Resume Check: Looking ahead to South Carolina baseball's next opponent, the Tennessee Volunteers

South Carolina dropped its fourth game in a row on Tuesday as the rival North Carolina Tar Heels took the annual Battle of the Carolinas game in Charlotte. The Gamecocks’ overall record fell to 17-9, and the team’s SEC mark remained at 1-5.

This weekend, the road doesn’t get any easier. Carolina returns home but must play against the nation’s top team, the Tennessee Volunteers.

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Resume Check: Tennessee Volunteers

Record: 22-2 (5-1)
D1Baseball Ranking: 1st
Most recent games: 2-1 series win over Alabama in Tuscaloosa; mid-week win over Queens klsfdjjlksfd
Previous Meeting: Tennessee swept South Carolina in Knoxville during 2024 season

The Tennessee Volunteers might be the best team in the country. D1Baseball seems to think so, ranking the Vols No. 1 the past few weeks. UT lost twice last week–once in a mid-week contest to East Tennessee State and once in a three-game series win over Alabama in Tuscaloosa over the weekend. The two defeats are the only blemishes on Tony Vitello’s team’s resume.

Tennessee earned ranked wins over Oklahoma State and Arizona early in the non-conference portion of their schedule. They also swept the then-No. 6 Florida Gators to begin SEC play before taking two from a top-15 Alabama team.

During the preseason, the SEC head coaches voted the Tennessee Volunteers as the second-best team in the conference. The Volunteers also earned a first-place vote. Shortstop Dean Curley, second baseman Gavin Kilen, third baseman Andrew Fischer, and outfielder Hunter Ensley all found their names on the preseason All-SEC team. So did starting pitcher Liam Doyle and reliever Nate Snead.

So far, all four of the preseason All-SEC position players on the roster have had great starts to the 2025 season. Frankly, though, virtually every Vol has hit the ball well this year. Six players (including Curley, Kilen, and Fischer) have logged at least six home runs. Eight of ten players with at least 15 starts own an OPS of at least 1.024. As a team, Vitello’s squad is second in the country in home runs and slugging percentage and third in total runs scored.

On the mound, Doyle has been ridiculous. He’s notched 62 strikeouts in just 31 innings pitched. Fellow starter Marcus Phillips has been great, too, logging a 1.47 ERA and 0.91 WHIP. 12 Tennessee relievers (including Snead) have made multiple appearances while maintaining an ERA below 4.00. With those numbers, it is no surprise that UT leads the entire country in both ERA and WHIP. The pitching staff also owns the top spot nationally in K-BB ratio and is second in H/9.

The best two-way team in college baseball has only played three games on the road this season, however. Though they won the series against Alabama last weekend, the Vols also suffered a loss. This weekend’s series will be played at Founders Park where South Carolina is 14-3 on the season.

Gamecock head coach Paul Mainieri hasn’t announced his weekend rotation yet. After the North Carolina loss, he said the team hopes to get Dylan Eskew back (Eskew was scratched from his Sunday start after getting hit in the head with a batting practice home run) but that he wasn’t sure if that would happen or not. Recent Friday night starter Brandon Stone didn’t throw on Tuesday, though he did warm up in the bullpen. Normal closer Brendan Sweeney started on Tuesday but pitched just one inning, likely making him fully available for the weekend.

The South Carolina Gamecocks and Tennessee Volunteers will begin their series at Ray Tanner Field on Friday at 7:00 p.m. Then, game two on Saturday will start at 4:00 p.m. Both games one and two will stream on SEC Network+. First pitch for Sunday’s series finale will be at 5:00 p.m. SEC Network will broadcast the contest, and the ESPN app will make it available for streaming.

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