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.
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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.
