander struck out four Commodores batters in what was a stout appearance.
The transfer pitcher showed the importance of Tennessee using his versatility out of the bullpen over the weekend as he both closed a game and was an effective long reliever.
Snead’s strong outing was good enough to keep Tennessee within striking distance but it mattered little on a quiet afternoon for the Vols’ offense.
Box Score
Up Next
Tennessee baseball returns to Lindsey Nelson Stadium on Tuesday night where they will face the Belmont Bruins. First pitch for the final midweek game of the season is at 5 p.m. ET. SEC Network+ is streaming the game.
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How Tennessee basketball made it back to third straight Elite Eight appearance
Tennessee basketball wanted to exploit Iowa State’s lack of depth in its 76-62 Men’s NCAA Tournament win
For the third straight season, Rick Barnes has Tennessee basketball in the Elite Eight. After Sunday, March 29’s game against No. 1 Michigan, he’s hoping to have taken the Vols where they’ve never been before.
Despite becoming a March Madness fixture, the Tennessee Vols have never, in their history, made the Final Four. Despite a pedigree of modest success, including 11 regular season SEC titles and and five conference tournament championships (most recently in 2022), Tennessee has not been able to cross the threshold to college basketball’s most coveted weekend.
The Barnes era marks the closest Tennessee has come, with consistency, even though its best shot arguably came before Barnes’ time. The Vols’ first Elite Eight trip was under Bruce Pearl in 2010, while Barnes was still roaming the Longhorns bench in Texas.
Barnes has taken Tennessee to the 2024, 2025, and 2026 Elite Eights. There’s an argument to be made 2026 is his most impressive run yet, as a No. 6 seed in the Midwest bracket.
The Vols went as a No. 2 seed in both 2024 and 2025, ultimately losing to the No. 1 seeds of their respective brackets in the Elite Eight. While it could be easy to think it will be more of the same Sunday against No. 1 Michigan, Tennessee has now taken down No. 3 Virginia and No. 2 Iowa State to get to this point. So perhaps one more upset is in store.
Has Tennessee basketball ever made a Final Four?
Tennessee has not made a Final Four in its history, making it one of five SEC schools to not get to the national semifinal round.
The others are Missouri, Mississippi, Texas A&M, and Vanderbilt. Alabama basketball made its first Final Four in 2024.
Tennessee basketball Elite Eight record
The Vols are 0-4 in the Elite Eight, with losses in 2010, 2024, 2025, and 2026.
Here’s a look at their full history in the fourth full round of the tournament.
- 2010: No. 5 Michigan State 70, No. 6 Tennessee 69
- 2024: No. 1 Purdue 72, No. 2 Tennessee 66
- 2025: No. 1 Houston 69, No. 2 Tennessee 50
- 2026: TBD, vs. No. 1 Michigan
Rick Barnes Elite Eight record
Barnes is not just defined by his career at Tennessee. He does have a Final Four appearance, winning his first Elite Eight game with Texas in 2003. Since then, though, he is 0-4 in the Elite Eight, with two losses at both Texas and Tennessee.
Tennessee football and coach Josh Heupel picked up a commitment from Brentwood Academy four-star wide receiver Kesean Bowman on March 28 while he was visiting the school.
Bowman narrowed his list to Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Ohio State, Alabama and Miami on March 2. All five schools were among his top 10 he acknowledged on Oct. 30. Texas, LSU, USC, Texas A&M and Oregon were among the schools left off his list.
The 6-foot, 174-pound Bowman is ranked as the No. 2 prospect in the state for the 2027 class. He is the No. 6 wide receiver nationally, according to 247Sports Composite. He has more than 35 other offers. He decommitted from Oregon last September, more than two months after committing to the Ducks.
Bowman was a Division II-AAA Mr. Football semifinalist, who caught 49 passes for 665 yards and 11 TDs, during BA’s 2025 state runner-up season. He also had a rushing TD and was named the DII-AAA West Region Offensive MVP. He was named to The Tennessean’s 2025 All Midstate Large Class football team and is a Middle Tennessee Sports Awards offensive football player of the year nominee.
Bowman helped BA finish 11-1 in 2025, losing to Baylor in the DII-AAA state championship game.
Tennessee and Heupel have also offered Brentwood Academy offensive tackle Rance Brown, a 6-6, 290-pound lineman who transferred from Southside (Alabama). The Vols are pursuing BA junior four-star linebacker Kenneth Simon II as well.
Tyler Palmateer covers high school sports for The Tennessean. Have a story idea for Tyler? Reach him at tpalmateer@tennessean.com and on the X platform, @tpalmateer83.
He also contributes to The Tennessean’s high school sports newsletter, The Bootleg. Subscribe to The Bootleg here.
The Tennessee Titans have made some improvements throughout the offseason and appear better positioned heading into the draft than they were in 2024, with added depth on both sides of the ball.
Yet, even with the added talent, they still have multiple needs they must continue to address to help both now and in the future, and another solid draft would go a long way in finding a sustainable path forward. Gilberto Manzano of Sports Illustrated looked at the roster and saw some of the same things as he broke down their remaining needs heading into the draft.
Tennessee Titans
Draft needs: RB, WR, edge, S
The running back duo of Tony Pollard and Tyjae Spears hasn’t been a productive one. Cam Ward desperately needs a game-changer at one of the skill positions. Newcomer wideout Wan’Dale Robinson doesn’t exactly fit that bill, but he’ll make life easier for the second-year quarterback.
With Robert Saleh now the head coach in Tennessee, it wouldn’t be a surprise if the Titans used the No. 4 pick on one of the top edge rushers.
There is no doubt that the Titans should add some playmakers in this draft class, and they shouldn’t bank on hitting a dynamic playmaker in the fourth round again. Tennessee could definitely use a premium pick on at least one or possibly two offensive weapons.
Tennessee also must invest in the interior of the offensive line to help Cam Ward and the offense. While it’s true that Pollard and Spears did not blow the doors off the running game, they were also hampered by subpar play along the offensive line for the past two seasons, after line guru Bill Callahan failed to transform the Titans’ line into a consistent unit. It wasn’t until after he and his son Brian Callahan left that the play-calling for the running game took off.
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