KNOXVILLE — It’s not a proper rivalry unless both sides are winning, right?
This time last season, Tennessee baseball’s winning streak over Vanderbilt had reached nine games, confirming how much the balance of power had shifted east in a sport the Commodores had been playing awfully well for an awfully long time.
Since then, however, an upstart Vanderbilt has won three of its past five games against Tony Vitello’s mighty champs over at Tennessee.
None felt sweeter for the Commodores than a 10-6 victory in Game 2 of the regular-season series on an orange-out evening May 10 at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.
Because this was quintessential Vanderbilt baseball under Tim Corbin.
This was clutch hitting. It was aggressive baserunning. It was magnificent defense in key situations.
In a hitters’ ballpark that often rewards big swings, the game’s little things were actually what made the difference this time for Vanderbilt. This was good, solid baseball, the type that Corbin’s clubs have been known for at their best.
The Commodores scored in five of the first six innings, and during that stretch, they stole eight bases (compared to none all game for the Vols) and hit .429 (6-of-14) with runners in scoring position. Of their 10 hits, seven were singles. But they made them count.
And with Tennessee threatening to come back late and the crowd roaring, Vanderbilt turned a big-league-caliber double play to get out of the seventh inning. And then right fielder Jacob Humphrey made a diving catch to rob the Vols’ Chris Newstrom and end the eighth.
“That 6-4-3 double play was probably the biggest play of the game from a momentum standpoint,” Corbin said. “And, certainly, Humphrey’s play, too.”
“If that ball gets down for (Newstrom), we turn the lineup over, we’ve got two base runners on and maybe it gets a little more hairy,” Vitello said. “But the bottom line is, I thought . . . we were the better team yesterday. They were clearly the better team today.”
With the series up for grabs, big-picture conclusions from a big weekend can wait for Game 3. With a win, however, Vanderbilt would claim its first series over Tennessee since 2021 and take a big step toward a top-eight national seed and hosting rights for the first two weekends of the 2025 NCAA Tournament.
Even if Tennessee takes a Game 3 that looms important for it as well, the Commodores have already made a statement by winning in Knoxville.
And winning their way.
“This rivalry is intense,” said Vanderbilt’s Braden Holcomb, who went 2-for-4 with a home run in the victory. “It’s a lot of fun to play in, though, for sure. You come out here and it’s as competitive as it gets. It’s very noticeable . . . To come in here in this environment and string together a lot of good at-bats, pitch really well. I mean, it was just a great win for us.”
Reach Tennessean sports columnist Gentry Estes at gestes@tennessean.com and hang out with him on Bluesky @gentryestes.bsky.social
