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Rob Vaughn on Tennessee: 'That’s just a really darned good team'

On3 imageby:Eric Cain•05/22/25•

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Rob Vaughn
© Gary CosbyJr.-Tuscaloosa News / USA TODAY NETWORK

Outside of a couple of hurlers combined for Tennessee and Alabama in the 15-10 Volunteer win Wednesday afternoon at the SEC Tournament, the second round matchup was all about offense.

The two teams combined for 25 runs off 30 hits. The Crimson Tide threw up crooked numbers in the fifth inning (five runs) and ninth frame (four runs). UT did the same in the fourth (three runs), sixth (five runs) and eighth (four runs).  

It was a whole lot of offense and not a lot of pitching for most of the contest. But it was Tennessee setting the tone form the get-go with a run in each of the first two innings and a 5-1 lead through four.

“Tennessee, you kind of saw what they were. I know they’ve scuffled a little bit down the stretch and haven’t played their best baseball, and that offense is scary,” Alabama skipper Rob Vaughn said postgame. “When it gets rolling, it’s scary, and they were rolling from the rip. I think they were on time. They were taking stuff away. And they just got in a groove there. So, it just got hard to stop.”

Credit the Tide – they fought until the very end. Alabama erased an early four-run deficit to take a one-run lead at 6-5 in the fifth inning. Tennessee led by as many as nine runs heading to the ninth inning, but the Crimson Tide recorded four runs off four hits in the final frame to make the shootout more respectable with the 15-10 final.   

But the Tennessee offense was just too much to overcome two big deficits in the ballgame.

“We just couldn’t stop them. I mean, that offense was firing on all cylinders today,” Vaughn continued. “They didn’t make mistakes. They capitalized on stuff. At the end of the day, just couldn’t slow them down.”

For parts of the ballgame, Tennessee’s pitching was on fire. Marcus Phillips started the contest and sat down the Alabama lineup in order the first time through. It was nine-straight before the Tide was able to put a man on base, let alone put pressure on the big righty.

“Marcus Phillips was a Big Leaguer there for three innings there,” the Alabama skipper said. “I was like, man, Tony you said he was going to be up on the pitch count. Man, let’s get him out of there. Like, he’s thrown enough. I mean, it was 98 to 99 with just plus stuff, all strikes. He was really good.”

AJ Russell came in and tossed 3.2 innings of relief, allowing only two earned runs with five strikeouts – picking up his second win in as many appearances dating back to last weekend in Fayetteville.

“And then you have Russell. And the impressive thing about him, I thought, is how he did it,” Vaughn concluded. “He came in, and we kind of blitzed him there early, Richie with a huge two-out double, scoring some runs there, and then he made the adjustment. He was able to start landing that right-right changeup a lot, and that makes 97 from that slot play a heck of a lot better.

“That’s just a really darned good team.”

Like Tennessee, Alabama is on the bubble to be an NCAA Regional host. They’ll await their postseason designation until Monday’s Selection Show. The Vols gained some valuable RPI points with the win over Alabama (No. 9 RPI), but a loss to Texas on Thursday (No. 4 RPI) would likely negate any ground gained.

The No. 9 seed Volunteers take on the No. 1 seed Longhorns Thursday afternoon at 4 o’clock ET on the SEC Network.

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