HOOVER, Ala. — Chase Dollander made a simple request of Tony Vitello during a sixth-inning mound meeting early Saturday morning: “Give me Crews.”
Crews, as in Dylan Crews, as in the SEC’s Co-Player of the Year who could chip away at the Vols’ lead with one swing — just like the No. 21 Tigers had done in the inning prior.
No dice.
"His argument was a crappy one,” said Vitello, who Dollander said had asserted his role as the decision-maker. “(Chase) told me to let him go 101 pitches (with Crews up to bat and Dollander at 99). And I'm like, ‘You gonna get that guy out on two pitches?'"
He didn’t get the chance.
Vitello hooked Dollander and brought in Mark McLaughlin, who gave way to Redmond Walsh, who tied Todd Helton’s Tennessee record of 23 saves when he clinched the win just before 1:15 a.m. CT.
"It's unbelievable,” said Walsh. “It's something you try not to think about, but when your name is in the category of probably the best player to ever come through Tennessee, there's not any way to really describe it."
Factor in some timely hitting from Drew Gilbert and Jorel Ortega, as well as an excellent all-around effort from Jordan Beck, and the Vols cruised into Saturday’s SEC Tournament semifinals — their second-straight appearance — after a 5-2 win over LSU.
But, well before final out was caught, the Vols received another sterling outing out of their SEC Pitcher of the Year.
Dollander struck out the side in the first inning, wheeling and dealing from the epicenter of an incredible college baseball scene.
He allowed only four hits and two runs with an error, two walks and a whopping nine strikeouts in 6.2 innings of work against an LSU lineup that had averaged 14 runs in its previous five games.
“He was the same as he’s been, which is excellent,” Vitello said. “He seemed to pick up a little steam as the game went on.”
Dollander admitted he got juiced off the jam-packed crowd, which buzzed during pregame and featured a rowdy mix of orange and white versus purple and gold — not to mention two sides that traded barbs from “Callin’ Baton Rouge” and “Rocky Top!” to chants of “LSU!” and “Go Big Orange.”
“It was awesome,” said Vitello in his discussion of arguably the best atmosphere Tennessee has played in this season. “I was kind of shocked at how many people were here in general, and (a lot) were on our side. Two pretty cool, different cultures. To have them all here shows what the SEC’s got going.”
But the result also shows what Tennessee has going, the Vols showing pitching and hitting depth that’s kept them fresh and sharp as the most dangerous team in the country.
And Dollander, part of an elite pitching staff that comprises the best college baseball has to offer, is at the forefront.
He screamed and flexed and leaped off the mound in the fifth inning, a ball of energy as he bobbed toward the UT dugout after striking out Tre’ Morgan on a 98-mile-hour fastball to keep Vanderbilt at bay.
The emotion was rare for Dollander, who admitted he “blacked out” a bit during the sequence. But the celebration wasn’t just for himself.
“A little bit of that was him picking up his teammates,” said Vitello. “They've played excellent defense behind him this year, so he was returning the favor."
Less than an inning later, Dollander walked toward the dugout — the loser of that sixth-inning argument about Crews — and found plenty of emotion in return: a hefty standing ovation from the Vols’ crowd, as well as plenty of high-fives and backslaps from his teammates.
Now, Tennessee is looking toward the winner of LSU and Kentucky on Saturday night, a shot at the Vols’ second consecutive SEC Tournament title appearance on the line.
There’s only one problem — at least for opponents.
“We haven’t even played our best baseball,” said Dollander.
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