Dylan Dreiling named College World Series Most Outstanding Player after leading Vols to title
Dylan Dreiling on Monday night was named the College World Series Most Outstanding Player after starring for No. 1 Tennessee, helping lift the Vols to their first national championship in program history, taking down No. 3 Texas A&M.
Dreiling, who hit the go-ahead, two-run home run in the seventh inning of Game 2 on Sunday afternoon, hit another two-run home run in the seventh on Monday night, giving Tennessee important insurance runs in the 6-5 win in the winner-take-all Game 3 at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha.
Dreiling’s home run extended Tennessee’s lead to 5-1. Kavaers Tears added an RBI double two at-bats later, before A&M scored two runs in the eighth and two in the ninth.
Over the three game series, Dreiling went 7-for-12 with seven runs batted in and four runs scored. He hit three home runs, all two-run shots, in the series, hitting one in each game. He had three RBI Monday and two each in Game 1 and Game 2.
DYLAN DREILING. OMAHA LEGEND.
— Tennessee Baseball (@Vol_Baseball) June 25, 2024
The 2024 #MCWS Most Outstanding Player. pic.twitter.com/YmJw2SDiaw
Dylan Dreiling in College World Series Final: 7-12, 3 HR, 7 RBI, 4 R
Dreiling earlier on Monday had the go-ahead RBI with a sacrifice in the bottom of the third, putting Tennessee up 2-1 after Texas A&M had tied the game in the top of the inning.
The 5-foot-11, 200-pound sophomore and native of Hays, Kansas, had 11 RBI over Tennessee’s six games in Omaha, tying a program record for most RBI by a Tennessee player in the College world Series.
Texas A&M started the championship series with a 9-5 win Saturday night. The Aggies used a five-run third inning to take control, building a 7-2 lead. Dreiling and Hunter Ensley hit back-to-back home runs in the seventh to get back within four runs, but the Vols would get no closer.
A&M on Sunday was seven outs away from winning the title, leading 1-0 in the top of the seventh inning when Dreiling hit a two-run, go-ahead home run with two outs. Cal Stark added a two-run home run as Tennessee marched on to a 4-1 win to force Monday night’s Game 3.
‘I think his heart just kind of stays calm, his mind stays calm’
“It was an SEC war, or just a postseason war,” Tennessee coach Tony Vitello said Sunday night, describing the game that Dreiling turned around with one swing.
Dreiling entered the championship series against Texas A&M game hitting .336 on the season with 22 home runs and 72 RBI. As a freshman last season he hit .180 with five home runs and 17 RBI, starting 43 times in 53 games.
“He’s already a quiet kid,” Stark said of Dreiling on Sunday, “but I think his heart just kind of stays calm, his mind stays calm. And I feel like he’s kind of built for those moments. He’s done it all year.”
