Tennessee's Chase Burns named SEC Co-Pitcher of the Week after dominating Vanderbilt

The two dominant relief appearances from Chase Burns in Tennessee’s weekend sweep of Vanderbilt earned the sophomore right-hander SEC Co-Pitcher of the Week honors on Monday. 

Burns got the win in relief in the Vols’ walk-off win Friday night and sat the ‘Dores down in order to finish the three-game sweep Sunday afternoon at Lindsey Nelson Stadium in Knoxville.

Burns retired 11 of the 12 Vanderbilt batters he faced over the two appearances. He entered Friday with a runner on and no outs in the top of the 10th and struck out three straight batters to get out of the inning. He pitched the final three innings Friday night, recording seven of his nine outs via strikeout. 

“His outing was impressive enough I don’t have words for it,” Tennessee coach Tony Vitello said Friday night after his team’s 4-3 win in 12 innings, “and yet, I’ll stop myself and say he’s capable of that. And about everybody that has seen him throw this year knows that. The stuff has ticked up even a bit from last year.”

Tennessee swept Vanderbilt for seventh straight win versus the Commodores

Tennessee (26-14, 8-10 SEC), after losing 12-5 to Tennessee Tech last Wednesday, outscored Vanderbilt 31-9 during the weekend series, winning 17-1 in seven innings on Saturday and 10-5 on Sunday.

Burns pitched a perfect ninth inning — he got a strikeout, ground out and a fly out, needing just nine pitches — for the Vols Sunday as Tennessee beat its in-state rival for the seventh consecutive time. 

“It wasn’t part of the plan to use him on Friday,” Vitello said of Burns after the win on Sunday. “Again, we kind of said ‘Do you want this thing?’ And his eyes lit up and did whatever was asked. To me, I didn’t have any interest in putting him on the available list (Sunday) unless he went to one of our other guys, and he went to Richard (Jackson) and Frank (Anderson) and said he could give us one or two innings. For a while there, it didn’t look like we would use him, but you look smart anytime you use him, especially the way that ninth inning went.”

Burns, who was previously the second pitcher in Tennessee’s weekend rotation, has a 3-3 record in 10 games started this season. He has a 5.15 ERA over 50.2 innings pitched, giving up 31 runs — 29 earned — on 44 hits. He has a 1.18 WHIP with 82 strikeouts to 16 walks. 

Burns starred as a freshman for Tennessee last season, when the Gallatin, Tenn., native had an 8-2 record, starting 14 times and pitching 80.1 innings with a 2.91 ERA. He had 103 strikeouts against 25 walks, giving up 26 earned runs on the year.

Up Next: Tennessee vs. Bellarmine, Tuesday, 6:30 p.m. ET, SEC Network+

He started this season with four wins in his first six decisions but had lost three straight at LSU, at home against Florida and at Arkansas last week. Burns allowed a run on three hits over 5.1 innings out of the bullpen at Arkansas, after giving up seven runs in 3.1 innings against Florida and five in 3.1 innings at LSU.

The Vanderbilt series was his second straight weekend being used out of the bullpen.

“To take in (it) stride,” Vitello said, “‘Hey, we’re not sure what your role is in Fayetteville, Arkansas,’ and kind of be relaxed and take it in stride and then throw well is one thing. But then (Friday night), which I hope he didn’t make me look too dumb, but when I just tap him on the shoulder all of a sudden and say, ‘Do you want this or not?’ and he says, ‘Yeah,’ and goes down there, gets ready, pretty much in a hurry, and then comes in in that situation.”