Not Hard to Understand Drop Off This Season

#1
SNAFU

SNAFU

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#1
In 24 SEC contests this season, Tennessee has committed 25 fielding errors to its opponent's 13 (this doesn't include the errors vs Vandy). The Vols have committed 49 errors to their opponent's 43 in all contests during the 2025 season. Stolen bases attempted vs. Vols 33/CS 7. Fielding % is .971 or 12th in the conference. Hitting and pitching can't overcome this.
 
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#3
#3
SNAFU said:
In 24 SEC contests this season, Tennessee has committed 25 fielding errors to its opponent's 13 (this doesn't include the errors vs Vandy). The Vols have committed 49 errors to their opponent's 43 in all contests during the 2025 season. Stolen bases attempted vs. Vols 33/CS 7. Fielding % is .971 or 12th in the conference. Hitting and pitching can't overcome this.
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And losing 7 position players (incl 5 guys who hit >20 HRS), the entire starting pitching rotation, and Aaron Combs and Kirby Connell didn’t help. I will take a top 20 team after winning the NC.
 
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#4
#4
taylorvol said:
And losing 7 position players (incl 5 guys who hit >20 HRS), the entire starting pitching rotation, and Aaron Combs and Kirby Connell didn’t help. I will take a top 20 team after winning the NC.
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Yep. We still have time to work some things out. A trip to Fayetteville and Hoover can help mature some youth. Nobody wants to see this squad show up to their regional as a 2 or 3 seed.
 
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#9
#9
Big Orange Rob said:
We have had great recruiting over the last few years. Were they over-rated, or do they simply need more experience to perform better? Also, are there any deficiencies developing in the coaching staff?
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You serious?

There are so many examples of this staff developing players

We are just so young in a league filled with older players
 
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#11
#11
Agree with the OP. I think Tony has done an excellent job with this team. He has only 1 SEC top tier pitcher, 1 consistent power hitter, and an infield that can’t field at a D1 level.
Yes, recruiting has been great, and Coach is playing several Fr a lot of innings, but generally speaking, the SEC talent is equal to A or High A level. Very few young players are consistent in that atmosphere. Yes there are a few in this league who can do it, but very few compared to the league’s best. Tony has shown he has always tried to work his good young talent in very slowly. Even Dylan Dreiling and Burke played sparingly until they were in their 3rd years. Have faith. There are some young players on this team who I think will eventually be all conference. An elite shortstop and a couple of teir 1 starters will be needed next year but the other pieces are there. Don’t give up. These kids will get smarter and stronger as they mature.
 
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#12
#12
Big Orange Rob said:
We have had great recruiting over the last few years. Were they over-rated, or do they simply need more experience to perform better? Also, are there any deficiencies developing in the coaching staff?
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You need experience and having numerous veterans who have played several seasons together is huge——especially for postseason success.
 
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#14
#14
a vol n tears said:
Agree with the OP. I think Tony has done an excellent job with this team. He has only 1 SEC top tier pitcher, 1 consistent power hitter, and an infield that can’t field at a D1 level.
Yes, recruiting has been great, and Coach is playing several Fr a lot of innings, but generally speaking, the SEC talent is equal to A or High A level. Very few young players are consistent in that atmosphere. Yes there are a few in this league who can do it, but very few compared to the league’s best. Tony has shown he has always tried to work his good young talent in very slowly. Even Dylan Dreiling and Burke played sparingly until they were in their 3rd years. Have faith. There are some young players on this team who I think will eventually be all conference. An elite shortstop and a couple of teir 1 starters will be needed next year but the other pieces are there. Don’t give up. These kids will get smarter and stronger as they mature.
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Both Blake Burke and Dylan Dreiling started their entire sophomore years. Dreiling was a draft eligible sophomore so he drafted by MLB so only played 2 seasonal at TN. Burke wasn’t draft eligible until after his junior season so we thankfully had him for 3 years. Your point is still spot on that CTV and staff are great at developing players.
 
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#15
#15
Not an indictment on any one thing. Just pointing out numbers that would show why the team is in a funk in terms of winning series. I don't take any season when a Vols team competes for championships for granted. I remember that football championship in '98 when most of us thought that we'd stack one or 2 more and the relatively quick decline, ~10 years.
 
#16
#16
The 20-0 start impacted expectations. This was always going to be a rebuild year to some degree. We lost basically our entire lineup, our entire starting rotation, and nearly all of our best bullpen pieces.

It’s frustrating to watch at times, but I think if we had a harder non-conference slate that exposed some of our flaws early on, there likely wouldn’t have been as much consternation about the recent performance.

Mistakes aside, I think most are just genuinely shocked that we’ve lost 4 out of 5 home series. Uncharacteristic for this program. But, some tough lessons have been learned and hopefully it leads to a resurgence next year as the young core matures.
 
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#17
#17
Part of losing so much at home lately i think has to do with the umpire behind the plate. Some of the calls going against our boys almost seems conspiracy theory related. Seems a low outside strike for us is a ball for the visiting batters. Ive noticed so many times our boys protecting that low ball because if they dont swing its getting called. My mom and i have cursed the tv so much this year. But as much as i want perfection i knew this season would be tougher on us fans than that of our boys in orange.
 
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#18
#18
TheMookieMonster said:
The 20-0 start impacted expectations. This was always going to be a rebuild year to some degree. We lost basically our entire lineup, our entire starting rotation, and nearly all of our best bullpen pieces.

It’s frustrating to watch at times, but I think if we had a harder non-conference slate that exposed some of our flaws early on, there likely wouldn’t have been as much consternation about the recent performance.

Mistakes aside, I think most are just genuinely shocked that we’ve lost 4 out of 5 home series. Uncharacteristic for this program. But, some tough lessons have been learned and hopefully it leads to a resurgence next year as the young core matures.
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That's purely on us as fans for reading too much into that start. Only 1 or 2 of those games was against a team with a pulse.
 
#20
#20
cwbytruckers said:
Part of losing so much at home lately i think has to do with the umpire behind the plate. Some of the calls going against our boys almost seems conspiracy theory related. Seems a low outside strike for us is a ball for the visiting batters. Ive noticed so many times our boys protecting that low ball because if they dont swing its getting called. My mom and i have cursed the tv so much this year. But as much as i want perfection i knew this season would be tougher on us fans than that of our boys in orange.
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I 100% believe there’s something to this. Started with the LSU strike zone a year or two ago (I can’t find the meme), but, in my opinion, it’s a subtle way of retribution for the brash nature of the Vols, especially in the recent past. I don’t see how else anybody in their right mind could call some of those pitches the way they did. Inconsistent officiating at the plate will affect a team, no doubt.
 
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#21
#21
SNAFU said:
Not an indictment on any one thing. Just pointing out numbers that would show why the team is in a funk in terms of winning series. I don't take any season when a Vols team competes for championships for granted. I remember that football championship in '98 when most of us thought that we'd stack one or 2 more and the relatively quick decline, ~10 years.
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Free Berto!!!!
🥒
 
#22
#22
There's only one direction to go from a national championship and it's not up. South Carolina was the last team to repeat in 2010-2011. Florida in 2018 was the last SEC team to even play .500 ball the year after winning it all.

2023 champ: LSU - 2024 SEC record 13-17
2022 champ: Ole Miss - 2023 SEC record 6-24
2021 champ: Miss. State - 2022 SEC record 9-21
2020 champ: Covid-19 - 2021 SEC record 0-30
2019 champ: Vandy - 2020 SEC record (Covid)
2018 champ: Oregon State - 2019 PAC-12 record 21-8
2017 champ: Florida - 2018 SEC record 20-10
 
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#23
#23
It’s really hard to go back to back in anything especially baseball , that being said and having manhandled the SEC the last few years and being the defending champion we’re getting everyone’s A game night in and night out and our young team just hasn’t accepted those challenges as well as some of our veteran teams have , no one feels sorry for us and are licking their chops to play us , we’ll grow from it at some point , I just hate our trajectory right now for those guys that’ll go in the draft if we can’t turn it around , I’m still hoping a couple of our young guys can catch fire and get the offense clicking on all cylinders
 
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#24
#24
SNAFU said:
In 24 SEC contests this season, Tennessee has committed 25 fielding errors to its opponent's 13 (this doesn't include the errors vs Vandy). The Vols have committed 49 errors to their opponent's 43 in all contests during the 2025 season. Stolen bases attempted vs. Vols 33/CS 7. Fielding % is .971 or 12th in the conference. Hitting and pitching can't overcome this.
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There’s a drop off after winning the CWS. See Vandy, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, and LSU. Maybe even add Texas AM on the list even though they didn’t win it.
 
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