Tennessee baseball’s Trey Lipscomb posting crazy home run pace

Tennessee senior infielder Trey Lipscomb has established himself as a key piece in the Volunteers top 25 squad with his power at the plate and home run pace. His ability to hit has put him in elite company with plenty time left in the season to improve on those numbers.

Trey Lipscomb is batting .370 this season with 15 home runs and 57 RBIs in 36 games, tying the most home runs hit by a Tennessee player last season. The 2021 mark was shared by Jordan Beck and Luc Lipcius at 15 over 68 games.

With two home runs over the weekend in a series win over Alabama, he continues to surge toward the record books. The school record for home runs in a season is owned by Sonny Cortez, who hit 24 in 1998. The RBI record of 92, set by Todd Helton, is also within reach.

Tennessee still has 20 more regular season games scheduled, plus the postseason which will include the SEC Tournament and the NCAA Tournament.

Tennessee manager suspended

Tennessee has announced the suspension for baseball coach Tony Vitello following his ejection against Alabama. After a heated argument with an umpire on Saturday, Vitello won’t be on the bench on Sunday against the Crimson Tide.

“Tony Vitello received a four-game suspension from the NCAA following his ejection and actions in Tennessee baseball’s 9-2 win against Alabama on Saturday,” wrote Mike Wilson of the Knoxville News Sentinel. “Vitello is eligible to return in UT’s game at Florida on April 24. He is slated miss Sunday’s series finale against Alabama, Tuesday’s game against Bellarmine and the first two games at Florida. Pitching coach Frank Anderson, who was ejected prior to Vitello, will serve a one-game suspension and will return for Tuesday’s game.

“Hitting coach Josh Elander will serve as the acting head coach with Vitello and Anderson suspended. Anderson, who was ejected prior to Vitello, received an automatic one-game suspension as an assistant coach.”

Initially, Tennessee suspended Vitello for only one game. Then, the NCAA stepped in and upped the suspension to four games. Additionally, the Volunteers baseball leader won’t be able to appeal the suspension, according to the NCAA rule book.